The blog post version of this episode is brought to you by the Christian Indie Publishing Association (CIPA)

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Creating an online course to complement your book content is a great way to provide deeper transformation for your students and additional income for yourself. 

• But how do you build an online course? 
• What content should you include?
• How do you get started? 

I interviewed Becky Kopitzke to find out.

Becky is a nonfiction author of three traditionally published books. She’s a speaker, writing coach, and co-founder of The Inspired Business, where she helps authors generate recurring income from digital products.

She loves helping authors serve their audiences with online courses.

How do I know if my book can be turned into an online course?

Thomas Umstattd, Jr.: How do I know if my book can be adapted into a course?

Becky Kopitzke: First, ask yourself whether your audience can benefit from further exploration of the topic. Think about your audience, and then determine whether your book lends itself to further engagement with them.

I would argue that almost any book can be turned into an online course to expand the reader’s experience. For example, if your topic is interactive, you’ll get much more engagement in a video or with coaching than you would with your written content.

Thomas: One reason I offer courses instead of books is that many people buy books and then don’t read them. Our bookshelves are filled with our good intentions. Even when people do read a book, they rarely apply what they learned.

You can teach yourself. You can get a library card, read the ten best books on a particular topic, and become an expert. But most people have a history of learning from a teacher who breaks down the information and holds them accountable.

Accountability is the key.

You can buy a gym membership, but you’ll see no transformation if you don’t go.

Becky: When you go to that gym and have a trainer holding your hand, telling you how many push-ups to do, that’s when transformation happens.

An online course provides information in a visual format; but it also allows a teacher to visit your living room, walk you through the information, and answer your questions.

It’s a guided experience, rather than isolated consumption. And that experience builds a relationship that can’t be built by reading the content on paper alone.

If people can buy my book for $20.00, why would they pay more for a course with the same content?

Thomas: If people can buy my book for $20.00, why would they spend hundreds of dollars on a course with the same content?

Becky: The content hierarchy moves from free content to more expensive content. A blog post is free. An ebook is often available for less than $10.00. The print book costs a bit more. The online course has the highest cost, but it’s also the most interactive experience.

The convenience and outcomes increase as you move up the content hierarchy.

A reader will have to search for a free blog post; but if you repackage those posts into a full book, you’ve given your reader a more convenient way to consume the content. They don’t have to search for it online because it’s in their hands.

If you provide an additional, interactive experience, they’ll get so much more value from the book; and that’s why they’re willing to pay more.

One of the smartest ways to create a book or develop a course is by repurposing content you’ve already created. Repurpose your content and package it to enhance the participant’s experience and make the content more convenient to access. The convenience and engagement will be worth the price of the course.

Thomas: You could look at it this way: Why do you pay to go to seminary when you can read the Bible for free on your phone? The experience of attending discipleship school is much different than reading the Bible for free.

Devaluing education by offering it for free actually makes it less effective. Almost every time I give away a course for free, the recipient doesn’t participate or finish the course because they don’t value it.

Becky: In the past, I’ve mistakenly thought that in order to make my content accessible to everyone, I could only charge a small price.

When I did that, I got an influx of people who didn’t value what I offered and probably didn’t do the first lesson because they weren’t invested.

If I only spend $19.00 on a course and don’t complete it, it’s a feasible loss.

If I spend $300, I want a return on that investment; and I’m far more likely to complete that course and see a return or a transformation in my life.

I’ve found that Christian writers have a heart to serve people, and sometimes they think that means giving away content for free.

But I have discovered that when you give it away for free or nearly free, you actually devalue the content. People are less likely to consume it, which means the transformation the course was supposed to provide is never brought to fruition.

You must price your content high enough so that people value it enough to engage with it.

Thomas: Some Christians believe it’s a sin to charge for Christian content. But giving it away for free doesn’t make you holy. It makes you broke.

The Bible is very clear that you can and should get paid for your work. Oxen are paid for their work. Even church workers are paid for their work. Don’t set yourself up as more holy than your pastor, who gets paid for his work.

If you don’t value what you’re offering, why should anybody else?

Becky: I’m very passionate about fair pricing for God-honoring income. We’re not talking about gouging people. We’re talking about getting a fair return for the work and knowledge you have invested in sharing with other people.

There’s always a place for free volunteer work. I will always speak to my church groups at my home church as a volunteer. But if writing or course-building is your vocation, you ought to receive compensation for it.

When you recognize that what you have to offer can provide transformation, your offer doesn’t turn people off. They’re grateful for it after they’ve finished the course. They’re glad you sold it to them because you provided something that made a difference in their lives.

If you never reach those people because you are afraid of the ask, you’ve lost the opportunity to serve your audience in richer ways.

Thomas: There’s something powerful about spending money, especially when you want to be transformed.

Even if you’re charging hundreds of dollars for your courses, it’s still only a tiny fraction of the cost of university education.

One of my brothers has some health challenges, and he wasn’t healthy enough to go to university; but he wanted a high-paying job he could do from home. He wanted to be able to take the day off if he had a bad health day.

Instead of going away to a university, he spent four months and $2,500 on a course about how to become a podcast editor. He learned to edit podcasts for less than the cost of one university class. He’s now making more money per hour than most college graduates.

If he wants to change his career, he can take a different course in the future. Plus, he’s not in debt; and he’s in a much stronger financial position than his peers.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t go to university, but I am saying count the cost before you go. Choose a major where the professors believe truth exists, and then run the number for the return on your educational investment.  

Becky: Many people feel untrained because they didn’t go to seminary or didn’t study writing. But online courses and education allow us to reinvent ourselves because it’s so accessible.

You can open your laptop and find training on almost any topic. Twenty years ago, that wasn’t an option. Today, you can reinvent yourself and gain new skills.

Course creators are blessed to be able to share education that helps people reinvent themselves.

I’ve taken a ton of courses, and I continue to take courses. I believe a good coach needs to continue to be coached, and I do it all from my desk. I don’t have to go back to college and sit in a classroom for three hours a day. I can incorporate my education into my family life and my home-business rhythm.

What’s your process for turning book material into a course?

Thomas: If someone has a book and wants to turn the material into a course, how do they begin? What’s your process?

Becky: I first ask myself what part of my book lends itself to an interactive relationship with the reader.

What content can I provide that will inter