Learn how to Write Your Purposeful Book
and Get It Published
in 14 clear, proven lessons
THE BOOK CAPTAIN
training course is for anyone who wants to structure, write, and commercially publish an excellent, purposeful nonfiction book, without guessing what to do, or wasting years and thousands of dollars trying to figure it out on your own.
** Special Launch Sale! **
Full access is $1,100 -- about the same as a quality writers' conference, although here you won't have to pay for travel, food, and lodging.
Special launch sale, full access just $99 Offer Expires April 8, 2025!
"Marcus Brotherton is an excellent writing mentor. I'm lucky to count him a friend."
-- Adam Makos New York Times bestselling author of
A Higher Call, Devotion, and Spearhead
"I could not have written and published my book without Marcus. His advice and guidance are priceless."
-- Martha Hawkins, author of Finding Martha's Place
"With Marcus as my guide, I've gained not only technical skills but also a deeper understanding of my own voice. His mentorship has been instrumental in shaping my writing career."
-- Zoro, author of Maria's Scarf
You want to write a book, but you wonder if your idea is any good.
You're unsure if your writing is strong enough for publication.
You're struggling with how to start and finish your book and how to structure the chapters.
You want to write a book but fear rejection.
Your manuscript is getting a ho-hum response from your early test readers. What now?
You completed your manuscript, only to realize you also needed a book proposal. What's next?
Your manuscript is strong, but agents and publishers keep turning it down. All you hear is NO!
You've written a great book, but the thought of promoting it feels overwhelming or intimidating.
You fear being harshly criticized by reviewers.
You dream of writing a book, but wonder if you're ever going to make that dream a reality.
Don't worry, I can help!
THE BOOK CAPTAIN Curriculum
Intro Lesson: Watch this First!
· Your Smart Choice
· Confidence in the Information
· Know Where You’re Going
· How to Get the Most Out of this Series
· Who Exactly is the Book Captain? (Surprise)
Lesson 1: Think like a Bestselling Author
· 3 Questions Every Author Must Ask for Success
· 3 Strategies for a Winning Mindset
· The One Core Phrase to Remember
· What Makes You Credible as an Author?
· 5 Key Motivations for Writing Your Book
· The 3 Most Powerful Words for You Today
Lesson 2: What Makes a Book Idea Truly Great?
· Concepting from the Ground up
· 4 Big Questions about Your Book Idea
· 5 Ways Your Book Can Scream “Big Benefit”
· 7 Smart Ways Your Book can be “Similar but Different”
· The Spark of Genius: Run Your Book Idea through these 4 Big Questions
Lesson 3: Expand Your Great Idea into an Outline
· The Steel Rod of Storytelling
· Should You Write Your Whole Manuscript First?
· What is Prescriptive Nonfiction, and Why Should You Outline It?
· How to Develop Your “Big Ugly” Statement
· Crafting the Perfect Book Title: 7 Keys
· The Art of the Perfect Subtitle
Lesson 4: Crafting the Perfect Outline for Prescriptive Nonfiction
· Unlocking the Structure: the 3 Essential Chapter Types in Prescriptive Nonfiction
· How to Create a Memorable Opening Chapter: 7 Strategies
· Navigating the Middle: A Step-by-Step Guide to Outlining Your Book’s Core Section
· Wrapping Up Your Book with a Successful Last Chapter
Lesson 5: Big Decisions -- Narrative Nonfiction, Memoir, or Memoir-with-a-Message
· Which Genres Offer the Biggest Open Door?
· The Secret to Success in Your Memoir: One Crucial Element That Makes Your Story Shine · The Increasing Value of Memoir-With-A-Message
· What Makes the Best Narrative Nonfiction?
· 4 Ways to Legitimately Use Creative License in Narrative Nonfiction
· 3 Essential Components that Publishers Look for in Narrative Nonfiction
Lesson 6: How to Structure Narrative Nonfiction and Memoir for Maximum Impact
· Creating Your Masterpiece
· How to “Massage” a Nonfiction Story into a Three-Act Structure
· The Sacred Trust of Real Life
· From Setup to Resolution: the 20 Core Elements of the Classic 3-Act Structure
· Congratulations, you’ve done it!
Lesson 7: The Art of Researching and Interviewing
· Crafting Compelling Nonfiction
· 3 Essential Tips for Conducting Winning Research
· 10 Sure-Fire Ways to Draw the Best Stories and Material out of Anybody
· Why You Should Always Keep Your Recorder Running
Lesson 8: Ten Expert Tips for Writing with Excellence
· What Does it Mean to Write Well?
· The Secrets to Writing with Excellence: 10 Tips
· Artfully Handling that Pesky Backstory
· How Polished Should Your Work Be?
Lesson 9: Writing the Perfect Book Proposal
· Why Book Proposals Are Essential
· The Ultimate Book Proposal Secret
· Your Gateway to an Editor's Must-Have List
· A Step-by-Step Guide to Success
· 10 Vital Components of a Book Proposal that Grab an Editor’s Attention
Lesson 10: The Ultimate Guide to Wooing Literary Agents
· What Does Your Literary Agent Actually Do?
· What are Advances and How are They Paid?
· The Wonder of Royalties
· How do Agents Get Paid: Hint—You Don’t Pay Up Front
· How to Captivate a Top Literary Agent
· 3 Ways to Find Your Perfect Representation
· How to Query: Dos, Don’ts, and Insider Secrets
Lesson 11: The Fine Art of Working with Your Publisher
· 7 Essential Tips for a Successful Meeting with an Acquisitions Editor
· Navigating an Acquisition Editor’s Offer
· Taking a Book Through the Pipeline—Who Does What?
· You and Your Copyeditor: Managing Trust Versus Pushback
· Final Editorial Stages: Countdown to Launch
· What Makes a Book Cover Truly Stand Out?
Lesson 12: Smart Strategies for Marketing and Publicity
· What is a Platform, and How Badly Do You Need One?
· Why the Old Days of Publishing are Gone—and How That’s an Okay Thing
· One Important Secret to Circumvent a Small Platform
· 5 Important Lessons about Building Your Platform
· What to Do if You have a Small Social Media Presence
· Only Hold a Book Signing if You Can Do This Too
· How to Handle Book Reviews: 3 Professional Truths
Lesson 13: Should you Commercially Publish or Self-Publish?
· Wise Choices
· The Viability and Respectability of Self-Publishing
· 4 Options: Social Publishing, Self, Hybrids, Commercial?
· How Much Might You Earn with Commercial Publishing?
· The 3 Main Groups Within Commercial Publishing
Lesson 14 Mastering Your Writing Career
· If You Could Only Write One Book, What Would It Be?
· Effective Strategies to Reignite Your Creativity
· Measuring Your Writing Journey: the 5 Benchmarks of Success
· Wear Your Scars Like a Badge
· Should You Ever Toss a Manuscript? 3 Vital Questions
· The Author’s Imperative: Why Consistent Writing is Crucial for Success
The Book Captain includes:
Recorded Lessons: 14+ training videos that let you learn at your own pace.
Private Learning Community: Get your questions answered in a regular, live, online class that allows for real-time participation and interaction between the instructor and the participants, so you are never second guessing or wasting time!
Customized Outline: Stay on track with an easy-to-follow outline, perfectly paired with the training videos!
2 Winning Sample Book Proposals: Unlock the formula to your own success with two sample book proposals. Each sample proposal sold to "Big Five" commercial book publishers for strong six-figure deals.
Meet Your Instructor
Hi, I'm Marcus Brotherton and I know what it's like to dream of writing a book.
More than 24 years ago, I wrote my first book on weekends while I was working a full time day job in a newsroom. That book was never published, because I made some crucial mistakes along the way.
But I didn't give up. Instead, I attended countless writers' conferences. I interviewed a multitude of top literary agents, bestselling authors, and acquisition editors. I studied stacks of how-to books, constantly honing my ability to write well and structure a manuscript. Eventually I cracked the code to writing and publishing success.
Today, I'm a full time bestselling author and collaborative writer. My mission is to partner with people doing purposeful work to help them further their reach.
Five of my books are New York Times bestsellers, seven are national bestsellers, four have been optioned for movies, and one is an international bestseller. My books have also appeared on USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, Wall Street Journal, and ECPA bestseller lists.
The number 1 thing I've learned throughout this entire journey is this:
Writing and publishing a book isn't easy. But it can be done! You can make an impact on the world with what you write. Once you understand the fundamental principles of writing and publishing, there's no limit to what you can achieve.
That's what inspired me to create THE BOOK CAPTAIN, an affordable, definitive online course and community designed to train aspiring authors to quickly develop the skills needed to write and publish their purposeful book.
Can I help you? As a five-time New York Times bestselling author and one of the nation's top collaborative writers, I've taken everything I've learned over the years and distilled it into this course.
In 14 clear, definitive lessons, I can teach you how to:
* Write and structure a purposeful, compelling book.
* Publish it successfully and reach your readers.
* Position your book to potentially earn you 5, 6, or even 7 figures.
Convenient and accessible, this course allows you to go through it at your own pace. You can complete it all in one weekend or take two weeks by viewing one lesson per day.
Whether you want to inspire others, make a difference, or create a legacy, THE BOOK CAPTAIN will give you the tools and knowledge to make it happen.
I’m here to guide you on this exciting journey. It's time to invest in yourself and your future.
Let’s get started!
Who Is This Course For?
You want to learn how to successfully write, structure, and publish your nonfiction book.
You value helping people, so you write with purpose. You don't just want to write junk that tears people apart.
You're not afraid of rolling up your sleeves and doing some work.
Who Is This Course NOT For?
You aren't willing to learn.
You aren't willing to put skin in the game.
You want overnight success without putting in any work.
What others are saying
"Highly recommended"
"Marcus Brotherton is an excellent writing mentor. He is constantly sharpening me, sharing the tricks of the trade, helping me become a better writer. I’m lucky to count him as a friend."
-- Adam Makos, New York Times bestselling author of A Higher Call, Devotion, and Spearhead
"Priceless advice and guidance"
"I couldn't have written my book without Marcus. His advice and guidance are priceless. I'm deeply grateful for his mentorship, which helped make my dream of getting my story and message out there a reality."
-- Martha Hawkins, author of Finding Martha's Place
"Next level"
"With Marcus, you get perspective not only from an accomplished author who's told countless stories with rave reviews, but from a wonderful human who follows a strong moral compass. I would trust him with my life." -- SSgt Robert Kugler, bestselling author of A Dog Named Beautiful
"The best of the best"
"A handful of writing mentors are considered ‘the best of the best.’ Marcus Brotherton is in this top tier. He has helped many authors achieve their
writing and publishing goals."
-- Madeleine Morel, President 2M Communications Literary Agency, New York
"Exceptional"
"Marcus is an exceptional writing mentor, wise in all aspects of writing, promotion, and publishing. His acumen, street credibility, and genuine compassion enable him to guide writers toward their full
potential. I wholeheartedly recommend his writing class."
--Zoro, author of Maria's Scarf
"Opened Doors"
"Marcus has all the trademarks of an excellent mentor—insight, knowledge, encouragement, and skill. His guidance has opened doors for me in the publishing industry. I feel blessed our paths have crossed.” —Hannah Linder, author of Garden of the Midnights and Never Forgotten
"Tools and confidence"
"This is a master’s-level course packed with invaluable insights to help navigate a clear path to publication. Marcus gave me the tools and confidence to pursue my own book soon -- and armed with this knowledge it'll be a better book that more people will read. Thanks for the detailed, wise words. I recommend this course to every writer.
-- Mike Albin, pastor and writer
"Clarified my vision"
"I've always loved writing and spent years agonizing whether to write a book. Marcus’ honest yet encouraging guidance helped me realize my true passion lies in writing articles, as I've been doing. This course provided a low-cost way to sharpen my focus, so I can move forward doing what I love most.
--Karen Sue Clark, writer, blogger
"Thoroughly enjoyed"
"This course reignited my passion for creative and narrative writing, which I had set aside while focusing on writing for various publications. The teaching portions were insightful and inspiring, providing me with fresh energy and perspective. I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to deepen their craft."
-- Becky Kimball, co-owner LitWits.com
Frequently Asked Questions
What skill level is this program for?
THE BOOK CAPTAIN is perfect for aspiring writers. Intermediate, established, and bestselling authors also appreciate new insights they've gained from me. The course is designed for nonfiction authors, but it's also a goldmine for fiction writers. Jump in and enhance your writing, structuring, and publishing skills!
How long do I have access to the program?
You get immediate access to the program, and you have access to it for 10 years.
Can't I learn all of this on YouTube?
It's doubtful. You'll probably hunt for quite a while, becoming frustrated, not finding what you need. You'll probably waste time by viewing videos that give incomplete, inexperienced, or false information. Instead of doing a random search, it's time to get serious about your writing and publishing journey. You are worth this investment!
Do I need to have an idea for a book, or a manuscript-in-progress, before starting?
Nope. THE BOOK CAPTAIN will help you generate and refine the best ideas for saleable, purposeful books. Have a manuscript? Great—we'll refine it to perfection. Starting fresh? Wonderful—your blank canvas is ready to become a work of art. Embark on your best writing journey today.
Should I invest in THE BOOK CAPTAIN or go to a writers' conference?
Think of THE BOOK CAPTAIN as a virtual writers' conference. It saves you time, money, and travel expenses. You get easy access to expert advice, right from the comfort of your own home. (Plus, you usually need to go to more than one writers' conference to learn what I give you here.)
Is there a guarantee?
Yes! THE BOOK CAPTAIN has a 7-Day satisfaction guarantee. If you don't consider this course helpful in your writing and publishing journey, then contact me within 7 days for a full, no hassle refund.
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