Blueprint for a Book Online Workshop + In-Person Retreat

Dubrovnik, Croatia, September 22-25 2022

+ Online Coaching Before and After

Intensive 1:1 Coaching on a Fiction or Nonfiction Blueprint

Only 10 students

One of the main reasons people drag their feet on writing a book is that it feels like such a giant commitment to make before you have any idea if your idea is any good. The thought of writing 250 pages that go nowhere is terrifying. It’s like pouring time, energy, and money into a black hole.

Wouldn’t it be so much better to KNOW that you had an idea worth pursuing and to KNOW that you were on the right track?

That’s what the Blueprint for a Book process is designed to do. This workshop + in-person retreat gives you the chance to work intensively with an Author Accelerator book coach on your Blueprint. You can develop a new book idea or plan out how to rescue or revise an idea that has stalled.

The experience will give you confidence, it will give you clarity, and it will give you all the evidence you need to commit to writing forward.

It is equally effective whether you are writing fiction, memoir, or nonfiction because it’s about building a strong foundation for your story or your idea.

Testimonial TK

What Will This Event Give You?

Answers to 14 foundational questions about your book. Knowing these answers gives you the clarity and confidence you need to make a commitment to finishing.
Honest feedback on every word you write. You will have a book coach giving you feedback as you go so that you are never wondering where you stand.
A detailed roadmap for your book so you know exactly how to write forward. For fiction and memoir, this will be an Inside Outline, which captures both the plot and the internal story that reveals your protagonists’ desires and motivations, gives your book narrative drive, and keeps your reader turning pages. For nonfiction, it will be an Outcome Outline, which is a detailed Table of Contents that locks in the logic of your argument and ensures that you have narrative drive from beginning to end.
New tools you can use with everything you write.
Rocket fuel to commit to finish your book.
A cohort of like-minded writers who can support and cheer you on as you go.

About Jennie

Jennie Nash is the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company on a mission to lead the emerging book coaching industry. Author Accelerator has trained more than 90 book coaches in both fiction and nonfiction through their book Coach Certification Program.

Jennie’s own book coaching clients have landed top New York agents and six-figure book deals with traditional publishing houses such as Penguin, Scribner, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette, and won dozens of national indie book awards. Client KJ Dell’Antonia’s book, The Chicken Sisters became an instant New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick in 2020. In 2021, client Jenn Lim’s book, Beyond Happiness, became a Wall Street Journal bestseller.

Jennie is the author of 10 books in 3 genres, including Blueprint for a Book: Build Your Novel From the Inside Out. Her nonfiction Blueprint book will be published in 2022 before this event and will be available for nonfiction writers who wish to join us.

About the Coaches

You will be working 1:1 with Author Accelerator certified coaches, hand-picked by Jennie for this specific event. These are coaches who have trained under Jennie, been certified in her methods of coaching, and matched with you based on your genre and topic. Throughout the live event, you will have the ability to engage with Jennie and other coaches about your project, which will broaden your perspective and your knowledge.

Schedule

Before the Retreat

6 to 8 weeks in advance you will receive the Blueprint book and answer workbook. Plan to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 to 10 hours on this work.

3 weeks prior to event, you will turn in your answer workbooks
Your coach will give feedback on the entire Blueprint and will turn that back to you four days prior to the live event

Thursday, September 22

Join Jennie Nash, Author Accelerator coaches, and your fellow retreat attendees for a group dinner and welcome event at the hotel

Friday, September 23

8 am -- Small group meetings with coach to discuss feedback and decide next steps on Blueprint: 90 min
9:30 am -- morning free to write
12:30 lunch with writers in assigned groups
Afternoon free to write
3:00-- Turn in work to coaches. Coaches edit. Writers have free time.
5:30 -- Coaches turn notes back to writers
6:30 dinner with Jenine and coaches in assigned groups

Saturday, September 24

8 am -- Small group meetings with coach to discuss feedback and decide next steps on Blueprint: 90 min
9:30 am -- morning free to write
12:30 lunch with writers in assigned groups
Afternoon free to write
3:00-- Turn in work to coaches. Coaches edit. Writers have free time.
5:30 -- Coaches turn notes back to writers
6:30 dinner with Jennie and coaches in assigned groups

Sunday, September 25

8am Goal setting session with Jennie-- 2.5 hours

Lunch with all writers, all coaches, and Jennie
2pm Goodbye

Post Event Assignment

Turn in complete revised Blueprint to coach three weeks after event, including one sample chapter.
Coach will provide feedback on all elements within two weeks.

The fee for this workshop + retreat is $8500

This fee includes:

1:1 feedback on your Blueprint, which includes 14 foundational questions about your book; a deep outline of the whole book; and a sample chapter. Download the Blueprint questions HERE to get a sense of the scope of work. Feedback on the Blueprint before the event will be comments and edits on every part of the Blueprint. Feedback during the event will be comments and edits on the elements you personally need to focus on the most. Feedback after the event will be comments and edits on every part of the Blueprint.
Group instruction from Jennie Nash. Jennie will be speaking with the group as a whole throughout the event, and attending lunches and dinners with participants.
The coaches will be meeting with small groups on Friday and Saturday morning to go over your 1:1 feedback. As you listen to other writers being coaches, you will learn about your own project and process.
Snacks and drinks onsite each day
Dinner on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
Lodging at the Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik, a historic stay steps from Dubrovnik Old Town. Rooms will be King Guest Room with Sea View. Details on this property can be found HERE.

Attendees are responsible for their transportation, all breakfasts and all lunches. except the lunch on Sunday Note that we will be making small groups for lunch and dinner so writers have a chance to get to know fellow attendees, spend time with Jennie and the other Author Accelerator coaches, nd so that no one eats alone.

Who Will Get the Most Out of This Workshop

This workshop is for novel writers, memoir writers, or nonfiction writers who are either at the start of a new project or ready to plan a revision.
You are ready to claim your voice, own your authority, and do the hard work of planning a book.
You don’t want to waste your time, and you don’t want to write something that falls flat, or fails to make an impact, or — worst of all — embarrasses you.
You have the time to do the pre-work for the workshop. Please only apply if you are able to invest the time and energy to do this work. Your success is going to depend on that. We can give you all the feedback and support in the world, but if you aren’t ready to work hard and dig deep, this workshop won’t work for you.
If you’re not sure whether or not this workshop is right for you, fill out the application form and request a 30-minute consultation. The Author Accelerator team will help you figure it out.
The application is not about judging your work. It’s about seeing that you are ready, willing and able to get the most out of this workshop.

Who Should Not Apply?

Anyone who needs a guarantee that they will get an ROI on their investment. There are no guarantees in publishing. Luck and timing always play a role.
Anyone who wants someone else to do the work for them. This is a coaching program where we teach you how to do the work and support you in the process — but you have to do the work.
Anyone who isn’t sure they have the time or energy to expend. This will take time and energy.
Anyone who is not ready to be coached; if you already know everything, you don’t need this program.
Anyone who can’t be compassionate and open to other writers.

How to Apply

Complete the Q&A so you can tell us about your book idea and your publishing goals. We’ll also ask for a short writing sample.
We will evaluate your Q&A. This isn’t about your idea or your ability to write. We believe that all ideas are workable and all people can learn to become writers. This is about whether or not you can take advantage of what we are offering. We want to make sure we can add value to your project, that you are in the right place to get the hard work done.
We will let you know within seven business days if you have been accepted.
NOTE that we will only run the workshop if we have a minimum of five writers who have committed to the workshop + retreat. Once we have five, we will send a payment link.

Complete Your Q&A