Every Writer starts somewhere different
Find Your Next Step
Whether you've got an idea and nothing else, a draft that's stalled out, a full manuscript that isn't quite working, a book that's already published, or you just want direct, personal coaching. There's a program built for exactly where you are. Find yourself below.
Just Getting Started?
You've got a story idea (or three competing ones) but no outline, no plan, and no idea how a novel actually holds together.
Your Program:
Story Plan Intensive
Plot a rock-solid, scene-by-scene outline in 4 weeks.
Drafting?
You're in it. Chapters are happening, but it's slow, unfocused, or you're not sure the pages belong in the book.
Your Program:
First Draft
Write a fun, focused first draft that reads like a third draft in 6 months.
Have a Full Draft That Isn't Working Yet?
You made it to "The End", but something's off. You need revision-level support to carry it to a finished manuscript.
Your Program
Final Draft
Everything in First Draft, plus the extra layer of support built for the revision phase.
Published?
The book is out (or almost there), and now you're staring at the marketing wall, unsure what to do first.
Your Program
Signal Boost
Build a long-term book marketing system without becoming a social media machine.
Want Personalized Support?
Wherever you are in the process (starting, drafting, revising, or building your author career), sometimes you just want direct, one-on-one coaching built entirely around your book.
Your Program
One-on-One Coaching
Personalized, bespoke coaching from one of Canada's top writing coaches.
Need to Get Away From It All?
There's a reason writers have been doing this for a hundred years. Real distance from your routine does something a to-do list never will... it gives your attention back
Your Program
Barbados Writing Retreat
Join Kevin and a small group of writers on the Platinum Coast of Barbados.
Story Plan Intensive
You don't need more willpower. You need a blueprint.
Story Plan Intensive is a four-week guided course that walks you through building a complete, scene-by-scene outline of your novel, using the same nuts-and-bolts framework (The Machinery of Fiction) that's helped hundreds of writers finally cross the finish line.
Most aspiring novelists were never taught how a book is actually built, how genre works, how scenes chain together, how structure gives a story its backbone. So every new draft is reinvention from scratch. This is a craft problem, not a discipline problem. And craft can be taught.
What you walk away with
- A complete, scene-by-scene outline of your novel
- A clear understanding of your genre's conventions and obligatory scenes
- A mapped story structure with all four acts in place
- A fully developed protagonist with a reverse-engineered character arc
- A worthy antagonist whose goals create genuine narrative tension
- The confidence to sit down and write Draft One
Curriculum (4 weeks)
Two ways to take it
Independent Study
Self-paced evergreen email course, daily short video + weekly homework template. Start anytime, lifetime access. Best for writers who want to start today, on their own schedule.
Start Building My Outline, $147Live Cohort
Weekly live group coaching calls + homework feedback, same curriculum. Quarterly cohort dates. Best for writers who want live coaching, a cohort community, and direct feedback.
Join the Next Live Cohort, $297What writers say
"I was a pantser. Now I am a plotter. This course changed my writing life."
"I went from zero idea how to plan a story to having a completed outline for a great novel in a month. Now I can't wait to get writing!"
"At the beginning of the month, I had five scenes written and a vague idea of the ending. By the end, I had a detailed outline with 60 scenes! Having no formal writing training, I was worried I'd be at a disadvantage, but Kevin made me feel so welcome and so capable."
"I've never written a novel so fast or with so much support. Now that I've done Story Plan, I can't imagine starting a novel without it."
This is flexible planning, not rigid scripting. The goal is to free you from guesswork, not lock you into a formula. Most writers find their creativity actually increases once they stop second-guessing their direction.
First Draft
Write a fun and focused first draft that reads like a third draft, in 6 months or less.
You've got an outline, or at least the instincts. Now the job is getting words on the page, chapter after chapter, without losing momentum or confidence halfway through.
First Draft gives you the craft training, the community and the live coaching to get there. You're never drafting alone, and you're never guessing whether a scene is working.
What you get
- Two live calls a week with me Tuesdays at 6:30 pm Eastern for Q&A and a writing exercise, and Thursdays at 6:30 pm Eastern for hot seat feedback on your pages.
- A private Slack community Plus a weekly positivity partner who reads your pages and tells you what's working.
- Group writing huddles Write alongside other members, and share your pages aloud when you're ready.
- The full First Draft training library More on that below.
The First Draft training library
Most lessons run under ten minutes, so you can learn a technique and use it in that day's writing session. Most courses come with my hand-drawn sketchnotes, plus transcripts, slides, exercises and worksheets.
- Story structure (9 courses): beats, scenes, sequences, chapters and acts; scene structure, from polarity shifts to five ways to end a scene; opening pages, including Page One Perfection; the midpoint shift; Acts III and IV; the all-is-lost moment; endings; and subplots
- Character and story (6): creating charismatic characters, with archetypes like the Dark Hero and the Harbinger; antagonists and the shadow character; point of view, from unreliable narrators to head-hopping; theme; the controlling idea; and romance
- Line-level craft (8): two courses on dialogue (subtext, dialect and accents, distinct character voices), pacing and tension, setting, mood, sentences and literary devices, and two courses on punctuation (dashes, ellipses, title capitalization and more)
- Process and productivity (9): goal setting, writing fast, organization for writers, cool tools like Scrivener and AutoCrit, the Card Shuffling and Movie Metaphor techniques, beating resistance, general advice, and how to give positivity partner feedback
- Revision (1): how to revise a manuscript, with the three phases of revision, eleven questions to ask of every scene, the Story Grid spreadsheet, working with beta readers, and a bonus session on self-editing with Joan Dempsey
New lessons are added regularly.
Pricing
Monthly
Month-to-month, cancel anytime. Best for writers who want the flexibility to stop anytime.
Start First Draft, $350/monthPay in Full
One-time payment, six-month membership. Best for writers who know they're staying and want the discount.
Pay in Full — $1,400What writers say
"The materials, community, and accountability greatly accelerated my writing process."
"I completed a 60,000+ word first draft in under 4 months. Highly recommend!"
"I was able to plan and complete a 100K-word first draft in 5 months, it was so much fun!"
Final Draft
The goal was never just a first draft. It's a finished book.
Revision is where a lot of novels quietly stall. The draft is done, you know it isn't right yet, and "make it better" isn't a plan.
Final Draft is my membership for that stage. You keep everything from First Draft and add a second layer of support built for revision: more feedback, more time with me, and a training library that covers everything from line edits to launch week.
Everything in First Draft, plus:
- A second weekly hot seat A smaller group, so you're in the hot seat more often.
- One-on-one calls with me At the start, at 3 months and at 6 months, to set goals and check your progress.
- A feed-forward partner Experienced writers who know your work well enough to give you honest feedback.
- Weekly group writing sessions A different member hosts each week and the group writes together.
- New training every month A new workshop from me or a guest expert.
- The full Final Draft Workshop library More on that below.
The Final Draft Workshop library
Most of these started as live workshops for members. Each one comes with the recording, and most also include a transcript, key takeaways, slides or worksheets, so you can find what you need without rewatching an hour of video. That's on top of the 33-course First Draft library.
- Writer's Craft (16 workshops): Line Editing: Tools for Stronger Stories, Interiority: How Readers Think on the Page, The 7-Step Beta Reader Blueprint, The Big Read, a 12-part Story Types course (Save the Cat, Booker, Vonnegut), Matt Bird on the secrets of character, The Root Fear Factor with Sue Brown-Moore, and sessions on A.I. prompting and dictation for authors
- Query Package (3): writing a synopsis, your elevator pitch, and using comp titles to sell your book
- Self-Publishing (5): a 19-lesson, behind-the-scenes look at how I self-published a book, from finding an editor and an ISBN to uploading to KDP and launch week, plus audiobooks with M.R. Leonard, Amazon's content rules and The Anatomy of a Book
- Book Marketing (13): back-cover blurbs, endorsement blurbs, SEO for authors with Mike Hurst, podcast guesting, media kits, building an author network with Danika Bloom, heart-centered marketing with Beth Barany, social media with AuthorScale, and Facebook ads
- Mindset (5): creative doubt, burnout, success and failure with Sarah Rhea Werner, working through writer's block with Janelle Hardy, and No Dead Hands, on looking after your writing hands
A new workshop is added every month.
Pricing
Monthly
Month-to-month, cancel anytime. Best for writers who want the flexibility to stop anytime.
Join Final Draft, $450/monthPay in Full
One-time payment, six-month membership. Best for writers who know they're staying and want the discount.
Pay in Full — $1,800
Signal Boost
A 12-week book marketing program for writers who'd rather be writing.
Most of my clients hit the same wall the week their book comes out. They spent a year or more learning how to write a novel, but nobody ever showed them how to get it in front of readers.
So they try things. A few social posts. A price promo. Maybe some ads. Sales tick up for a few days, then go quiet, and the next push starts from scratch.
A million people are handing authors marketing advice, and almost none of them explain why you'd do any of it, or what order to do it in.
Signal Boost fixes that over 12 weeks. We work through your marketing one piece at a time, in an order that makes sense, and I explain why each piece matters before we build it: your book's Amazon page first, then your website and email list, then getting in front of new readers. You finish with a 90-day plan you can actually keep up alongside your writing.
No paid ads. No pressure to become a TikTok personality.
What we cover
- Marketing mindset: how books actually sell, and why it's more about readers finding you than you convincing them
- Your Amazon page: cover, blurb and positioning, so the right readers recognize your book as theirs
- Getting found: categories and keywords based on how readers really search
- Your author website: the four pages every author site needs, and how they lead readers to your books
- Messaging: using what you already know about storytelling to write hooks and copy that don't feel salesy
- Email: growing your list and knowing what to send
- Podcasts and guest spots: getting invited onto other people's platforms without cold-pitching strangers
- The CRAFT content system: turning one conversation into weeks of posts and emails
- Reviews: an honest way to get them that doesn't involve begging
- Other authors: building a network of peers who help each other reach readers
- Live events: getting real value out of conferences, festivals, signings and launch parties, even if you're an introvert, by going for relationships and content instead of counting book sales
- Your 90-day plan: picking the one or two things that matter most right now and doing them consistently
What you get
- 12 weekly modules
- 14 live coaching calls with me
- 20+ worksheets, templates and builders
- 9 bonus expert trainings (10+ hours) on cover design, SEO, email and more
- Lifetime access, including future updates
Is Signal Boost right for you?
It's a good fit if:
- Your book is out, or will be in the next 90 days
- Marketing feels overwhelming, or like it means turning into someone you're not
- You've tried a few things and none of them stuck
- You want a plan, not another pile of tactics
It's not a fit yet if:
- You're still writing the book. Finish it first; the writing programs above are where to start.
- You want a paid-ads course
- You're looking for a shortcut to the bestseller list
What writers say
"Before Signal Boost, I was questioning if writing was even for me because marketing felt like an insurmountable wall."
"Signal Boost opened my eyes to how complex marketing really is and gave me a place to start."
"I learned so much from Signal Boost! Not only did it increase my knowledge, but it gave me confidence."
Everything included, with lifetime access.
Join Signal Boost — $1,997
One-on-One Coaching
Personalized, bespoke coaching from one of Canada's top writing coaches.
Not everyone wants, or needs, a program with a curriculum and a cohort. Some writers want direct, weekly attention on exactly the book they're writing, wherever they are in the process. That's what One-on-One is for: outlining, drafting, revising a manuscript that's not quite there yet, or building an author career after publication. Kevin works with writers at every stage, beginners with no fiction background, published experts, and everyone in between.
Format: Weekly hour-long Zoom session with Kevin, $1,250/month.
Who this is for — real writers, real starting points
"I wasn't even going to publish it. I just wanted to say I could write a book, and then I went ahead and published it with Kevin's encouragement."
"You gave me, like, a PhD in writing. Instead of going to school, I just speed ran a PhD in creative writing."
"Not everyone I work with comes to me at the beginning of the project. Some folks just need help crossing that finish line."
Which Program Is Right for Me?
I don't have a book idea yet, is any of this too early for me?
Possibly, and that's worth saying honestly. These programs are built for writers who already have a story they're trying to build or finish. If you're still looking for your idea, the podcast and Kevin's books are a great place to start, and when the idea shows up, Story Plan Intensive will be here.
I have a draft, but it's a mess, do I start at Story Plan Intensive or First Draft?
Start with Story Plan Intensive. It's not just for blank-page writers. It's just as useful for diagnosing what isn't working in an existing manuscript and rebuilding it with stronger structure. Once you have a solid plan, First Draft is where you execute it chapter by chapter.
I have a complete draft, but I know it's not working, is that Final Draft or First Draft?
That's Final Draft. First Draft is about getting words on the page for the first time; Final Draft is the next step, everything First Draft gives you, plus the extra layer of feedback and support built for revising a manuscript that's already complete. It's designed as the natural next step after First Draft, so if you haven't been through First Draft yet, start there.
I'm published, do I need Signal Boost, or should I just book a call?
If you want a full, sequenced marketing system you can run yourself, Signal Boost is built exactly for that. If you want it built alongside someone, one-on-one, book a call. Kevin can help you figure out which format fits.
I already finished First Draft or Final Draft, what's next?
One-on-One Coaching is a great next step, direct, personalized attention on whatever you're working on next, without needing to join a new curriculum or cohort. Or book a free call and we can figure out the right next step together.
I don't do well in group programs. I'm an introvert.
Most writers say the same thing going in, then end up as podcast guests and retreat attendees. Virtual, small-group coaching tends to be the preferred format for introverted writers, not a compromise, and if you'd rather work one-on-one from the start, that's exactly what One-on-One Coaching is for.
What genres do you work with?
Commercial genre fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller, mystery, sci-fi, paranormal, gothic, and YA dark fantasy. Non-fiction authors have gone through the programs successfully too (especially Signal Boost and One-on-One), but this isn't the right fit for literary or experimental prose.
I can't afford it right now.
There's a place to start at every level of investment, Story Plan Intensive: Independent Study is $147, and the free guide is a place to start at $0. Start where you can, and see where it leads.
Ready to Find Your Next Step?
Pick the program that matches where you are, or book a free call and figure it out together, no pressure, no pitch, just a conversation about your book.
© Copyright Kevin T. Johns Writing Inc. 2026
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