LDSPMA Master Classes
March 4–April 29, 2023
Expert instructors • Personalized feedback • Peer interaction
Enrollment is now closed.
Welcome orientation for students: Saturday, March 4, 10–11 am MST
Our next set of Master Classes will be in the spring of 2024.
Ready to take your skills to the next level? Our Master Classes offer a unique opportunity for you to dive deep into a specific area of focus and gain expert knowledge and skills.
Each Master Class is an 8-week intensive writing and publishing course taught by industry leaders, where you will
- refine your skills
- receive individual feedback on your project
- take the next steps toward publishing your message
You’ll have the chance to learn from the best, ask questions, and engage in discussions with peers and teachers that will help you grow both personally and professionally.
Here’s how it works:
1. Choose Your Master Class
Creating Your Picture Book
The Metamorphosis of an Idea into Reality
Brooke Jorden
How to Write, Publish, Market, and Sell Nonfiction Books
With an Emphasis on Business, Professional, Current Affairs, and Personal Growth Titles
Steve Piersanti
The Fundamentals of Novel Writing and Revision
Making Your Fiction Tick
Amy Beatty
7 Essential Elements of Stories that Sell
Writing Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, or Fiction for Predictable Emotional Response
Wendy Folsom & Amy White
Advanced Book Marketing
Proven Strategies for Making Your Book a Bestseller
Trina Boice
Each Master Class is limited to 15 students and includes:
✓ 14 hours of live Zoom instruction, held in 7 sessions over 8 weeks.
✓ Weekly assignments to help you apply new skills
✓ Small-group interaction and networking through live classes and an online discussion forum
✓ Personalized feedback from your instructor on your manuscript
2. Learn from 7 Topics in Publishing
In addition to your master class, you will gain access to the following 7 “Topics in Publishing” modules to supplement your learning and accelerate your publishing journey:
Great Writing Regardless of Genre
Lisa Mangum
All About Editing
Victoria Passey
Escaping the Slush Pile
Dennis Gaunt
Perfecting a Nonfiction Proposal
Jacqui Lipton
How to Research Publishers and Prepare Your Query Plan
Bridget Cook-Burch
Self-Publishing
Shanda Cottam
Marketing Your Book
Melissa Dalton Martinez
Each module has two parts:
- A self-guided lesson (about an hour long) with templates, worksheets, and prerecorded videos, accessible any time during March and April.
- A live Q&A with the instructor (over Zoom). You are encouraged to complete the self-guided material before attending the Q&A.
3. And Skip the Slush Pile!
To help propel our authors on their publishing journey, each Master Class participant will receive a “skip the slush pile” pass from Shadow Mountain Publishing and Cedar Fort Publishing and Media!
These passes will allow authors to submit to either publisher at any point during 2023, as well as move to the front of the review queue.
Notes: Cedar Fort currently only publishes nonfiction. For Shadow Mountain, manuscripts with Latter-day Saint religious content will be passed along to Deseret Book for review.
Enrollment is now closed. Don’t miss the next opportunity to invest in your future and achieve your professional goals. Join LDSPMA (for free) and be the first to know about our fall conference and our next set of Master Classes in spring 2024!
2023 Master Classes: Details & Instructors
Creating Your Picture Book
The Metamorphosis of an Idea into Reality
Mondays, March 6–April 24 • 7–9 pm Mountain Time
Brooke Jorden
Author of 20 children’s books and editorial director at Familius Publishing
By the end of this master class, students will have written and revised a picture book, created a proposal, and be prepared to submit it for publication. Additionally, students will gain an understanding of the types of publishing available, how to find a publisher that is a good fit for their story, and how to successfully market themselves and their book after publication.
Syllabus & Schedule
Saturday, March 4, 10–11 am Mountain Time: Online kick-off and orientation for all Master Class participants.
Brooke’s Master Class sessions will be on Zoom each Monday from 7:00 to 9:00 pm Mountain Time.
- March 6: Egg
- Every book begins with an idea. In this session, we’ll explore where to find ideas for your next picture book, how to vet the ideas that come to you, and how to turn that idea into a story. Students will return to class the next week with a picture book idea to share and workshop with the class.
- March 13: Caterpillar, Part I
- After we fine tune the ideas to ensure a solid foundation, we’ll discuss how to move from idea to manuscript. We’ll discuss characters, pacing, style, avoiding clichés (like a butterfly metaphor…), writing specifically for a young audience, and watching the first draft of the manuscript grow.
- March 20: Caterpillar, Part II
- Great authors are hungry for both inspiration and feedback. In this session, we’ll discuss the makings of great children’s books and the importance of “consuming” as much content and feedback as possible. We’ll talk about how to give productive feedback to other writers and how to implement it in your own writing (and when to stick with your gut and ignore it). We’ll assign partners and work together to provide feedback.
- March 27: Break for General Conference
- April 3: Chrysalis
- Sometimes a story has to be broken down to its core before it can transform into the beautiful creature it wants to be. In this session, we’ll discuss the process of revision and rewriting, including how to utilize illustration notes once the story is solidified. Students will turn in updated drafts, and I will provide individual feedback on drafts this week.
- April 10: Emerging
- Now your story is ready to emerge, you need to find the right publisher and prepare a proposal. We’ll talk about how to identify your book’s audience, create a competitive market analysis, and make your proposal stand out from the slush pile.
- April 17: Butterfly
- Once contracted, your story will fly from editor to editor, from art director to illustrator, and back to you. In this session, you’ll get the inside scoop on what it is like working with a publisher, from editing to design. We’ll also discuss tips for proofreading your book to improve design and polish the book for print once you have seen the text with the illustration.
- April 24: Migration
- Now your book is out in the world, what comes next? Whether you are self-publishing or going with a traditional publisher, your efforts to promote your book are the most significant factor in that book’s success. In this session, we’ll cover the best resources for self-promotion, social media and interview tips, and book tours on a budget.
About the Instructor
Brooke Jorden earned a BA in English and editing from Brigham Young University. She has been working in the publishing industry for 10 years and is the Editorial Director at Familius, a book publisher with a mission to help families be happy. Brooke is the author of over 20 books, including the Lit for Little Hands series, I Dig Bathtime, and other books for children. Summer 2023 will see the release of her picture book How Does Our Food Grow?, a collaboration with the United Nations organization Kitchen Connection. In addition to writing, Brooke is an award-winning editor and book designer. Outside of publishing, Brooke loves Broadway musicals, paddle boarding, dim sum, and traveling the world with her husband, Tyler. They currently live in Cedar Hills, Utah, with their three children and two cats.
How to Write, Publish, Market, and Sell Nonfiction Books
With an Emphasis on Business, Professional, Current Affairs, and Personal Growth Titles
Thursdays, March 9–April 27 • 7–9 pm Mountain Time
Steve Piersanti
Founder, former CEO, and senior editor of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, with over 45 years of experience in the nonfiction publishing industry.
This master class will walk you through the entire process of writing and publishing a nonfiction book. Topics include defining your goals and audience, framing your message, preparing a book proposal, crafting and refining your manuscript, marketing your book effectively in the modern marketplace, and building additional income streams after publishing your book.
Syllabus & Schedule
Saturday, March 4, 10–11 am Mountain Time: Online kick-off and orientation for all Master Class participants.
Steve’s Master Class sessions will be on Zoom each Thursday from 7:00 to 9:00 pm Mountain Time.
- March 9: Getting Clear on Your Goals, Objectives, Assets, and Marketplace Realities
- Defining what you want from your book, your vision of success, and what’s achievable.
- Learning “The 10 Awful Truths about Book Publishing.”
- Understanding publishing timelines.
- March 16: Positioning Your Book, Framing Your Message, and Crafting Your Sales Angles
- Focusing and simplifying your message.
- Defining and ranking your audiences.
- Identifying competitive publications.
- Communicating what is new in your book.
- Shaping your sales pitch.
- Outlining your book.
- March 23: Deciding Your Publication Route and Preparing a Book Proposal
- Understanding types of publishers.
- Identifying potential commercial publishers.
- Learning how publishers make publication decisions.
- Comparing self-publishing options.
- Deciding what will work best for you.
- Learning the key elements of a book proposal.
- Preparing your proposal.
- March 30: Break for General Conference
- April 6: The Author’s Role in Book Marketing: What You Can and Must Do
- How the author’s marketing role has changed in recent decades.
- Publishers’ expectations of authors.
- What successful authors do today and how they do it.
- Identifying your current and potential marketing assets.
- Building and leveraging your marketing assets.
- What works.
- April 13: Crafting Your Manuscript
- Structuring your book.
- The voice and writing style of your book.
- Using stories and examples, including “signature stories.”
- Diagramming the vertical and horizontal axes of your book.
- Preparing your preface, introduction, conclusion, and other manuscript elements.
- April 20: Refining Your Manuscript and Preparing It for Publication
- Soliciting feedback on your manuscript, revising it, and polishing it.
- Handling figures, charts, photos, and other graphic material.
- Knowing when materials from other sources are “fair use,” when permission is needed, and how to obtain permission.
- Proper use of citations and references to credit sources of materials.
- April 27: What to Do after Publication
- How to profit from your book.
- Building your brand.
- Using your book to build your business.
- Making money from speaking about the subjects in your book.
- Continuing to market and sell your book.
- Laying the groundwork for subsequent successful books.
About the Instructor
Steven Piersanti is the founder of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., a leading independent publisher that pursues its mission of “connecting people and ideas to create a world that works for all” by publishing groundbreaking books that promote positive change at all levels—individual, organizational, and societal. In 2019 Steve stepped down as president and CEO and now serves as a full-time senior editor at Berrett-Koehler. Steve has served as editor of 65+ publications that have sold over 100,000 copies, including titles that have appeared on all the major U.S. bestseller lists and multi-million copy sellers.
Prior to founding Berrett-Koehler in 1992, Steve served as president and CEO of Jossey-Bass Publishers. He began his career at Jossey-Bass in 1977 as an advertising copywriter, then served as marketing director, editor, editorial director, and executive vice president before becoming CEO in 1989. Steve graduated with Highest Honors from Brigham Young University, where he got his start in publishing by founding and editing a university student scholarly journal. Steve co-founded LDSPMA in 2015 and for the past five years has served as its annual conference director.
The Fundamentals of Novel Writing and Revision
Making Your Fiction Tick
Fridays, March 10–April 28 • 7–9 pm Mountain Time
Amy Beatty
Author of 3 published novels and writing instructor at Utah Valley University
Good storytellers have a solid knowledge of the basic building blocks of a story. Great storytellers understand the difference between a tidy stack of bricks and an intricately constructed machine, crafted of precision-engineered gears and flywheels that draw readers through a vivid, visceral experience.
This class explores the most fundamental elements of story and then goes further, delving beneath the surface to reveal the vital connections between those elements that truly put your story into motion. We’ll also explore your personal writing process and how to polish your work for publication. One highlight of this class is a live, interactive story development demonstration, where we’ll work together to brainstorm a story from a blank page to a complete story outline.
Syllabus & Schedule
Saturday, March 4, 10–11 am Mountain Time: Online kick-off and orientation for all Master Class participants.
Amy’s Master Class sessions will be on Zoom each Friday from 7:00 to 9:00 pm Mountain Time.
The following outline is subject to change based on the needs of the class.
- March 10: The Writer and the Story
- Finding your Personal Writing Process
- Giving and Receiving Critique
- Fundamental Elements of Story
- March 17: Character
- Effective Character Development
- Point of View
- Narrative Voice & Dialogue
- March 24: Setting
- Worldbuilding
- Description
- March 31: Break for General Conference
- April 7: Plot Toolbox
- Plot Basics
- Plot Archetypes
- Yes, But / No, and Furthermore
- Story Structure Models
- April 14: Putting the Pieces Together
- Live, Interactive Story Development Demonstration
- April 21: Making A Scene
- Scene Structure
- Pacing
- Managing Tension
- April 28: Editing: Polishing Your Work for Publication
- Developmental Edits
- Line Edits
- Proofreading
About the Instructor
Amy Beatty is the published author of two ongoing novel series and has had short stories selected for inclusion in multiple anthologies. Her debut novel, Dragon Ascending (2018), was recommended highly by Orson Scott Card (author of Ender’s Game) as “an extraordinarily entertaining and innovative treatment of dragons.”
Amy teaches fiction writing in the Community Education department at Utah Valley University and has been a presenter at FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention; Life, the Universe, & Everything Writing Symposium; and Teen Author Bootcamp.
7 Essential Elements of Stories that Sell
Writing Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, or Fiction for Predictable Emotional Response
Tuesdays, March 7–April 25 • 7–9 pm Mountain Time
Wendy Folsom & Amy White
Story Code™ analysis experts and co-founders of the Ignite Story Lab
From the reality of memoir to high fantasy, this groundbreaking character structure reveals the hidden elements that make or break a story. Learn the 7 essential roles that every writer must know, the effect their distribution over the course of the story has, and how these elements can predict your work’s success or failure in the marketplace. An in-depth look at stories that have stood the test of time, along with the real-world experience of applying what you learn to your own work in progress. A highly interactive class that includes individual feedback on your writing.
Syllabus & Schedule
Saturday, March 4, 10–11 am Mountain Time: Online kick-off and orientation for all Master Class participants.
Wendy and Amy’s Master Class sessions will be on Zoom each Tuesday from 7:00 to 9:00 pm Mountain Time.
- March 7: The 7 Essential Elements and Their Power
- March 14: How the Meaning-Making Cycle Generates Audience Response
- March 21: Inspire Change through Dramas
- March 28: Break for General Conference
- April 4: Learn Moral Reasoning and Compromise through Comedies
- April 11: Find Purpose and Meaning through Tragedies
- April 18: Wake up the Social Consciousness through Satires
- April 25: Activate your Audience through Modern Stories
About the Instructors
Wendy Folsom, trained by Katherine Farmer and a student researcher on her Story Code™ team, has been teaching, analyzing, and writing about the Story Code system for over a decade. Wendy has a bachelor’s in theatre performance with an emphasis in playwriting, where her plays and dramaturgy won national awards, including two fellowships to the Kennedy Center. She recently graduated with a master’s in communication and storytelling studies from East Tennessee State University.
Amy White is a literature specialist and one of a handful of licensed Story Code™ Analysis experts with the keys to Cracking the Story Code™. Amy has been worked with Katherine Farmer for over a decade to develop and promote this groundbreaking work. Clients of Amy have been picked up by agents and publishers and seen their writing goals achieved. Amy’s coaching can get you seen and, more importantly, help you accurately connect with your target audience.
Advanced Book Marketing
Proven Strategies for Making Your Book a Bestseller
Mondays, March 6–April 24 • 5–7 pm Mountain Time
Trina Boice
Bestselling author of 31 nonfiction books, author coach, podcaster, YouTuber, and popular speaker.
If you write it, they will buy. Not true! One thing MANY writers overlook before writing a book is marketing! A big part of marketing is doing keyword and data research in order to assess market demand and profitability. In this workshop, you will learn:
- How to determine who your avatar/target audience is
- How to brainstorm and test profitable keywords for marketing collateral
- How to set up an effective marketing funnel with a lead magnet
- How to determine which features of your book to include in marketing
- What works in social media marketing today
- What you need to do to have a #1 bestselling launch
- Marketing principles and tools for long-term success
- Current market trends and demand
Syllabus & Schedule
Saturday, March 4, 10–11 am Mountain Time: Online kick-off and orientation for all Master Class participants.
Trina’s Master Class sessions will be on Zoom each Monday from 5:00 to 7:00 pm Mountain Time.
Attendees will be given instruction, homework, and feedback. You will submit your homework each week by the day prior to each live session.
- March 6:
- Identify your customer avatar
- Clarify your “Why” and sales goals
- Market trends
- Keyword research for profitability
- Check for trademark
- March 13:
- Choose your branding (colors, fonts, keywords)
- Clarify the problems & solutions promised to the customer
- Create a lead magnet
- Introduction to the marketing funnel
- March 20:
- Design marketing funnel
- Select a customer relationship management (CRM) software
- Choose a website or landing page format (pros & cons)
- March 27: Break for General Conference
- April 3:
- Social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, Goodreads
- Blogging, blog tours
- April 10:
- Video marketing
- YouTube
- Podcasting
- Media kit
- April 17:
- Editorial reviews
- Launch sequence
- Street team
- April 24:
- Expense tracker
- Amazon algorithm and browse paths
- Additional income sources from your book
- Affiliate marketing
- Low-content companion books
About the Instructor
Dr. Trina Boice is a #1 bestselling author of 31 non-fiction books. She coaches authors in marketing strateg at FromBooks2Business.com. She has 8 online courses, 4 YouTube channels, and a daily podcast, “Daily Inspirational Quotes with Trina Boice.” She currently teaches for BYU-Idaho Online and the Arizona College of Nursing, and she writes movie reviews at MovieReviewMom.com. In 2004 she received the California Young Mother of the Year Award, which completely amuses her 4 sons.
Trina worked as a legislative assistant for a congressman in Washington, D.C. and was given the “Points of Light” Award and Presidential Volunteer Service Award for her domestic and international community service. She wrote a column called “The Boice Box” for a newspaper in Georgia, where she lived for 15 years. She writes for several websites and is currently the entertainment news editor for BellaOnline.com.
A popular keynote, Trina has gone on many speaking tours in China, Colombia, Spain, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. She was a political correspondent for KPBS in San Diego before moving to Las Vegas.
If she told you what she really does, she’d have to kill you.
2023 Topics in Publishing Modules
All 7 modules are included with a Master Class enrollment
Great Writing Regardless of Genre
Lisa Mangum
Q&A: Wednesday, March 15 • 6–7 pm Mountain Time
Guess what all the best books have in common? Conflict, character, goal, motivation, adversity, and voice. Guess what YOU can have in your book? The exact same things. Perfect for the beginner writer or the seasoned author looking for a simple overview, this module will walk through the basics of each element on the list and show you how to incorporate them into your author’s toolbox, so that you can write a great story regardless of genre.
About the Instructor
Lisa Mangum has worked in publishing since 1997. She has been the managing editor for Shadow Mountain since 2014 and has worked with several New York Times bestselling authors. While fiction is her first love, she also has experience working with nonfiction projects.
Lisa is also the author of four national bestselling YA novels (The Hourglass Door trilogy and After Hello), several short stories and novellas, and a nonfiction book about the craft of writing based on the TV show Supernatural. She has edited several anthologies about various magical creatures, pirates, and food for WordFire Press. She regularly teaches at writing conferences, including hosting a writing weekend in Capitol Reef National Park through UVU. She lives in Taylorsville, Utah, with her husband, Tracy.
All About Editing
Victoria Passey
Q&A: Wednesday, April 5 • 6–7 pm Mountain Time
So you’ve finished writing your book. Now comes the dreaded next step: editing. But editing doesn’t have to be something we dread as authors. In this module, you will learn and practice principles of editing, including: (1) the levels of editing, (2) editing plans, (3) strategies for self-editing, and (4) when and how to hire a professional editor. At the end of the module, you will feel empowered to tackle your book edits head-on.
About the Instructor
Victoria Passey works for Eschler Editing as an editor and project manager, specializing in editing LDS and general Christian nonfiction. She loves to help authors share their faith and spiritual insights through writing. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from BYU-Idaho, and currently lives in Idaho with her family.
Escaping the Slush Pile
Dennis Gaunt
Q&A: Wednesday, March 8 • 6–7 pm Mountain Time
The slush pile can be a scary place, especially for new authors. You spend months or years creating your book, and then work up the courage to send it off to a publisher . . . and then what? This class will focus on how to successfully navigate the strange and scary waters of the slush pile, including how to avoid amateur “red flag” mistakes that will cause an agent or editor to pass. Come learn from a twenty-plus year veteran of the slush pile on how to get your story to stand out for all the right reasons.
About the Instructor
Dennis Gaunt has been a writer ever since that fateful day he pulled a magic pen from a stone. At least, that’s what he tells people. The truth is he has been working for Deseret Book and Shadow Mountain publishers as a slush pile reader since 2000, and in that time, he’s seen it all and then some, and is eager to share his knowledge with other authors. He has published multiple books with Deseret Book and Covenant Communications, as well as articles in the Ensign, Liahona, New Era, and LDS Living magazines, both in print and online. He served as part of the Church curriculum-writing committee that wrote Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley. He has taught seminary, currently teaches institute, and is a popular speaker for Latter-day Saint youth and young adults. He enjoys photography, playing the guitar, going to Disneyland, and Godzilla movies. He also hates onions.
Perfecting a Nonfiction Proposal
Jacqui Lipton
Q&A: Wednesday, April 12 • 6–7 pm Mountain Time
This module will focus on the nuts and bolts of proposing a nonfiction project, focusing on writing a polished proposal and accompanying query. As much as anything else, a nonfiction proposal is a marketing document, making a case for why your book fills a market need. In some ways the market case is as important, or more important, than the draft of the book itself. Many beautifully written nonfiction projects fail to establish a clear market.
This class will look at the various elements of a standard nonfiction proposal: author biographical details and platform, market information, draft chapters, project overview, summary of chapters (including proposed structure), and comparative and complementary titles. We will also talk about how to identify and approach appropriate agents and editors for the project.
About the Instructor
Jacqui Lipton, M.F.A., Ph.D. is a literary agent, attorney, and law professor who specializes in the business side of the publishing industry and represents clients from picture book through adult, with a particular love for nonfiction. She founded Raven Quill Literary Agency, which merged in 2022 with The Tobias Literary Agency, where she is a senior agent and head of the Adult Department (fiction and nonfiction). She also writes nonfiction and academic texts. Her most recent books are Law and Authors: A Legal Handbook for Writers (University of California Press, 2020) and Our Data, Ourselves: A Personal Guide to Consumer Privacy (University of California Press, 2022).
How to Research Publishers and Prepare Your Query Plan
Bridget Cook-Burch
Q&A: Wednesday, April 19 • 7–8 pm Mountain Time
This module will cover the querying process for authors writing Latter-day Saint or general-interest works, including organizing your query letters, subscription options, free options, and DIY options. Participants will gain strategies for querying and ultimately feel prepared to navigate the publishing process successfully.
About the Instructor
Bridget Cook-Burch’s clients call her “The Book Whisperer.” She is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, mentor, humanitarian, and speaker known for riveting stories of transformation. Her powerful work has been showcased on Oprah, Dateline, CNN, GMA, The History Channel, NPR and in People, among many others. As the CEO and founder of Your Inspired Story, she hosts Inspired Writer’s Retreats, group coaching, executive coaching, and more. Her greatest passion is helping you discover the importance of your story and become a leader in your own community and worldwide. Find out more at YourInspiredStory.com.
Self-Publishing
Shanda Cottam
Q&A: Wednesday, March 22 • 6–7 pm Mountain Time
Whether you know you will self-publish or are still exploring your publishing options, this module will provide valuable information to help you along your self-publishing journey. Your end goals determine your self-publishing path, and what works for someone else may not work for you. In this module, you will learn more about what self-publishing involves, what you need to consider when designing and producing your book files, and distribution options for sending your book out into the world.
About the Instructor
Shanda Cottam is an editor and project manager at Eschler Editing. She founded and was the moderator of a book review podcast and blog for over a decade. During that time, she discovered that writing, critiquing, and editing manuscripts was where she had the most fun. Shanda has served on conference committees, taught classes, and participated in panels at various local writing conferences. She’s currently working on a BA in Creative Writing and English.
Marketing Your Book
Melissa Dalton Martinez
Q&A: Thursday, April 27 • 6–7 pm Mountain Time
Have you ever wondered how to prepare a marketing strategy for your book release when you don’t have any books out yet? It can be overwhelming . . . websites, newsletters, social media, advertising, oh my! Don’t you wish someone could spell out what a new author REALLY needs?
Good news: If you’re a new author and don’t know where to start when it comes to marketing, this module is for you! Learn foundational book marketing and get your publishing career on the path to success!
About the Instructor
Melissa Dalton Martinez has worked in the entertainment industry since 1998, including television, film, music, online shows, and books. Melissa has a BA in Communications and Business Management and an MA in Publishing. Melissa hosts the online show The Book Break where she interviews authors and others in publishing. She also serves as a book reviewer for multiple publications and does monthly book recommendation segments on Utah’s ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX television stations. In addition, Melissa provides publisher and author services in marketing, branding, and media consulting; is a bestselling author; and is a co-owner of Tolwis Publishing.
Bring a friend and each get $25 off!
Learning is always better with a friend! We heavily encourage our participants to bring a friend or writing buddy with them. To show we’re serious, we are offering a $25 referral discount to both the referrer and the referree.
Here’s how it works: After you enroll, you will receive a custom coupon code that you can share with family and friends. Anyone who enrolls using that code will get $25 off their enrollment. And you, as the referrer, will get $25 of your enrollment refunded to you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it too late to enroll for 2023?
Yes. Enrollments closed February 28.
When will the next set of Master Classes be?
Our next Master Classes will be spring 2024. We plan to open enrollments by fall 2023. We will offer a variety of classes on fiction and nonfiction topics and hope to expand to offer classes on podcasting, songwriting, and more.
We also will be holding our annual conference on October 19–21, 2023, at Utah Valley University. See details at ldspma.org/conference.
How can I be a Master Classes instructor for 2024?
Email us at info@ldspma.org and let us know you’re interested! Include your credentials, any similar classes or workshops you’ve taught, and what topics/genres you would be interested in teaching.
What is your cancellation and refund policy for 2023?
We will offer full refunds through February 28, and 50% refunds from March 1 to March 11. Up until March 11, you can also transfer to a different Master Class for no extra charge.
To cancel your enrollment or to switch to a different class, email us at info@ldspma.org.
How many students will be in each class?
Each Master Class is capped at 15 students.
If a class has fewer than 6 students by March 1, the instructor can opt to cancel the class. Participants will be notified and given the option to receive a full refund or to transfer to a different class.
How will the class material be delivered?
Master Class sessions and the Topics in Publishing Q&A sessions will be held over Zoom.
All other content (worksheets, assignment instructions, discussion forums, and prerecorded Topics in Publishing lectures) will be hosted on a learning platform called Moodle. The orientation on March 4 (10–11 am MST) will include an overview of how to access and use the Moodle site.
Will classes be recorded to rewatch later?
Yes. Both the Master Class sessions and the Topics in Publishing Q&A sessions will be recorded and available to re-watch through the end of May.
How does the refer-a-friend program work?
When you enroll, you will receive a custom referral code in your confirmation email. You can pass this coupon code on to family, friends, and colleagues. Anyone who uses that coupon code to enroll will get $25 off their enrollment.
Within 3–5 business days of them enrolling using your code, we will apply a $25 refund to your own enrollment payment.
Can I refer multiple people?
Any number of people who use your code will get $25 off their enrollment. We will give you a $25 referral refund for the first three referrals—meaning you could get as much as $75 back!
My friend and I are enrolling at the same time. How do we get the refer-a-friend discount?
One of you will need to enroll first at full price. You will immediately receive an email with the referral coupon code, which your friend can then use to enroll at $25 off. We will then refund $25 to the first enrollment within 3–5 business days.
Does my friend have to enroll in the same master class as me to get the refer-a-friend discount?
Nope! They can enroll in any of the 5 master classes and you will both still get the discount.
What 2022 participants are saying:
Enrollment is now closed for 2023. Check back in the fall for information about our 2024 Master Classes
2023 Master class price: $495
2024 Master class price: TBD