A 12-week (3-month) program that walks a small group of fiction authors from a completed (or nearly completed) manuscript through publishing, platform-building, and launch. This maps directly onto the skills you already offer.
Week-by-Week Breakdown
Month 1 — Foundations & Publishing
Week-by-Week Breakdown
Month 1 — Foundations & Publishing
Month 2 — Platform Building & List Growth
Month 3 — Launch Execution
Delivery Format
Here's what makes a cohort different from a course — it's the live, guided, community element:
Here's what makes a cohort different from a course — it's the live, guided, community element:
- Weekly group ProtonMeet call (60–75 min): Teach that week's topic, do hot-seat coaching with 2–3 authors, answer questions
- Private community (Facebook group or Discord): Daily access for questions, wins, accountability
- Templates & checklists: Pre-made resources for each phase (you likely already have many of these from your VA work)
- Accountability buddies: Pair authors up for peer support
- Office hours: One 60-min open Q&A session mid-week (optional, or biweekly)
- Recordings: All calls recorded and available in a members area
Pricing StrategyConsider where this sits relative to your existing offers:
At $497 with 10 authors = $4,970 for roughly 12 hours of live teaching + community management. That's a strong hourly equivalent, especially since you can reuse materials for future cohorts.
You could also offer a VIP tier (~$897–$997) that includes 2 private 1:1 calls during the cohort — this creates an upsell path and serves authors who want more personalized attention.
- Your 1:1 coaching for a similar scope would easily run $1,000–$2,000+ across multiple sessions
- Your VA retainer is $500+/month ($1,500+ for 3 months)
- A cohort lets you deliver the knowledge at a group rate
At $497 with 10 authors = $4,970 for roughly 12 hours of live teaching + community management. That's a strong hourly equivalent, especially since you can reuse materials for future cohorts.
You could also offer a VIP tier (~$897–$997) that includes 2 private 1:1 calls during the cohort — this creates an upsell path and serves authors who want more personalized attention.
Why This Works Specifically for You
- You already have all the knowledge. Everything in this curriculum is stuff you do daily as a VA and coach — you're just packaging it for group delivery.
- It feeds your retainer pipeline. Authors who go through the cohort and want ongoing help become natural VA clients. The cohort becomes a low-friction entry point to your $500+/month services.
- Testimonial engine. A cohort of 8–12 authors all launching or preparing to launch generates social proof fast — perfect for your testimonials page and future marketing.
- Your warm audience is ready. You already have a newsletter, past coaching clients, and StoryOrigin referrals. Your first cohort can be filled primarily from your existing network without paid ads.
- Scalability. Once you've run it once or twice, the curriculum stabilizes, templates are polished, and you can run it with less prep time — or even hire an assistant to manage the community while you lead the calls.
Launching Your First Cohort — Practical Steps
- Validate the idea — Send a short survey to your newsletter list asking if they'd be interested in a 12-week guided publishing + launch program. Gauge interest and willingness to pay.
- Set a cap — Limit the first cohort to 8–10 authors so you can give real attention without burning out.
- Create a landing page — Something simple on your existing site: "From Manuscript to Market — A 12-week cohort for fiction authors."
- Open enrollment for 2 weeks — Create urgency with a limited window and a capped number of seats.
- Start within 3–4 weeks of closing enrollment — Enough time to prep materials but not so long that people lose excitement.
- Run it, gather feedback, refine, repeat — Your second cohort will be easier to sell because you'll have success stories from the first.