Learn Self Publishing (LSP) is a UK-based author education platform run by a team of working indie authors who also operate Vinci Books — a boutique indie publisher. That combination — educators who are also active practitioners running real book businesses — gives LSP's courses an unusual quality: the strategies taught are being used right now, on real titles, with real budgets.

The Facebook Ads for Authors course is LSP's flagship advertising offering. The team has used Facebook and Instagram advertising to take books from obscurity to bestseller status across multiple genres and markets, and the course distills what they have actually learned from managing substantial ad spend across real author accounts.

What Was Changed in the Re-Recording

The previous version of LSP's Facebook Ads course became dated after Meta's major interface overhauls — including the consolidation of Ads Manager, the deprecation of detailed interest targeting layers, and the introduction of Advantage+ campaign structures. The re-recorded version addresses all of these changes head-on.

The new course reflects the current Meta Ads ecosystem: Advantage+ Shopping campaigns, AI-driven broad targeting (Meta's recommendation to trust the algorithm rather than micro-targeting), creative testing at scale, and the current attribution model following the iOS 14+ privacy changes that have affected how Facebook reports conversions.

🔄 UPDATED:  Meta's advertising platform has shifted significantly since 2021 — the interest targeting that authors relied on in the early Facebook Ads era is less effective than it once was. LSP's re-recorded course teaches the current best practice: broader audiences, stronger creative, and letting Meta's AI find your readers. This is a genuine departure from older course material still circulating.

What the Course Covers

The Meta Ads Foundation

The course opens with the strategic foundation: why Facebook and Instagram advertising works differently from Amazon Ads, how the Meta algorithm finds and expands audiences, and how to think about Facebook advertising as a long-term reader acquisition investment rather than a per-sale cost center.

Pixel Setup and Event Tracking

A dedicated section covers the Facebook Pixel — how to install it on your website or landing page, how to configure events (page views, lead submissions, purchases), and why proper pixel setup is non-negotiable before running any campaigns. Authors who skip this step lose the ability to build lookalike audiences from their own data.

Campaign Structure and Ad Creative

The campaign structure modules cover the current recommended approach: one campaign, one ad set, multiple ad creatives for testing. The creative modules cover what works for book advertising specifically — image choices, headline formulas, copy structures that drive clicks, and how to test creative variations efficiently.

List Building vs. Direct Sales Campaigns

The course distinguishes between two strategic uses of Facebook Ads for authors — building an email list through reader magnets (the lower-cost, higher-longevity strategy) and driving direct sales (higher cost per result but immediate revenue). LSP covers both and helps authors determine which is appropriate for their specific situation.

Scaling and Budget Management

The scaling modules cover how to increase budget without destroying campaign performance — a common problem for authors who find a winning ad and kill it by scaling too aggressively. LSP teaches a structured approach to budget expansion that maintains performance.

AI Ad Creative Tools

The updated course includes content on using AI tools — Claude, ChatGPT, and Meta's own Advantage+ creative suggestions — to generate and test ad copy and creative variations faster than manual iteration allows.

How It Compares to Mark Dawson's Ads for Authors

Mark Dawson's Ads for Authors (SPF) is the most comprehensive Facebook advertising course for indie authors — it covers Facebook, Amazon, BookBub, and the full launch and list-building ecosystem in a single interconnected system. It is also the most expensive option, with the full program running well over $1,000.

LSP's course is more focused in scope and more affordable. For authors who specifically want Facebook and Instagram advertising instruction at a lower price point — and who are not ready for the full SPF investment — LSP is a credible and current alternative. The re-recording makes it genuinely competitive on the platform-currency question.

• More affordable than SPF's full program

• Re-recorded to reflect current Meta Ads interface and algorithm behavior

• Practitioner-taught — the LSP team uses these strategies on active titles

• Narrower scope than SPF — Facebook/Instagram only, not a full launch system

• Best for authors who want focused Facebook/Instagram instruction without the full SPF ecosystem

Tracking Your Results with ScribeCount

📊  Every course teaches strategies. ScribeCount shows you whether those strategies are working — in real numbers, across every platform you publish on.

Facebook and Instagram ads drive traffic to your books. ScribeCount's Ads & ROAS panel and Website Traffic tracking show you what happens after the click. As you build campaigns using LSP's methods, use ScribeCount's UTM link tracking to monitor which ad campaigns drive actual sales versus which drive clicks that don't convert. The attribution data helps you allocate your ad budget toward the campaigns that move the needle on revenue — not just impressions.

Final Verdict

Learn Self Publishing's re-recorded Facebook Ads course is a credible and current alternative for authors who want focused Facebook advertising instruction without the full investment of Mark Dawson's SPF program. The re-recording is the decisive factor — in a space where platform mechanics change rapidly, currency matters. For authors who are specifically looking to learn Meta advertising at a reasonable price point, with instruction from practitioners who are actively using these strategies, LSP is worth serious consideration.

✅  Bottom Line: A current, practitioner-taught Facebook Ads course at a lower price point than SPF. The re-recording makes it genuinely competitive for authors who want focused Meta advertising instruction.

About the Author

Hello, I'm Randall Wood. When I'm not pounding the keyboard or entertaining my giant dog, I like to build tools for my fellow indie authors. In these articles, you'll find lessons learned over sixteen years spent in the indie author world. I share it all here to help you get one step closer to where you want to be.

More at randallwoodauthor.com