MAKERS PRO 2021
TRANSFORM YOUR IDEAS INTO STORIES AND REACH YOUR CREATIVE POTENTIAL
Write your story.
Make writing and illustrating easier with help from award-winning storytellers.
Start your creative journey today by joining a community of children's book writers and illustrators dedicated to crafting amazing stories.
Enroll by January 17th for $20 off!
MAKERS PRO MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES:
Courses
&
Instant access to all nine self-study courses and seventeen craft-based "mini-classes".
Community
Critique Groups
Enroll by January 17th and get $20 off!
Use coupon code MAKERSPRO20 at checkout.
Makers Pro
Membership 2021
- Or enroll annually for $600
- LIVE Workshops (6 live courses/term)
-
Signature Course Library
(10 courses + replays + course materials) - 8 NEW Mini-classes + LIVE Reviews with Instructors
- Mini-Class Library (21 classes + resources)
- Access to Storyteller Academy Community Network
- 6 "Ask Me Anything" Sessions with Agents and Editors
- Peer Critique Group Placement
for Term 1 Mentored Critique Groups
Push your storytelling to the next level with a Term 1 Mentored Critique Group, facilitated by one of our award-winning instructors.
Mentored Critique Group
- 3 two-hour critique group sessions in Term 1 2021
- Select from 6 different instructors Subject to availability. Enrollment is on a first come first serve basis.
- Limit of 5 students per critique group
- AVAILABLE ONLY AFTER PURCHASE OF MAKERS PRO
ONCE YOU HAVE ENROLLED IN MAKERS PRO, FOLLOW THE LINK ON YOUR CONFIRMATION PAGE TO PURCHASE A MENTORED CRITIQUE GROUP.
for $20 off!
Makers Pro
Membership 2021
- Or enroll annually for $600
- LIVE Workshops (6 live courses/term)
-
Signature Course Library
(10 courses + replays + course materials) - 8 NEW Mini-classes + LIVE Reviews with Instructors
- Mini-Class Library (21 classes + resources)
- Access to Storyteller Academy Community Network
- 6 "Ask Me Anything" Sessions with Agents and Editors
- Peer Critique Group Placement
Use coupon code MAKERSPRO20 at checkout.
for Term 1 Mentored Critique Groups
Push your storytelling to the next level with a Term 1 Mentored Critique Group, facilitated by one of our award-winning instructors.
Mentored Critique Group
- 3 two-hour critique group sessions in Term 1 2021
- Select from 6 different instructors Subject to availability. Enrollment is on a first come first serve basis.
- Limit of 5 students per critique group
- AVAILABLE ONLY AFTER PURCHASE OF MAKERS PRO
ONCE YOU HAVE ENROLLED IN MAKERS PRO, FOLLOW THE LINK ON YOUR CONFIRMATION PAGE TO PURCHASE A MENTORED CRITIQUE GROUP.
the chapter book series, "Layla and the Bots"
Diversity Fellow
2021 Workshop Schedule
Term 1
January 23 - March 27, 2020
LIVE workshop schedule
Making Picture Book Dummies
Arree Chung
Writing Picture Book Manuscripts
Jim Averbeck
Submission Ready
Melissa Manlove & Ariel Richardson
Character Design
Vanessa Brantley Newton
Illustration 1
Julie Downing & Isabella Kung
Makers Pro Business Series
Arree Chung
Drawing 1
Arree Chung & Alex Leon
Term 2
May 8 - July 10, 2020
LIVE workshop schedule
Drawing 2
Alex Leon
Writing Picture Book Manuscripts
Jim Averbeck
Middle Grade Fantasy
Sage Blackwood
Picture Book Wordsmith
Carter Higgins
Makers Pro Business Series
Arree Chung
Crafting Picture Book Stories
Arree Chung
Term 3
August 21 - October 23, 2020
LIVE workshop schedule
Graphic Novels
Ken Lamug
Writing Picture Book Manuscripts
Jim Averbeck
Making Picture Book Dummies
Arree Chung
Drawing 1
Alex Leon
Picture Book Wordsmith
Carter Higgins
Illustration 2
Julie Downing & Isabella Kung
Picture Book Production Design
Arree Chung
Character Design
Vanessa Brantley Newton
Term 1
January 23 - March 27, 2020
LIVE workshop schedule
Making Picture Book Dummies
Arree Chung
Drawing 1
Arree Chung & Alex Leon
Writing Picture Book Manuscripts
Jim Averbeck
Submission Ready
Melissa Manlove & Ariel Richardson
Character Design
Vanessa Brantley Newton
Illustration 1
Julie Downing & Isabella Kung
Makers Pro Business Series
Arree Chung
Term 2
May 8 - July 10, 2020
LIVE workshop schedule
Crafting Picture Book Stories
Arree Chung
Drawing 2
Alex Leon
Writing Picture Book Manuscripts
Jim Averbeck
Middle Grade Fantasy
Sage Blackwood
Picture Book Wordsmith
Carter Higgins
Makers Pro Business Series
Arree Chung
Term 3
August 21 - October 23, 2020
LIVE workshop schedule
Graphic Novels
Ken Lamug
Character Design
Vanessa Brantley Newton
Writing Picture Book Manuscripts
Jim Averbeck
Making Picture Book Dummies
Arree Chung
Drawing 1
Alex Leon
Picture Book Wordsmith
Carter Higgins
Illustration 2
Julie Downing & Isabella Kung
Picture Book Production Design
Arree Chung
Our Award-Winning Instructors
How It Works
Step 1: Join the community.
Log in to our active community to connect with published and pre-published authors and illustrators while staying up-to-date on everything going on in the kidlit universe!
Step 2: Select your courses.
Use our tracks designed for authors and author/illustrators to guide your course selection. Then check out out term schedule to see which courses you will take live, and which you will study on your own between terms.
Step 3: Write, learn, and grow!
Each term we offer LIVE workshops for our signature courses. Follow the course action items and work alongside fellow storytellers.
Each live workshop will feature a couple of lucky participants to have their stories or artwork reviewed by the instructor, and everyone will get their questions answered!
All workshops are recorded, and the replay is always available.
Between terms, select any signature course or mini-class to self-study!
Step 4: Connect & Critique
You may request to be placed in a free peer critique group based on your level of experience and writing and/or illustration interests. This is optional. Meet regularly online to critique each others' work and grow as storytellers! Connect with other Storyteller Academy people in person at conferences!
Frequently Asked Questions
Makers Pro is the best option for those of you dedicated to continually improving your writing and/or illustrating skills as you pursue publication.
Our courses are designed to be completed over a 9-week period if you’re allocating an hour or two a day to the course materials. You can complete the courses over 7 days if you are consuming the content full time.
Our mini-class are designed to be completed over a 2-day period.
All of Storyteller Academy’s training occurs online. To access courses, you will need a personal computer or tablet. We hold LIVE workshops on Zoom. We recommend having a computer with a camera and microphone for an optimal experience in workshops.
Each year we release a few new signature courses and 6-8 new mini-classes.
Our signature courses dive deep into the craft of writing and illustrating.
Each course contains pre-recorded lessons, handouts, and action items designed to improve your craft one module at a time.
All of our signature courses are available for self-study year-round for Makers Pro members.
Our mini-classes are bite-sized skill-based courses designed to focus on a specific element of writing, illustrating, or business.
Ranging from 20 minutes to 120 minutes, depending on the topic, mini-classes are pre-recorded and available on demand for all Makers Pro members.
LIVE Workshops are only available with a Makers Pro membership. Each term we select several of our signature courses and invite students to receive real-time feedback and Q&A time with the instructors.
Additionally, we have one live workshop at the end of each new mini-class.
You get all 10 signature courses and 21 mini-classes.
You'll also receive access to all NEW courses and mini-classes as they are released throughout the year.
Makers Pro members can submit their work for review during live workshops, but there is no guarantee that work will be chosen. If you would like more support, you can purchase more direct feedback through a mentored critique group or one-on-one coaching.
You can cancel anytime. And there's a 30 day money back guarantee, so you can try it risk free. You can sign up monthly or for the full year.
Signature Courses:
Crafting Picture Book Stories
Writing Picture Book Manuscripts
Making Picture Book Dummies
Picture Book Wordsmith
Character Design
Drawing 1
Drawing 2
Find and Build Your Audience
Submission Ready
Picture Book Production Design
Mini-Classes
Adobe Illustrator
Build an Author Business
Building an Author Website
Crafting a Strong Beginning
Creative Focus and Habits
Find My Art Style
How to Query Agents
Photoshop Basics
Picture Book Story Frameworks
Storytelling in Rhyme
Symbolism & Storytelling
Textures in Your Illustrations
Watercolors
Writing Humor
Writing Natural Rhyme
Writing Voice
Best Creative Year Ever
Creating Characters
Nonfiction Picture Books
Making Comics
Crafting and Presenting a Winning Portfolio