Good news (for me)! I’ve just signed a two-book deal with Allen & Unwin and am about to start work on my next cricket book. Which means, once again, I’m inviting you to watch it all unfold, shadowing me throughout the entire process like some kind of literary Nazgûl.
The idea is the same as last time. Over the next six months, a small group of people will get to watch my entire process, from where I am now (literally just an agreed-upon title) through to submission draft. All the false starts, the jokes that currently suck, the structural decisions, the bits that are somehow miraculously good straight off the bat and the bits that refuse to be good no matter how much I threaten them.
This isn’t a course. There are no assignments. It’s just… access. You get to see how someone who’s done this multiple times goes about doing it again. How I pace myself. How I plan the structure of the book. How a rough half-idea becomes a completed piece. How I know when something’s working. What gets cut and why. The entire process.
What You Get
Weekly written updates on progress - what I wrote that week, what decisions I made, what’s clicking and what isn’t. You’ll see me take this title idea and flesh it out into something I can make work, and then get sneak peeks at draft chapters as they develop, complete with all the messy first-draft awkwardness. And there’ll be a private discussion space where you can ask any questions about the process you might have. Hell, suggest some better jokes if you like. I’m not above stealing your ideas.
Stretch goals:
If we hit six people, there will be monthly Q&A Zoom calls. UPDATE: This goal has been achieved!
At ten, each person can submit one (1) piece of writing (any time during the six (6) months) for written feedback from me (Dan Liebke).
And if we get fifteen? Heck, I’ll acknowledge you all in the book.
The Timeline
This runs from the beginning of May through to the end of October 2026 - submission date. Six months in which I’ll go from a title to ‘here’s a manuscript I can submit to a publisher.’ After that, some of you might want to stick around for the editing phase, or we might pivot this into an ongoing writing community. But for now, it’s finite: one book, start to submission.
Why Would You Want This?
Maybe you’re an aspiring cricket/comedy writer who has no idea how to actually go about writing a full book. Maybe you just think it’d be interesting to watch. Or maybe you want to give it as a gift to someone who keeps saying they want to write but never starts. (Alternatively, maybe you want it as a gift, and just need to forward it to somebody who might give it to you.)
Here’s what Mitchell from the first group had to say about it: ‘Fantastic behind the scenes look at what it takes to write a sports book. Myself, who likes cricket books and the writing process has found this very enjoyable and Dan always goes out of his way with updates and return comments.’
The total cost is $100 (Australian). You can purchase it directly through my online store. I’ll even provide a fancy PDF for you to print out as a gift certificate if you need it.
About The Numbers
I’m capping this at fifteen people because I need to keep it manageable. After all, I’m supposed to be writing a book. I had a handful of people last time and that worked well - I’d be happy with a similar group.
As an email subscriber, you’re seeing this before I announce it on my social media platforms. I’ll plug it over there in the next day or so, unless we hit fifteen before then.
Enrolment closes at the end of April, or when we hit fifteen, whichever comes first. I’ll start providing updates on Monday, 4th May and then every Monday after that.
Questions? Feel free to ask by replying to this email. Otherwise, I’ll see some of you in the writing room.