Most of my readers know that I hardly ever do any kind of promotion on the blog. I work hard to have credibility with this website, and I don’t want to break your trust by constantly hawking products. (With the exception of my own book and editorial services, though there was some interesting discussion on this issue earlier this year.) You get spammed pretty much anywhere you go online, so I’m not keen to add to the volume of advertising everyone sees on a daily basement.
Every once in a while, I do make an exception. What’s my criteria? If I find a resource that I fully believe is worth your time and money, I will absolutely share it. That’s exactly the case with the Writing Blueprints online courses, created by Children’s Book Insider. I’ve had CBI on my radar for a long time. They’re a trusted voice in the kidlit writing community. We share the same audience: people who are passionate about creating children’s books. Well, they’ve created an online classroom platform called Writing Blueprints, where writers pay a one-time fee for access to content. Then they go through various videos, worksheets, and lessons at their own pace, teaching themselves about writing, marketing, revision, etc. I love the self-paced aspect. People don’t often have time to commit to a set six-week course, for example, but everyone can make ten minutes in a day to watch a video or fill out a worksheet.
Currently, there are courses for picture book and chapter book writers. The information in the courses is incredibly in-depth, the advice is rich and actionable, and the prices are reasonable. The interface is fun and easy to use. I have absolutely no qualms recommending this content to my readers. I’m actually doing the Blueprints myself, just for fun.
When you click the above link, you will go to a store page that showcases all of the available Writing Blueprints products. Through December 31st, there’s a holiday sale on their Book Marketing Bundle ($119, on sale for $69), Picture Ebook Course, Chapter Book Blueprint, and Picture Book Blueprint courses (normally $197 each, on sale for $147 each). Click “Redeem Coupon” during checkout and enter the code HOLIDAY16 (must be all caps) to claim holiday promotional pricing. There’s no way to embed the coupon code into these links, so you still have to remember to use it.
I’ll leave this information in my sidebar so you don’t have to go digging for it later. I’m really happy to tell my readers about this awesome resource. I vouch for it so much, in fact, that I may create my own course for them this coming year. More on that later! When I was agenting, my favorite kind of writer was the one that made it a point to keep learning, keep growing, and keep honing their craft. It’s not too late to put a Writing Blueprints course on your Christmas List. Access is granted as soon as the transaction is complete. Feel free to point your spouse to this post, or share with your writing friends.
Happy Holidays! I’m in my busy, busy winter season. Lots of writers are coming to me for editorial work because they want to make 2017 the year that they finally publish. Writing Blueprints gives you a great tool to get yourself closer to your own goals, on your own time. Check these courses out!