For aspiring authors who need space away from the newsroom to make their book dreams a reality.
A Journalist’s Guide to Your First Nonfiction Book
The Writer’s Cabin
Well, you can start with The Writer’s Cabin.
You know what story you want to tell. And you know it could be a stunning book. That’s incredibly exciting but…. where do you even start, and how do you get published?
Are you a journalist struggling to figure out how to turn a story into a nonfiction book?
And you can cover news with the best of them. But you’ve never written something as long as a book.
You’re an experienced journalist…
Let me guess…
But you have no idea how to get an agent, nevermind a publisher and a book deal.
You know you have a great story on your hands…
And you never get time and space away to work on making your book dream a reality.
You’re so busy at your day job…
Over the course of six lessons, you’ll learn how to translate your skills as a journalist into the skills of an author. You’ll get step-by-step guidance on writing a book proposal, finding an agent and getting a book deal. And you’ll get plenty of insider tips for navigating the process, with its many twists and turns.
The Writer’s Cabin is here to help.
But getting here wasn’t easy, and even as a seasoned journalist, I had to learn a lot of new skills. With The Writer’s Cabin, I want to pass that knowledge on to you—and save you a lot of heartache. In this practical, hands-on course, I’ll guide you along the path to publication.
Five years later, I have a literary agent, a publisher and a nonfiction book to my name. (And wouldn’t you know: It’s being distributed by Simon & Schuster).
Trust me when I say I used to be where you are now. When I first decided I wanted to write a book, I had no idea where to start. I thought I could just call up Simon & Schuster, and bingo-bango, get myself a book deal. (Reader: This is not how it works).
It took me a while, and a lot of stumbling around in the dark, before I figured out the steps I needed to take.
Mike De Socio
Meet your teacher
By the end of the course, you’ll have a winning book proposal, and a game-plan for finding an agent and publisher.
Sign up here →
A six-stage course for journalists who want to write their first nonfiction book.
The Writer’s Cabin
Introducing…
- How to refine your book idea and make sure it’s the right story to invest in
- How to report for a book (it’s different!) and build trust with sources
- How to write scenes and characters that will drive your narrative (they don’t teach you this in journalism school)
- How to write a stellar book proposal that will hook an agent and publisher
You'll learn how to navigate the book publishing process from beginning to end, including:
In this course,
Along the way, you can ask me specific questions by email or voice memo. This is where you can ask about the nuances of your project, or clarify any part of the process that’s got you stuck.
The course is divided into six lessons that you can take at your own pace. In each stage, you’ll get a brief video lesson from me, followed by an in-depth workbook that you can use to work on your specific project.
Each lesson is unique, but expect to spend at least a few hours working through each one. This course works best if you use it alongside your book journey, rather than burning through it all at once. For example, you can complete the lesson on writing scenes and characters in a few hours; but then you should probably practice it, and work on your sample chapters for a few weeks, before you move on to the next lesson.
How does it work?
Click each lesson to take a look at what's included!
Ready to peek inside?
Clear book idea
Why your book is different
Marketability
Before you can do any of this fun stuff, you’ve gotta decide what your book is going to be about. In this stage, we’ll dive into some important questions about your book idea. We’ll make sure your book is really a book, not just a longform article. And we’ll talk about whether there’s a market for your nonfiction book.
Source-building
Interviewing masterclass
Gathering tons of detail
In this stage, I’ll walk you through how reporting for a book is different from reporting for an article. We'll talk about approaching sources and building trust. And I’ll give you my best tips for conducting a successful book interview.
Writing exercises
Best practices
Scenes and characters are what’s going to drive your book’s narrative. In this stage, we’ll talk about what they are, why you need them, and how to write them. By the end of this stage, you’ll have some practice writing this way, and ideas for how to get even better.
Proposal template
Sales and narrative writing
Publishing timeline
In this stage, we’ll focus on crafting a winning book proposal—the document that will get you an agent and publisher. I’ll share a template from my own successful template, and help you understand the weird mix of sales and narrative writing you’ll need to master here.
Query letter template
Step-by-step
Emotional support
This is the most dreaded part of book publishing. In this stage, I’ll demystify the process of finding an agent, and teach you how to send them query letters. And, because it’s unavoidable, we’ll talk about how to handle rejection and keep up your motivation.
Publishing roadmap
Editor relationship
Next steps
In this stage, I’ll walk you through everything that happens after you get an agent. We’ll talk about how to get a book deal, how to work with editors and how to survive the actual publication (!!) of your book when the time comes.
Claim you spot now →
$390
One payment of
Claim you spot now →
$195
Two monthly payments of
Ready to make your book a reality?
A finished book proposal and game plan for getting an agent and publisher
A dedicated space to come to and work on your book project
Confident in writing scenes, characters and longform narratives
Ready to take the steps that will get you published
to this...
Just an idea for a book
Unable to get away from the deadlines of your day job
Insecure about writing a book-length project
Unsure about where to start
From this...
By the end of the course, you'll go…
I wish I could, but unfortunately, that’s not in my control. What I can guarantee is that you’ll have my best advice on how to get published, and guidance for every single step of the publishing process, if and when you get there.
Can you guarantee that my book will be published?
Yes, it is! The Writer’s Cabin is 100% asynchronous. You'll complete each of the lessons, videos, and exercises at your own pace. But you'll never be alone! You have weekly email support directly with me for the whole course.
I'm in a different timezone/ traveling a lot/ have an unpredictable schedule. Is this course right for me?
Nope. I’ll help you understand if your book idea is really a book, or would be better as a magazine article (or something else entirely). No need to have it all figured out.
I have an idea for a story, but I'm not sure if it can sustain a whole book. Do I need to know that before I sign up?
A big part of this course is about helping short-form journalists like you learn the skills of long-form. So yes, you are ready! And this course is designed just for you.
I’ve never written anything longer than 1,500 words. Am I ready to write a book?
Totally. The entire first lesson of the course is focused on fleshing out your book idea. You don’t need to have anything written yet. In fact, if you’d don’t even have a book idea, that’s fine too—I’ll help you brainstorm.
I have a book idea, but it's pretty early days, and I haven't started anything concrete yet. Is that okay?
And just in case you're wondering....
Email mike@mikedesocio.com.
Have questions? Get in touch!
Sign up now →
How long have you had this dream of becoming an author? Or walking into a bookstore and seeing your book on the shelf? Sign up for The Writer’s Cabin and I'll help you get there.
Are you ready to make your book a reality?
