The Writing & Publishing Circle

Outcomes

• Finish a publishable manuscript
• Clarify your publishing path
• Find vetted publishing support
• Market and promote your books

What's included?

• Membership in the Writing & Publishing Circle

  Connect with fellow writers and aspiring authors in a supportive, like-minded community. Find editors, designers, and tech tools to help you finesse your book. Get writing and publishing help with courses and consulting.

• Avoiding scams

  Learn how to spot red flags and make informed decisions before investing in publishing services

• Downloadable worksheets and checklists

  Download practical templates that help you plan milestones, compare vendors, prep files, and track decisions from draft to publication.

• Public events access

  Live Ask Me Anything sessions with Carla King, guest talks, and community gatherings

• Opportunities to meet other writers

  Build accountability, swap feedback, and grow your network

• Searchable publishing pro directory

  Find vetted editors, designers, and book professionals

• Access to the Writer’s Tech Corner

  Discover tools and tutorials to support your writing life

Courses

Publishing 101 Course

21 sections • 51 lessons

View curriculum

Welcome!

1.Thanks for joining! Here's how it works.

2.READ ME! Protecting Our Shared Space

3.Using the Circle Platform

4.Course Replays

5.Google Drive is important. Please get familiar!

6.Your Publishing Workbook

7.Your Publishing Worksheets

Class Replays

1.2026-01-20 Replay: Positioning Your Book for Success

2.2026-01-27 Replay: Getting Your Book To Readers

3.2026-02-03 Replay: Your Book Business

4.2026-02-10 Replay: Book Design & Production

5.2026-02-17 Replay: Book Launch & Beyond

6.2026-02-24 Replay: Your Tools & Your Team

On-Demand

Publishing Course Overview

Module 1: Position Your Book for Success

1.Finding Metadata with Publisher Rocket & ASIN Reverse Tool

2.Finding Metadata with PublishDrive's Free Tool

3.The Concept of "Writing to Market"

4.Book Comparables Spreadsheet How-To

5.To Do List for Book Positioning

6.Working with the Book Comps Spreadsheet

7.How to Find Your Audience if Your Book Is Already Finished

8.If You Want to Compare Your Book to a Classic Work

9.How AI Can Help You Blog and Reach / Test Your Audience

10.How to Get a Standout Amazon Listing

Module 2: Your Publishing Options

1.2025 Lesson 2: How Your Book Gets to Readers | Your Publishing Options

2.What is Book Distribution and Fulfillment?

3.Sell Your Book Translation Rights with DropCap

4.Outside the US

5.The Key Book Publishing Paths

Module 3: How to Set Up Your Book Business

1.2025 Lesson 3: Your Book Business

2.All About ISBNs

3.Copyright

4.How to Form an LLC: Author's Checklist

5.Why and How Authors Need a Business Street Address

Module 4: Book Design & Production

1.2025 Lesson 4: Steps to Successful Book Design & Production

2.Disclaimers in Memoir

3.What Goes on a Copyright Page (and Why It Matters)

Module 5: The Steps to a Successful Book Launch

1.2025 Lesson 5: Book Launch & Beyond

2.Your Big Book Launch Checklist

3.Reaching out to the media

Module 6: Choosing Your Tools & Your Team

1.2025 Lesson 6: Choosing Your Tools & Your Team

2.List of Team Members

All About Printing

1.Class: All About Printing

Finding & Nurturing Early Readers

1.Beta Reader Signup on Google Forms

Group Coaching Session Replays

The Self-Publishing Companies

1.How to Upload Your Book to Amazon KDP in 2025

2.Using Amazon KDP Select (Ebook) vs Going "Wide" (from PublishDrive)

BONUSES!

1.Books Go Social Social Media Classes

2.The International Dublin Writers' Festival

Book Promotion

Email, Newsletters, and Alternatives Like Substack

1.Understanding EMS: Email Management Services (MailerLite and etc.)

After You Publish

1.Track Your Book Sales Without Obsessively Checking Amazon

2.Replacing Misprinted or Damaged Author Copies from IngramSpark and Amazon KDP

All About Amazon

1.Why Every Author Should Have an Amazon Seller Central Account

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Birth of a Memoir

3 sections • 6 lessons

View curriculum

Introduction

1.Thanks for joining!

Video Lessons

1.Lesson 1

2.Lesson 2

3.Lesson 3

4.Lesson 4

Next Steps

1.Next Steps

The Mini-Memoir Method

13 sections • 41 lessons

View curriculum

Start here

1.Access instructions

2.Discussion group guidelines

3.Choosing the story you'll work on in this class

Class replays

1.Session 1 Replay (2026-06-09)

2.Session 2 Replay (2026-06-16)

3.Session 3 Replay (2026-06-23)

4.Session 4 Replay (2026-06-30)

5.2026-05-26 - Introduction to Mini Memoir Video

Introduction to the Mini-Memoir

1.Assembling Your Memoir: How the Stories You Write Become a Book

2.Story, essay, vignette, or article? Mixing and matching is okay, too!

3.Scene vs Summary

4.More about Vignettes

5.Memoir or Essay? Understanding the Difference

6.How the essay has evolved over time

7.What Memoirists Can Learn from the Essay

8.Video lesson: How to use backstory and flashbacks

9.Autofiction — Telling the Truth Without Being Trapped by It

How to build your story scene by scene

1.Scenes: The Building Blocks of Your Memoir

2.Bonus video: What makes a scene?

3.Creating momentum with your scenes

4.Writing the Coda — A Quiet Ending That Echoes

How to craft a strong opening

1.Assignment: Craft your opening scene

2.The Hook: Action & Interiority

How to use the middle to build to the end

1.Scene by Scene by Scene by Scene by Scene

2.Working on Your Momentum

How to use transitions

1.How to talk to ChatGPT

2.How to jump time with transitions

How to craft a strong ending

1.Writing The End

How to edit and polish your story

1.Becoming your own editor

2.Self-editing checklist

3.Character Through Habit and Body Language

Now what?

1.Getting Honest Feedback from First Readers

2.Where to publish your mini-memoir or personal essay

Examples

1.Deconstructing Crazy Annie’s Girl by Patricia Pease

2.Deconstructing Years in a Pigsty by Sue Tong

3.Deconstructing My Mother Returns to 1985 by Laurie Rachkus Uttich

4.Deconstructing When the Road Calls by Carla King

5.Deconstructing Manhole, an essay by Kim Foster

6.The Essay in Vignettes: Deconstructing Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

How to Use AI to Help You Structure Your Work

1.Setting up and using ChatGPT as a writing assistant

2.Using ChatGPT to help with your opening scene

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Who is this for?

• First-time authors finishing a manuscript
• Memoir/nonfiction writers seeking a professional path
• Returning writers re-evaluating publishing options