Arche Year Syllabus – 2022-23 Cohorts – EXAMPLE
Students will have access to the full Arche Year course videos on-demand. You may watch the videos as often as you’d like.
The Arche Year Cohorts will follow a syllabus similar to this example, taken from the 2022-23 Cohorts. Note that the syllabus changes every year.
Please watch the video specified for the week prior to your Cohort’s meeting.
Over the 9-month instructional program, students will attend classes covering an amazing range of topics, giving you all of the skills and tools you need to pursue your goal of becoming a published author.
1-3 weeks is typically provided between units to give students extra time to implement the previous unit’s content. In some cases, your Cohort may still meet for check-ins, encouragement, and prayer even if no new video is assigned, at the discretion of your Cohort leader.
Students will practice these skills and put this information into practice over the course of the program. Successful students will complete the program with a professionally developed novel ready to be shopped to agents or published, as well as a solid author marketing platform (including a website, social media, mailing list, and more) and business infrastructure.
Ready to get started? Register here.
Cohort Meeting Schedule
Cohort meetings typically last 45-90 minutes. There are never more than 12 students in a Cohort.
Cohorts are facilitated by graduates of the Arche Year program who are continuing to pursue their writing and publishing goals.
Introduction
No video to watch, but Cohorts will meet the week of 9/12 for orientation and introductions.
Novel Class
4 week novel-writing intensive will teach students how to develop, organize, and execute nearly any novel concept. Students may bring an existing idea, but the course will also help students to develop ideas from scratch. These classes will be covered the weeks of 9/19, 9/26, 10/3, and 10/10.
The Cohort will meet one time either the week of 10/17 or 10/24 to critique novel concepts and outlines. Check with your facilitator for the date of your meeting.
Industry Knowledge
This seminar series will teach writers about the publishing industry. Students will learn how books are produced, about different types of publishing companies (and scams!), and a paradigm for effectively growing an audience (a “platform”) as an author.
Publishing Industry – 10/31
Book Production – 11/7
Platform Building Basics – 11/14
Defining Your Business
This class series will guide students through the process of setting up a legal entity to do business and protect their interests. You will learn basic bookkeeping, form an LLC in your state, and begin to explore creating an author brand.
What You Are – Legal Considerations – 11/28
Who You Are – Identity and Branding – 12/5
Staying Out of Trouble – Record Keeping, Taxes, and Accounting – 12/12
Connection
Students will learn how to set up a complete, professional online presence. You will build a website, launch a mailing list, and create a professional social media presence.
Connection Overview and Internet Basics – 1/9
Building a WordPress Website Step-by-step – 1/16
WordPress Basic Operations/Understanding and Q&A – 1/23
Social Media Setup – 1/30
Mailing List Setup – 2/6
Content
Students will learn to craft content that brings value to the world and grows their audiences. You will learn best practices for blogging, learn how to effectively engage and grow your audience with a newsletter, connect with real readers on social media, and position your website content for longterm results.
Blog Writing – 2/27
Effective Email Newsletters – 3/6
Social Media Content- 3/13
Evergreen Content – 3/20
Exposure
Students will learn strategies and techniques for gaining new audiences for their content. Now that you have a professional online presence and awesome content to share, you’ll learn how to get more people in front of your stuff so that you can grow a big audience for your work.
Paid & Earned Social Media Exposure – 4/17
Lead Magnets – 4/24
Networking – 5/1
Next Steps
By this point in the program, students should be completing their novel manuscripts. The final class series will coach students on finding publishing opportunities, avoiding scams, and working with agents, publishers, and self-publishing service providers.
Finding & Evaluating Publishing Opportunities – 5/15
Query Letters – 5/22
Final Question & Answer Session – 5/29
Conclusion
Cohorts will meet one final time the week of 6/5 to celebrate the great things you’ve accomplished and answer any last remaining questions.
Arche Year Workshops
In addition to the weekly Cohort meetings, SOKW director and writing/publishing expert Brad Pauquette will host a private workshop only for Arche Year students approximately once per month. These workshops are optional, but attendance is strongly encouraged. These workshops will last approximately one hour via Zoom.
Tuesday Evenings at 8pm ET – 9/20, 11/15, 1/17, 3/21, and 5/9
Friday afternoons at 3pm ET – 10/28, 12/9, 2/17, 4/21, and 6/9
Course Commitment
Students are expected to devote 10 hours per week to the course. This time commitment includes classes and meetings, as well as independent work periods.
Students will put the information from these classes into practice over the course of the program. At the completion of the program, students will have a solid start to their professional author platform, including a website, social media presence, and mailing list.
Students are encouraged to have $1,000 available over the course of the program to invest in themselves. This money will be spent at their discretion, on their behalf, for things such as web hosting, business registration, branding development, and social media promotions. All purchases will be made through third-party vendors of the student’s choosing, at the student’s discretion.
Ready to get started? Register for your Cohort here.