No one will ever benefit from the book that stays inside your heart. This class will walk you through the process of thinking clearly as you process and record the purpose, goals, distinctives, intended target market of your book, and much more. In advance of even writing the book, you will learn to think as the acquisitions’ editor will be thinking about your manuscript. It is time to get that idea out of your head and down onto paper. Come away from this class with a firm grasp on what your book is really about, your elevator speech, and your book proposal understood and started.

(Class 1 is the pre-requisite for Class 3 & Class 4.)

2.  Focus Group Day** $250.00

Maybe one of the most magic days of this course, Focus Group Day is when you get the opportunity to share your book idea with your classmates and receive valuable feedback. It is almost hard to explain what happens in these sessions as the lights come on more brightly about your project. Ideas you had not thought of begin to take shape. New excitement blossoms as you process through with other authors the wonders of a book’s development. HW: Add to your storyboard. Optional HW: Host a virtual focus group.
(**This class is only open to Premier Package students.)

3. The Book Proposal $250.00 [Purchase Class]

This class will review the purpose of the book proposal and then review the book proposal guidelines of several publishing houses. Students will gain an understanding of exactly how companies communicate their needs. During this hands-on day, students will refine their book proposals. The class will go over each section of the proposals, hearing wording, and asking and answering questions.
(Must take Class 1 as a pre-requisite for this class.)

4. Just Say “Tocsynop!” $250.00 [Purchase Class]

Authors are wordsmiths, so here’s a new word I have smithed: Tocsynop. In this class, you will learn to use your “Toc” (table of contents) and your “Synop” (chapter synopsis), to write a detailed, extended outline for your entire book. This outline will then be your guide that makes sure you include all the important information you promised your editor, and that you don’t want your readers to miss. Once completed, your Tocsynop will have morphed into an easy-to-follow document that will make the writing of the book efficient, effective, purposeful, and quick. HW: Complete the entire Tocsynop (extended outline) by Class 6.
(Must take Class 1 as a pre-requisite for this class.)

5.  Proposal Critique Focus Groups and Guest Speaker** $250.00

An exciting guest speaker, the editor from a major publishing house, will join us in class to disseminate his/her wisdom. Then the class will divide into groups for one last critique of book proposals. Review and take questions about Tocsynops (extended outlines). HW: If there is anything left to do on proposals, must be completed by Class 9. HW: Be sure Tocsynops are completely finished by Class 6.

(**This class is only open to Premier Package students.)

6.  Tocsynop Completion, Tools of the Trade, Sparkling Opening Paragraph  $250.00 [Purchase Class]

With the Tocsynop completed, it is finally time to start writing. This class will begin with a flash grammar review covering topics like common errors, Scripture use (including how and when to use various Bible translations and paraphrases), and embedded quotes. We will be sure the Tocsynop fulfills the promise to the reader, so the book never forgets the readers’ felt need. This class will discuss great beginnings, forewords, introductions, opening lines, and first chapters. HW: Write the opening paragraph of the book. This must cause the reader to beg for more.

7.  Chapter One, Business of Writing, and More Tools of the Trade $250.00 [Purchase Class]

The class will begin with information about the business side of your writing career. Learn what it takes to plunge into the world of being a professional freelancer. Gain information about bookkeeping and setting up your office so you can start strong and maintain momentum. Then we will spend time discussing more tools of your trade before we hear the sparkling opening paragraphs of your classmates and move further into writing the first chapter of your book. HW: Finish chapter one by next class, class 8.

8.  Chapter One Critique and the Publishing World** $250.00

If you are a Sci-Fi reader or watcher, you know it is never a good idea to step into a world you know nothing about. To eliminate the fear and guesswork of stepping into the publishing world, this class takes you on a tour of the publishing universe. This week’s guest speaker will be an agent from that universe. Learn about royalty publishing, editors, the marketing piece, book distributors, and more. We’ll follow the money. For the second half of the class, we will delve into critiquing the first chapters of our books. HW: Be sure to have your complete proposal done for lesson 9.

(**This class is only open to Premier Package students.)

9.  Chapter Two, More Tools of the Trade, Titles, and Cover Art $250.00 [Purchase Class]

Since your readers are not in your head, you must get into theirs. This is done very strategically with the title and the cover art. Hold very loosely to your idea of the title of your book, and unless you are a certified artist or graphic designer of book covers, do not attempt to create your own cover art. These are tactical, premeditated, and intentional pieces of the marketing of your book. Following the discussion about the above issues, time will be allowed for final questions about the book proposal, and students will plunge into writing chapter 2 of their books. HW: Finish chapter 2 by next class, class 10.

10. Branding and Building a Writers’ Website $250.00 [Purchase Class]
If you were a product, what would you be? Why would people need you? How would you be packaged? Why are you irresistibly more desirable than other products on the market like you? In this class, we will think through, discover, and name your brand, with the goal to write your mission statement and tagline. Then we will discuss the necessary parts of your writers’ website and you will see how to be sure your website reflects your brand. We’ll then schedule the writing of the rest of your book. HW: Write chapter 3 of your book by next class, class 11.

11.  Be Not a One Hit Wonder and Branding Part 2** $250.00

We will cover how to get started with or how to sharpen your social media usage to build your platform. We will also discuss the merits of a DIY vs. a professional website. Publishers are also interested in authors who have more than one book inside of them. In this class, we’ll discuss how to turn your idea into a series that matches your brand. We will hear each other’s mission statements and taglines. And we’ll see the start of new websites. You won’t want to miss the wisdom of our two guest speakers: one from the non-fiction world, and one from the fiction world. HW: You will hand over chapter 3 of your book to one of your classmates to critique it by next class, class 12.

(**This class is only open to Premier Package students.)

12.  Marketing, Submission, Timeline and What Happens Next? $250.00 [Purchase Class]

The majority of authors in our early careers must do the lion’s share of the legwork to get our books “out there,” so this final class will discuss avenues of marketing into which you will delve as you prepare the way for your readers to obtain copies of you book. For example, who will be on your launch team? (Wait, what’s a launch team?) If you do not have an agent, the final step of this course happens now as you decide upon a publishing house that will receive your submission. If you have an agent, your agent will choose the publishers. We will be sure your proposal is prepared to be sent. We will end the class talking about what happens next: finishing the manuscript, getting a professional edit before you turn it in to your publisher, handling your first rejection slip, negotiating your contract, and what happens at the publishing house when you turn your manuscript in to them.

1. The Magic of Storyboarding [Pre-requisite for Class 3 and Class 4] $250.00
2. Focus Group Day** $250.00
3. The Book Proposal [Must take after Class 1] $250.00
4. Just Say “Tocsynop!” [Must take after Class 1] $250.00
5. Proposal Critique Focus Groups** $250.00
6. Tocsynop Completion, Sparkling Opening Paragraph $250.00
7. Chapter One, Business of Writing, and Tools of the Trade Part 1 $250.00
8. Chapter One Critique and the Publishing World** $250.00
9. Chapter Two and Tools of the Trade Part 2 $250.00
10.  Chapter Two Critique, Branding, Scheduling the Rest of the Book $250.00
11.  Be Not a One Hit Wonder and Branding Part 2** $250.00
12.  Marketing and Submission $250.00

• All 12 courses:      $3,000.00
• Guest speakers, 2 private coaching-consulting meetings with Sharon:    +$650.00 
  Total Value for Premium Class Package   =  $3,650.00
  

(**Class 2, 5, 8, and 11 available only for Premium Package)

Premium Class Package Discount Price: $2750.00*
Premiere Class Package applies only to group classes.
One-to-one client arrangements priced per individual project needs.