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Meet Our Faculty

Our world-class team includes award-winning authors, professional editors, and literary agents. That means you are learning from true professionals who are publishing books, keeping their fingers on the pulse of market trends, and teaching from experience, not theory.

Co-Founder & CEO

BRETT HARRIS

Bestselling author of Do Hard Things and Start Here.

Co-Founder & President

Kara swanson

Christy award-winning author of Dust and Shadow.

WRITING faculty

These are the professional editors and authors who give our students individual feedback on their writing on a weekly basis.

Fiction Department Director

KATIE PHILLIPS

Professional editor and author branding coach.

Head Fiction Instructor

LAUREN HILDEBRAND

Associate editor with Havok Publishing & fantasy author.

Head Fiction Editor

Jennifer Lindsay

Professional editor and writing coach.

Fiction Instructor

KATIE WILLIAMS

Professional editor and
speaker.

Fiction Instructor

JOANNE BISCHOF Dewitt

Christy and Carol award-winning author.

Fiction Instructor

Haylie Hanson

YA author, education specialist, & disability advocate.

Fiction Instructor

amy williams

Professional editor and science-fiction author.

Fiction Instructor

Amanda dykes

Christy award-winning author of Whose Waves These Are

Fiction Instructor

Kimberley Woodhouse

CBA bestselling & multi-award-winning author of 45+ books.

Editor

Mollie reeder

Filmmaker and author of The Electrical Menagerie.

Editor

Claire Banschbach

Professional editor and author of 10+ fantasy novels.

Editor

Margaret mcgriff

Digital content strategist & fantasy adventure author.

BUSINESS faculty

These are the successful entrepreneurs who coach our students to develop and launch their own profitable businesses.

Head Business Coach

BRIAN o'REAR

Founder of a multi-million dollar home inspector franchise

Business Coach

Becky Kopitzke

Nonfiction author and 6-figure digital marketing coach

Business Coach

Jon Parks

Digital marketing agency founder & Fortune 100 consultant

Business Coach

Jason Kempson

Consultant and business development director

Business Coach

Chad Kopitzke

Public speaker and founder of a talent management firm

Business Coach

Audrey Wilkerson

Entrepreneur with almost 20 years of experience

Business Coach

David naus

Serial entrepreneur and owner of a construction company

Business Coach

Tara lee felix

Certified conversion copywriter and business owner

Visiting Experts

In addition to our regular instructors, we also bring special guests in occasionally to speak to our students. Here are some of our past and present visiting experts.

Visiting Expert

Andrew Peterson

Author of Adorning the Dark and The Wingfeather Saga.

Visiting Expert

Marissa Meyer

#1 NYT bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles.

Visiting Expert

Allen Arnold

Founding publisher of Thomas Nelson Fiction

Visiting Expert

MARY WEBER

Award-winning author of the Storm Siren trilogy.

Visiting Expert

Arnée Flores

Critically acclaimed author of The Firebird Song.

Visiting Expert

CJ REDWINE

NYT-bestselling author of the Defiance trilogy.

Visiting Expert

NOVA MCBEE

Award-winning author of the Calculated series.

Visiting Expert

Steve laube

Literary agent and head of Enclave Publishing.

Visiting Expert

EDWINA PERKINS

Managing Editor of Harambee Press.

Visiting Expert

S.D. Smith

Bestselling author of the Green Ember series.

Visiting Expert

Christopher paolini

NYT-bestselling author of The Inheritance Cycle.

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