All the skills you need...

What you will learn

From first draft to professional novel

    1. 1. Introduction

    2. 2. Course breakdown

    1. 1. Introduction to developmental analysis

    2. 2. The Three-Act Structure

    3. 3a. Can you identify the three acts of the Three-Act Structure?

    4. 3b. Avatar and the Three-Act Structure

    5. 4. Story beats

    6. 5. The macro essentials

    7. 6a. Earthchild: Story beats

    8. 6b. Earthchild: Story Beats, answer key

    9. 7. Developmental Overview

    10. 8. Developmental analysis: Final quiz

    11. 9. Links & resources

    1. 1. Introduction to copyediting

    2. 2. Earthchild, sample chapter

    3. 3. Common errors in prose

    4. 4a. Common errors, a short exercise

    5. 4b. Common errors, quiz key

    6. 5a. Preparing for the first read

    7. 5b. First read key

    8. 6. A run-through with Grammarly

    9. 7. Word review

    10. 8. Copyediting summary

    11. 9. Links & resources

    1. 1. EPUB creation

    2. 2. Proofreading (read & listen)

    3. 4. Links & resources

    1. 1. Introduction to cover design

    2. 2. Cover art creation with Midjourney

    3. 3. Cover design with Canva

    4. 4. Links & resources

    1. The End

    2. Super-quick course survey

    3. Why not take my free course in 'Uploading to Amazon KDP'?

Course info

  • £49.00
  • 34 lessons
  • 1 hour of video content

Learn how to produce a professional novel that will stand out on any bookshelf.

The skills are at your fingertips...

Enroll on Zero to Hero!

What students say

“Paul’s course helped me especially with cover design – something I had zero expertise in. In just two evenings, his simple instructions had me constructing covers beyond what I ever thought possible. I went from nothing to learning a completely new skill in a matter of hours.”

Chris Pendlebury

“Paul confidently leads the writer through the fascinating world of developmental editing to proofreading and cover design, revealing many grammar and design tools that simplify the edit process. A valuable course for those who wish to develop the skills to self-edit their novels.”

Tom Carson

What are the normal costs involved in self-publishing?

Self-publishing can get expensive. The main costs are editing and cover design. For a single novel of 80,000 words, you can potentially spend the following...

  • Developmental editing

    $1500

    You’re probably looking at $1500 minimum. Some editors will quote you double that.

  • Copyediting & proofreading

    $1500

    This is a happy medium. You may get an inexperienced editor to do it for $1000. You can also pay over $2000.

  • Cover design

    $250

    Naturally, you can find someone on Fiverr to do it for $50, but if you want a GOOD cover, be prepared to up to $500.

Yep, to put out a single title you can easily spend $3000.

If you have no idea what your new novel will take in income, this is a frightening amount of money.

So rather than putting out a product that may not its best due to a limited budget, this course is designed to help you put out a book which is a professional product in every sense, using the one commodity that you do have: Time. 

Instructor

Paul C

Hi, I’m Paul, and I run the freelance editing business, Seminal Edits. I've been working with writers for over five years now; Pro Publisher is the latest stream to my field of work. Drawing on my own experience with writing and publishing, I will help you evolve into a professional-level writer putting out a product that is on par with anything produced in the mainstream. I have the academic learning, I have the writing, editing and publishing experience, a pedagogical background, and the creative intuition that gives me unique insight into the needs of authors. Let me help elevate your writing to the absolute best it can be.

FAQ

  • How long does it take to complete this course?

    The 'Zero to Hero' course is comprised of around six to eight hours of work, including almost one hour of video content. Naturally, to get the most out of it, there is some self-study that I recommend you engage in too.

  • Do I need any prior experience to take this course?

    You do not. As the name suggests, this course is designed to help writers who are just starting out. All you need is a working computer, tablet or phone. And a novel, of course. :)

  • I work in Linux – is this course for me?

    The course is delivered on a Windows device, with all text work done in Word. But, where necessary, I have provided Linux alternatives to software I've used. And all the principles I teach in this course are just as applicable to Mac users.

There's nothing more for it but to learn the skills you need to turn your draft into a professional product...

Enrol today