A new session of each course opens each month, allowing you to enroll whenever your busy schedule permits!
How does it work? Once a session starts, two lessons will be released each week, for the six-week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends.
Keep in mind that the interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes 2 weeks after each lesson is released, so you’re encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
The Final Exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the Final Exam has been released, you will have 2 weeks plus 10 days to complete the Final and finish any remaining lessons in your course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.
Week One
Lesson 01 - Becoming a Published Writer
Wednesday
As an unpublished writer, what you don't know could hold you back. What you learn here in this first lesson will help you understand what to look for and what to avoid in the publishing industry, as well as how to reach your publishing goals. By learning how to get published quickly and often, you should be well on your way to a lifetime of publishing success!
Lesson 02 - Breaking in and First Markets
Friday
In this lesson, you'll learn why it's difficult to break into the world of publishing, why publishers prefer to work with published writers, and why editors can be as choosy as they want to be. It'll also teach you about five of the easiest publishing markets.
Week Two
Lesson 03 - Writing Contests and Credibility
Wednesday
In this lesson, you'll learn how to use writing contests to gain publishing credibility. It'll provide you with examples to steer you away from contest scams, and show you how to find legitimate writing contests. Then it'll discuss how to retain some rights to your work and resell your contest submissions.
Lesson 04 - Manuscript Mechanics and Formats
Friday
In this lesson, you'll learn how to format a manuscript for submission to a publisher. You'll find out how to narrow down your chances of rejection by making sure you follow all the submission guidelines. You'll learn all the basic manuscript mechanics, from paper to font choices. Then you'll go over all the formatting rules, including the importance of saving your work.
Week Three
Lesson 05 - Proofreading, Printing, and Submission Logs
Wednesday
In this lesson, you'll learn the final steps to prepare your manuscript for submission. If publishers perceive you as careless or sloppy in any way, they may reject your manuscript without ever reading it. Publishers don't need to waste their time with writers who submit unpolished material. You'll also learn how to create a submission log to track your manuscripts for future reference.
Lesson 06 - Copyright, Rights, and Pseudonyms
Friday
This is perhaps the most important lesson of all. Before submitting your work to a publisher, make sure you take the necessary steps to protect your work against copyright infringement. That means ensuring your work has copyright protection, as well as maintaining rights to sell the work again and again if desired. This lesson will tell you everything you need to know about that. You'll also learn about using pseudonyms.
Week Four
Lesson 07 - Mainstream, Subsidy, and Self-Publishing
Wednesday
Once you've completed your manuscript—that is, finished writing, editing, proofreading, formatting, and printing it—you've reached the halfway point of your publishing process. Finding the right publisher and publishing method for your work can mean the difference between a novel on the best-seller list and a garage full of unsold books. This lesson will teach you how to do that and also go over the pros and cons of subsidy publishing and self-publishing.
Lesson 08 - All About Query Letters
Friday
A query letter is a very important part of the submission process. In this lesson, you'll learn what a query letter is and why it's important to your submission. You'll see how to format a query letter, including what information you should include and what you should leave out. You'll also learn when and how to submit your queries to a publisher.
Week Five
Lesson 09 - Submissions, Offers, and Rejections
Wednesday
Your manuscript must be packaged and delivered to a publisher in a professional manner. In this lesson, you'll learn how to mail your manuscript, including how to submit photos and illustrations with your submission. You'll also learn what a simultaneous submission is and when you can use this method of submission. This lesson will also show you how to evaluate the offers and rejections you receive from publishers following your submissions.
Lesson 10 - All About Agents and Contracts
Friday
You'll learn all about literary agents in this lesson. An agent isn't a necessity for most submissions, but one is recommended for certain publisher contract negotiations. You'll learn when, where, and why to get an agent to represent you. You'll discover why finding a reputable agent is just as important as finding a reputable publisher. You'll also explore agent contracts, fees, and publisher contract terms.
Week Six
Lesson 11 - Clubs, Conferences, and Writer's Block
Wednesday
In your writing and publishing efforts, it's important to remember that you aren't alone in this venture. There are millions of other writers out there who can offer you information, inspiration, and encouragement when you need it. In this lesson, you'll learn how to connect with other writers. You'll also learn what to do when you're face to face with that dreaded writer's block. If you can't think of anything to write, how will you ever get published?
Lesson 12 - The Future of Publishing
Friday
In the last lesson, you'll learn that there are certain publishing taboos that you should avoid. Neither talent nor determination will help you if you fail to follow simple publisher guidelines. You'll also learn how to format the items that publishers request following acceptance of your manuscript. In addition, you'll learn about the future of publishing.