Author
Ghostwriter
Helen Croydon
Writing Coach
Breathwork
8 Weeks. 8 Writers. 8 Books
The summer solstice marks the height of summer – the season where everything nature has been nurturing beneath the surface comes up to bloom. This is why I chose 22nd June to kick off this new non-fiction book development course, designed to bring to fruition the book idea that's been gestating inside you.
​
All books start as an idea - usually in the form of disorganised iPhone notes (guilty!), raw personal outpourings (guilty!), or garbled voice memos (popular with many of my clients). This course will give green shoots to your idea.
​
In 8 weeks you will be equipped to:
​
-
Establish a coherent narrative, format and genre
-
Organise your content and topics into chapters with a logical order
-
Develop clear themes and sub-themes
-
Understand the audience for your book
-
Identify your unique author voice
-
Produce a concrete proposal for a publisher
-
Be well underway with direction-led writing!
-
Give and receive meaningful feedback with a close group of dedicated writers
​
This course is specifically for aspiring or existing authors developing ‘narrative non-fiction’. That includes memoir, travel writing, inspirational tales, self-help or professional thought leadership. (Think, The Let Them Theory, or Be More Human, both of which are best-selling narrative non-fiction).
Course Highlights
8 x weekly 90-min group sessions
Weekly structured sessions comprised of theory and practical writing time.
Monday evenings: 6.30 - 8.00pm.
22 June - 17 August 2026.
Classes are recorded if you can't attend.
1 x one-on-one mentoring session with Helen
Once enrolled, you can book a 60 minute private feedback and mentoring session with me. Use it to discuss any area of your book development from pitching to publishers to structural guidance.
I can review up to 4,000 words of content ahead of this session.
1 x weekly 'buddy system' activity
You will be given structured 'homework' activities outside of the weekly classes unique to the stage of the manuscript you are at.
​
Exclusive writing tools and templates
Access to my unique non-fiction tools, templates and techniques to guide you on organising your content, developing topical themes, filtering main messages, developing a central thread.
Tailored to narrative non-fiction
Over 8 weeks, theory covers developing your voice, how to professionally cite research, practicalities of quoting third parties, navigating privacy law when writing about real people and events, and more
Small curated group
Strictly 8 places only. This is to foster a sense of community and meaningful support with each other.
There will be a carefully curated 'buddy system' for feedback on each other's work and to provide accountability for the 'homework'!
Continued support
Group WhatAapp session with personal questions answered weekly.
Optional 'drop-in' sessions after the course, so you can continue to bring your book to perfection
Publication guidance
Whether you want to self-publish or seek a traditional publisher, one session will be dedicated to making the most of your options with some useful editorial and publishing contacts.