SEMINAR | Nailed It: Conceptualizing your Nonfiction Book
January 17, 2026 @ 2:00 pm – January 24, 2026 @ 5:00 pm EST
Clarify your book’s purpose, identify its core message, and develop an outline or structure for your book that aligns with your purpose.
Live on Zoom | Saturdays, January 17th & 24th, 2-5 pm Eastern
For Nonfiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Memoir writers
For over two decades, Melissa Petro has helped hundreds of writers nail down the concept for their nonfiction books. A strong concept is the critical first step in writing a book, yet so many writers either settle on a vague or underdeveloped idea—one that lacks a clear narrative thread or emotional/logical core—or skip this step altogether.
This 2-day seminar focuses on you getting this step right. The intensive will combine lectures, discussions, readings, and writing exercises. Together, we’ll clarify your book’s purpose, identify its core message, and develop an outline or structure for your book that aligns with your purpose, setting you up for the next stages of writing.
In this seminar, you’ll:
- EXPLORE the pros and cons of various publishing paths, including Big Five, indie, hybrid, and self-publishing.
- IDENTIFY your potential primary and secondary audiences and discuss other aspects of market, including premise and promise, style, voice, and thesis
- DISCOVER competitive titles and other ways to demonstrate how a new book fits within the existing market, helping agents, editors, and publishers understand its potential audience and sales viability.
- CREATE a chapter outline, ensuring your chapters are in an order with a strong narrative arc and/or concepts that flow from one to the other or tell some kind of story.
This course is ideal for nonfiction writers interested in writing a book, writers who are stalled at any stage in the writing process, and anyone curious about the book-writing process.
Closed captioning is available. ✔
Think you might miss part of the class? No worries, replays will be available 3 business days after each session. ✔
ABOUT YOUR Instructor
Melissa Petro is a freelance writer and the author of Shame on You: How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification, published by Putnam Books, a division of Penguin Random House. As a workshop facilitator, she’s helped hundreds of people push through fear, write, share, and even publish their most vulnerable stories in national publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, The Nation, Salon, The Washington Post, and elsewhere, and has helped still more individuals re-envision their lives by making meaning of their past and transcending traumatic experiences.
Student Testimonials
“Melissa Petro is an exceptional writing teacher. She masterfully balances support and challenge, pushing her students to refine their work while offering insightful and encouraging feedback. Her unique blend of honesty, kindness, and fresh perspective makes her an invaluable guide for any aspiring writer.” – Jennifer S.
“I’m lucky to have found such a terrific mentor in Melissa. Her honest, critical feedback has expanded my writing skills. She also shares her experience as a lifetime writer, synthesizes how the industry operates, and offers best practices for becoming a published author. I highly recommend any course Melissa offers.” – Shabana S.
“I always knew I wanted to be a writer but was too scared to commit to the work- working with Melissa not only held me accountable to finishing my memoir, but made me a better writer. Every time we connected I knew I would be met with honest critique that pushed me past my comfort zone which is exactly what I needed.” – Shannon O.
“Melissa Petro gave me the expertise and encouragement needed to finally publish my writing. She has helped me to shape ideas, pitches, and drafts into essays for HuffPost, Elle, and Business Insider. Her mentorship has been incredibly valuable to me as a writer and a woman who is turning her most shameful secrets into compelling articles. She’s just the best there is.” – Katie N.
“Melissa Petro is an engaged, knowledgeable and enthusiastic teacher. She provided practical guidance, while also giving us thoughtful personal feedback to each student. Highly recommend her class!”
THE FINE PRINT
We understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers.
Before the class, you may request a full refund.
Please keep in mind that no refunds or credits will be issued after class begins.
Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com
