"AJ is the David Foster of the book-crafting business. David Foster, a world-renowned musician, composer, and record producer, has won sixteen Grammy Awards. Artists with whom he's worked have remarked that in addition to his raw musical talent, David's true genius is in his ability to pull out of the musicians he works with the depths of what they're capable of creating. Among her many other gifts, this is AJ’s talent as well.

There is a delicate balance in holding the space for someone while they strive to do their best creative work without letting them get overwhelmed or lose hope. I am a much better writer, a better creator, a better person for having had this incredible experience."

—Susie deVille, author of Buoyant: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Becoming Wildly Successful, Creative, and Free

While you’ll find dozens of courses, programs, and retreats focused on writing your book, very few programs walk you through how to edit your nonfiction book. In fact, I can only think of one right now. Just one.

The lack of editing know-how leads to confusion:

• You’ve written a few chapters of your book and you’re not sure how much editing to do before you move on.
• You’ve completed your first draft and you don’t know what to do next or if you actually have something people will want to read.
• You have a feeling something is off with your manuscript, but you can figure out what it is or how to fix it.
• You aren’t sure how the editing process works, how long it takes, and what is expected of you in the process.
• You’re a published author who wants to up-level your next book and you don’t know how to go about it.

If you identify with any of these statements, you have something in common with pretty much every new author I’ve known. What I discovered in my own journey from ghostwriter of prescriptive nonfiction books, to editor, to master teacher, is most authors either have limited knowledge and/or misconceptions about the editing process. 

That gap in knowledge prevents them from publishing the book they intended to write–a book that truly changes their readers lives.

When I started out in the industry, I had no clue how to ensure that a book I wrote delivered on its promise to readers. So I created a checklist of editing passes to follow, which I modified over time. 

That checklist became the Must-Read Editing Method, outlined in my book, Write a Must-Read. 

This is the same method I use when co-writing books with Mike Michalowicz (Profit First, The Pumpkin Plan, Clockwork, etc.) The same method I used when writing my own book. And the same method I teach in my annual class, Top Three Book Workshop, which has produced award-winning, critically-acclaimed, bestselling books.

More importantly, the Must-Read Editing Method is a structured system to help you transform your first draft into a book readers can’t put down. A book people love and rave about. A book people keep forever.

In the Write a Must-Read Editing Workshop, I’ll walk you through the editing pass checklist so you can apply it to your own manuscript. 

“Learning about the editing passes explained why I felt like I was floundering in the past. I always knew that there was more that I could do to improve the writing - but was at a loss to what it was. I feel like what I learned helped me see what was missing! I would have never figured this out on my own and I don't know of anyone else that comes close to explaining so clearly all the pieces that need to come together to write a book that people can't put down. Thank you so much.”

—Christine Korol, PhD, Registered Psychologist

How does the Write a Must-Read Editing Workshop work?

• On Saturdays, we meet on Zoom at 11:00 a.m. Eastern for a live, interactive, 2-hour workshop
• On Mondays, we meet on Zoom at 4:00 p.m. Eastern for a live, 60-minute Q&A session.

This structure allows you to budget weekend time to work on your book based on that week’s workshop. And because as you work on your book you will discover new questions, we have scheduled the Q&A for Mondays.

All classes will be recorded and uploaded to our learning platform.

Here’s an overview of the course structure:

Week 1: How to Successfully Navigate the Editing Process

Saturday, June 15, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET: Workshop

Monday, June 17, 4:00pm - 5:00pm ET: Q&A

Week 2: How to Edit for Reader Transformation

Saturday, June 22, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET:  Workshop

Monday, June 24, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET: Q&A

Week 3: How to Edit for Deep Reader Connection

Saturday, June 29, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET: Workshop

Monday, July 1, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET: Q&A

Week 4: How to Edit to Keep Your Reader on the Page

Saturday, July 6, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET: Workshop

Monday, July 8, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET: Q&A

Week 5: How to Edit Stories for Greater Impact

Saturday, July 13, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET:  Workshop

Monday, July 15, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET: Q&A

Week 6: How to Prepare Your Manuscript for Submission

Saturday, July 20, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET: Workshop

“All of the lessons were truly super helpful, but the storytelling lesson will really stick with me. I appreciated having work time during the two-hour training and learned so much from people's questions. My biggest takeaway was that I can stay sane by making editing passes manageable.”

—Veena Irene, author of the forthcoming Grind to Groove

“I particularly liked the opportunity to discuss concepts on the Friday Q and A, and learned so much from everyone's questions. The readers' journey concept was new for me. I’m refocusing all of my writing using this concept.”

—Margaret Whitley, author of the forthcoming A World of Difference

More about AJ:

 AJ Harper is an editor and publishing strategist who helps authors write transformational books that enable them to build readership, grow their brand, and make a significant impact on the world. As ghostwriter and as developmental editor, she has worked with hundreds of authors, from newbies to New York Times bestselling authors with millions of books sold. AJ teaches her method in Top Three Book Workshop and the Must-Read Editing Workshop. She is a Partner and Head Writing Coach for Heroic Public Speaking, the premier speaker training program created by Michael and Amy Port. She is writing partner to business author, Mike Michalowicz. Together they’ve written ten books, including Profit First. AJ is the author of Write a Must-Read: Craft a Book That Changes Lives--Including Your Own. 

“My biggest takeaway was that editing is just super fun!” 

—Andrea Lee, editor and author of multiple books, including Multiple Streams of Coaching Income

FAQ

Do I need a complete manuscript to participate in this course?

No! To make the most of the class, we recommend you have a working outline and a first draft of at least least one chapter or 6,000 words. If you have more written, or a complete manuscript, great! 

And if you don’t have any of the above, you can still join the program. We’ve had students who simply wanted to learn and ask questions so they better understood the editing process.

Will I finish my edits in six weeks?

That’s up to you. If you block off enough time, you could absolutely finish your edits. No matter how much you get done in class, you’ll have a custom Next Steps Editing Plan to help you finish your self-edit.

I’m working on a novel. Is this course for me?

No. This program is based on my Must-Read Editing Method, which was created for nonfiction authors.

Will you give me individual feedback?

Yes! I teach in a workshop format I designed to help you learn a new reader-focused editing tool, try it, and get feedback on your work in that session. I also provide a weekly Q&A to answer additional questions that come up as you apply what you’ve learned that week.

I may not be able to attend every session live. Are the classes recorded? 

Yes! Recordings will be up on our learning platform the same day. You will have “forever” access to the recordings.

“I’m extremely confident that I can tackle editing now. I wasn’t able to attend live, and watched the training on my own, and I still recommend this program.”

—Lynne Klippel, author of Women of Scar Clan

1 payment of $3,600

3 payments of $1,200