While the Diamond Publishing System™ is very useful for fiction writers who want to self-publish, these writing and publishing courses focus predominantly on non-writers who want to share their life stories, knowledge, experiences, skill-sets, wisdom, etc. through non-fiction writing.

If your genre is fiction based, you will still find these courses and workshops useful (especially if you are building your author brand). However, I cannot give you specific guidance on writing for your fiction genre beyond the general basics of voice, dialogue, characterisation, etc.

The minimum number for each course or workshop is 4 people. This covers the cost of online meeting room hire, as well as my time for running the course and providing support in between each session.

The maximum number for each workshop or course is 10 people. This ensures that everyone benefits from the group mentoring process, and we build a positive and supportive environment for all.

Courses are run on a weekly basis, for 2 hours each week. The length of the course varies from 4 weeks to 8 weeks, depending on the stage of the Diamond Publishing System™ being covered.

Workshops are run either as a half day or full day workshop. This also depends on the topic and how much needs to be covered.

I truly believe everyone has an interesting story trapped inside of them, and that the best way to share it is through writing. This is why I developed the Diamond Publishing System™ which helps you discover and release your trapped stories.

I’ve worked with people from around the world get over their fear of writing. They’ve gone on to produce short memoirs, family histories, how-to business guides and inspiring life stories.

It basically comes down to economics. I ran in-person training and group mentoring offline for many years. The sessions were held at a venue in Christchurch, New Zealand. And while meeting in the “analogue” world does feel more personal and interactive, there were many downsides. Firstly, there was the venue hire. Finding space that was affordable and available was difficult. Next was getting enough people to enrol in the courses (it was a struggle). Lastly, keeping people committed to turning up each week was also a challenge. I get that life is busy, but if you enrol in a course or workshop, I do expect you to make attending each week a priority in your schedule. In the end I couldn’t make the numbers work (both sign-ups and financial) and so I made the tough decision to stop offering in-person events. 

On the other hand, online training is held in the digital/virtual training room environment (we currently use Zoom). This is delivered through KESWiN Academy, the online membership site which I founded in 2008. There are several options, from self-driven learning, to community coaching and networking, and from time-to-time, group mentoring courses and workshops similar to the runs I hold offline. AND each session is recorded, so if people can’t make the call, they can catch-up before the next session. (Again, it is important you turn up for small group events that run over several weeks, as building relationships with other attendees is a huge benefit for you). 

I designed the Diamond Publishing System™ to have 7 step-by-step progressive stages (this includes Stage I which you’ve already completed just by being you!).

You could skip earlier stages if you’ve more or less completed them. If you would like to do this, please complete the form below to let me know where you are at with your writing and publishing project.

They workshops are topic specific, so you don’t need to follow any set order. In other words, you can cherry pick what you need enrol in, when you need it (assuming it’s available).