7 Ways You Can Ease Into Writing and Publishing
Sep 15, 2026
Over the last couple of weeks I have talked about compasses and tackle boxes, and if you have been following along, you already know where I am headed with this. Here is the whole tackle box, laid out at once, so you can see everything currently open and pick out whatever actually matches where you are standing right now.
Here is something I have noticed after ten years of sitting across the table from aspiring authors, in classrooms, at coffee shops, and now on Zoom calls with writers I have never met in person. Almost nobody reaches out to me because they feel ready.
They reach out because they are stuck, curious, half-finished, or quietly circling a book they have thought about for years, and they assume that talking to a publisher means they need to have it all figured out first. The manuscript needs to be done. The plan needs to exist. They need to know exactly what kind of help they are looking for before they are allowed to ask for it.
I understand why people think this. Publishing looks like a closed door from the outside. Here’s the good news. You do not need to know exactly where you are going before you ask for directions, and you certainly do not need a finished book before you are allowed to start getting help with one.
Some writers who come through our programs have fully drafted manuscripts sitting in folders they haven’t opened for months or years. Others have ideas and zero written content. Some have questions about AI and whether using it will cost them their voices. Some have plans and just need help staying on track so they actually finish the thing.
All of these writers are in a good place, but most are confused about what to do next.
More good news. The right next step depends entirely on where you are stuck, not on some imaginary finish line you have to cross before you are allowed to ask for help. My team knows exactly what you need to do next.
That is really the whole idea behind what Crippled Beagle Publishing and Story Mountain Media offers right now.
We have built several different doors into the writing-publishing process, and the doors meet writers at very different points to match where they should enter.
Some of what is coming up happens in a classroom here in Knoxville. Some of it happens live on Zoom. No matter where you live or how you prefer to learn and work, we have options.
I still teach small in-person classes because I love watching a room full of strangers realize they are not the only ones who feel behind. Someone walks in with three chapters and a lot of doubt. Someone else walks in with nothing but a title. By the end of the evening, everyone understands the landscape a lot better than they did walking in, which tends to finally help them move forward. The online programs grew out of that same instinct but are just built for people who live outside East Tennessee or who prefer to learn online.
Here is what is currently open, organized by what you are actually looking for rather than by price.
IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS IN KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOW OPEN FOR REGISTRATION
Publish Your Book — Tuesday, September 15, 6:00–9:00 PM, University of Tennessee Conference Center, $99
If you do not fully understand the difference between traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing, or what each one actually costs you in money, time, and control, this class walks through all three paths honestly, including the numbers most people never hear.
Write Smarter, Not Harder, with AI — Wednesday, September 30, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM, eSpaces Conference Room, Knoxville, $97, only 12 seats available
This is a hands-on workshop for the writer who wants to use AI to brainstorm, break through writer’s block, and organize his or her ideas without sounding like a robot wrote the book. My position on this has not changed. AI is not the enemy. Losing your voice is. You will leave with a workbook, a prompt library, and a real plan for using these tools without letting them use you.
Market Your Book — Tuesday, October 20, 6:00–9:00 PM, University of Tennessee Conference Center, $99
Marketing starts earlier than most writers think, often long before the book is finished. This class covers how to understand your actual audience and build the practical tools that help readers find you, whether your book comes out next year or five years from now.
Write Your Children’s Book — Tuesday, November 17, 6:00–9:00 PM, University of Tennessee Conference Center, $99
For anyone working on a picture book, early reader, or chapter book, this covers story development, age-appropriate content, and how text and illustration work together, plus what actually separates these categories from each other.
ONLINE GROUP COACHING AND SUPPORT - - NOW OPEN FOR REGISTRATION
Book Development Cohort — a 90-day guided experience on Zoom. The next cohort begins October 1, 2026, and the following one begins January 1, 2027. This is for the writer who has an idea but not yet a plan. Over the twelve weeks, you will clarify your book’s purpose, define your ideal reader, build your manuscript structure, create a chapter-by-chapter plan, and start writing the first chapters with a rhythm you can actually sustain.
Email me if this interests you, and you’d like pricing. Just reply and say, “Tell me more about the Book Development Cohort, Jody!” I’ll send you the flyer.
The Writers’ Room — live and online, six months with the option to continue month to month, rolling enrollment, join anytime This is not a class. It is not a critique group or an editing program. It exists for one reason, which is to help you finish your rough draft through consistent accountability, encouragement, and a community of people doing the same hard thing you are. If you already have a plan and just need to actually sit down and write, this is built for you.
Email me if this interests you, and you’d like pricing. Just reply and say, “Tell me more about The Writers’ Room, Jody!” I’ll send you the flyer.
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None of these paths are more serious than the others, and none of them require you to already have this figured out. Take a look at what is coming up and find the room that matches where you are right now, not where you think you are supposed to be.
If you aren’t sure, Desiree or I can help you decide. Just schedule a friendly call here: Publishing Pathway Call with Jody or Desiree
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1:1 GUIDANCE - ALWAYS AVAILABLE
Learning, planning, investing, writing, finishing, publishing, and marketing are just different stages of the same process, and you are allowed to walk in wherever you actually are, on your budget and your schedule..
If your manuscript is already finished and you are genuinely ready to talk about editing, publishing, and/or marketing and promotion, our team is here for that conversation too. Just schedule a friendly call here: Publishing Pathway Call with Jody or Desiree
Books live forever!
Jody
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