The Book Hatchery

The Book Hatchery We help authors to understand the publishing process & we connect these authors in community so they can collaborate to accomplish their book goals.

We provide free membership, with a variety of free and paid workshops, courses, groups, and programs.

Great dialogue does more than fill a page—it reveals character, strengthens relationships, creates tension, and moves yo...
08/25/2026

Great dialogue does more than fill a page—it reveals character, strengthens relationships, creates tension, and moves your story forward.

Writing Good Dialogue: a workshop with Author Connie Mae Inglis

Thursday, August 27
7:00 - 8:00 pm
on Zoom
in The Book Hatchery

Comment DIALOGUE and I'll send you a live link.

As Summer School draws to a close, we're planning for Fall in The Book Hatchery.Will you help us understand what you're ...
08/23/2026

As Summer School draws to a close, we're planning for Fall in The Book Hatchery.

Will you help us understand what you're looking for in your writing and publishing life?

✍️Take our survey (2-3 minutes) and get a one-time discount code for $10 CAD off any course or program in The Book Hatchery. (Comment SURVEY to get the link.)

Meanwhile, we still have three Summer School courses still available:

🚗Zero to Book with Charity Mongrain | August 24 & 31, 6:30 - 8:00 pm Mountain Time | Go from idea to manuscript.

📸Flash Fiction | Marcia Lee Laycock | August 24-29, 10-11 am daily | Make every word count with short pieces of writing.

📖Publishing Accelerator | Colleen McCubbin | August 29, 11:30 am - 4:30 pm Mountain Time | Finalize your book concept, choose the right publishing path, and map your next steps.

08/06/2026

Marcia had a perspective shift about marketing last week.

Podcasting coach, Jen Rogers, visited Summer School for Authors and challenged Marcia to think differently about her writing: not as a tangle of diverse genres, but as all hers. "You are the brand," Jen told her. "I want to hear you say it: 'I am the brand.'"

Many years ago, someone at a conference gave Marcia advice to pick one genre and get known for that, but she couldn't turn off the tap to the wide variety of stories that continued to present themselves to her. Marcia followed her interests rather than following that advice and has built a beautifully eclectic body of work.

Now, in her 75th year, she's embracing the breadth and sharing herself in the writing. People can buy her work because they want to read her writing. Sure they might prefer one genre over another, but if they love one piece, there's a good chance they'll love another, even from a different category.

Marcia's 14th book, Flecks of Gold: Yukon Stories, is due out in September. Comment GOLD to learn more about it and pre-order a copy.

Follow Marcia Lee Laycock to learn more about her eclectic writing.

Comment FLASH to get a link for Marcia's course on writing short fiction.

Today in Summer School for Authors -- Substack and podcasting with JEN ROGERS 🎙 Podcast Brilliantly. 7 pm Mountain / 9 p...
07/30/2026

Today in Summer School for Authors -- Substack and podcasting with JEN ROGERS 🎙 Podcast Brilliantly. 7 pm Mountain / 9 pm Eastern.

Initially resistant to Substack (”Why do I need another platform?”), Jen dipped her toe, then dove in head first! She now describes herself as “goo-goo for Substack” and she wants you to be head-over-heels for it, too!

Comment SUMMER to join Summer School for Authors and get in on today's live session.

07/24/2026

"Writing is necessarily solitary, but writers don't have to be isolated. Most writers have to spend time alone writing. In summer school, in the Book Hatchery, we have co-writing sessions. And even though you're not talking to people, you're writing at the same time, and there's something about that presence of other people.

"Even people who can't come on Monday mornings to the co-writing sessions, to choose a time or two or however many throughout the week, and to know that other people this summer are doing the same thing over, and over, and over again, I think that's powerful."
Colleen McCubbin
Founder & Director of The Book Hatchery
Publisher, Siretona Creative

07/21/2026

You don't have everything right away. You have a piece, and then later when you find something, you add a piece. And I was thinking of that as we were talking about the body of work, and that sense of discomfort with it not being complete or it not being a book yet or it only being a set of poems in a notebook.

I think they all add over time to the body of work, and I think there's value in getting comfortable with being in that space of not having it something ... It's not worthless because it isn't complete. It's just the beginning of what you'll do.

So that's what I was thinking about when we were talking about "emerge" -- that all hit me. Because I think the body of work does emerge itself.

~ Ashley Mitchell
Siretona Author
Community Care Manager at The Book Hatchery
Ashley Mitchell Books

Curious?
Join us for conversations like this every week. Comment EMERGE and we'll send you a link.

Writing is solitary, but it doesn't have to be isolating.First episode dropped today -- a 2 minute invitation to travel ...
07/10/2026

Writing is solitary, but it doesn't have to be isolating.

First episode dropped today -- a 2 minute invitation to travel with us, companions on your publishing road.

Skip the search, comment RADIO and we'll send you the link.

I'm going live in Substack at 2:30 to talk about what authors learn, what they need, and what they celebrate. Check the ...
07/08/2026

I'm going live in Substack at 2:30 to talk about what authors learn, what they need, and what they celebrate.

Check the comments to join me.

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