Write and Publish Your Own Book

For the creative writer, publishing is a top goal. At one point, publishing required literary agents, traditional publishers, and/or paying a vanity publisher. Thanks to the print-on-demand model, writers can publish their own works without going through those extra steps. In this class, students will work on writing and polishing their stories to get them published. Each week, students will receive guidance and tips on how to craft an interesting story. They will also receive weekly challenges and tips in the classroom to encourage them to write throughout the week. As the class progresses, focus will change from writing the story to editing and preparing to publish. By the end of this class, students should have a story ready to publish as a physical book, e-book, and potentially an audiobook.

*This class is for students who are serious about writing and have a desire to write stories for publication.*

Students will need to have access to Google docs in order to complete assignments. If students plan on publishing their stories, they will also need to be able to access Microsoft Word and Kindle Direct Publishing. Students will have the ability to meet and chat in the classroom outside of normal class times if they need help on their stories at no extra cost.

Concepts covered:
Genres and tropes
Planning your story
Setting, characters, six types of conflict
Research and creating scenes
Dialogue
Adding details
Literary devices
Preparing for editing
Formatting for print and e-book
Creating covers
Kindle Direct Publishing and Marketing