Meet the new Beginner's Guide series for writers and authors

Over the years I’ve seen the same pattern with new writers: tons of enthusiasm, then frustration when the story stalls, the plot won’t cooperate, or the whole publishing and marketing side feels like a maze.

So I finally pulled everything I teach and coach about into a set of short, focused “Beginner’s Guide” ebooks.[

Each guide tackles one piece of the journey:

• Beginners Guide to Planning a Story – taking a loose idea and turning it into a workable plan: characters, plot, setting, and overall storyline.
• Beginner's Guide to Creating Genuine Characters: how to ensure your characters don't bore the reader.
• Beginners Guide to Developing a Plot – building believable plots, from inciting incident through climax, plus character and emotional arcs.
• Beginners Guide to Publishing a Book (and Not Getting Screwed) – a straight‑talk tour of today’s publishing options, including how to avoid the predators.
• Beginners Guide to Basic Book Marketing – the essentials of book marketing for first‑time authors: landing pages, blurbs, keywords, and building a simple author platform.

They’re deliberately short, practical, and meant to be used. Read it in an evening and apply your new knowledge the next day. 

I have several more Beginner's Guides under development: on scene design, business, mind-mapping and AI assistants. 

There is also a free Beginner's Guide Starter Kit: it contains material from each guide including the ones under development.  You can download a copy here.