I’ve written eight published cricket books and am now working on my ninth. I started a few weeks ago, and I’m inviting you (yes, you!) to watch it all unfold, shadowing me throughout the entire process like some kind of literary Nazgûl.
The idea is that over the next four months or so, a small group of people will get to watch my entire process, from where I am now (a few chapters in, figuring out what this thing actually is) 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 eight times before actually does it. 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
First up: a summary of where I am right now - what I’ve written so far, what’s working, what I’m uncertain about, and where I think this is heading.
Then: weekly written updates on progress - what I wrote that week, what decisions I made, what’s clicking and what isn’t. You’ll see 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.
At ten, each person can submit one (1) piece of writing (any time during the four (4) 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 January through April 2025 – the time it takes to get from ‘a few rough chapters’ 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(ish) to finish(ish).
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 Christmas gift to someone who keeps saying they want to write but never starts. (Alternatively, maybe you want it as a Christmas gift, and just need to forward it to somebody who might give it to you.)
The total cost is $100 (Australian). Could I use the ol’ marketing trick and make it $99 and bamboozle you all into buying it because that’s only double figures? Maybe. But in honour of Joe Root, I’m going for the hundred. 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. Honestly, I’d be thrilled with eight to ten people who are genuinely keen. On the other hand, maybe nobody’s interested. Or maybe it’ll just be you! (Spoiler: it won’t be. I’ve already offered this to my email subscribers and got a handful of people on board. But wouldn’t it have been exciting to have been you by your lonesome?) Let’s see. But I can guarantee it’ll be no more than fifteen.
Enrolment closes at the end of the Ashes, or when we hit fifteen, whichever comes first. The book continues in January whether you’re watching or not, but I think it might be more interesting with company.
Questions? Feel free to ask in the comments. Otherwise, I’ll see some of you in the writing room.