CURRICULUM
Explore the 2027 GPDP curriculum by module, from professional authority and sales positioning through manuscript process, business systems, and certification-level project work. Components are listed in alphabetical, not chronological, order.
8 components
The elements necessary to establish and maintain authority, the skills and mindset necessary to incorporate those elements into students' life and livelihood, and a brief introduction to Ghostwriting Psych. Teaches the first step in viewing ghostwriting as a profession rather than a sideline.
The differences between focused interviewing to produce script-conforming books and open interviewing to produce richer, broader works. Teaches the value and disadvantages of both approaches and their best individual uses.
Defining a title's success, the three title intents, and the three creation processes. Includes the four publishing models and five publisher options in terms of upfront costs, control, speed, revenue, pre-press, production, distribution, marketing/advertising, and promotion. Teaches the difference between industry and consumer resources, publishing and ghostwriting myths and truths, and the realities of the $156 B global book industry.
Introduces the mental, emotional, psychopolitical, and active-business mindset progression necessary for long-term success. Teaches how to elevate the ghostwriter's perspective, self-regard, and attitude from work-for-hire employee to elite, specialized expert and book-industry insider.
A metacognitive strategy for realigning perspective, enhancing insight, and boosting communication efficacy. Teaches self-assessment, mindset transition, and psychopolitical persuasion.
The key, proprietary, metacognitive architecture used throughout all ghostwriting phases. Identifies the "gold" in projects, problems, and people within a flexible four-facet schema in module 1. Isolates project strengths in module 2. Supports ghosting, rewriting, and musically line editing manuscript, query letter, book-proposal, and bestseller-strategy-plan drafts in modules 3 and 4. Teaches deconstructing, assessment, and deep thinking to cultivate insight and support perception, deep thinking, and reflection.
The complexity, scope, challenges, limitations, rules, and ethical code of professional ghostwriting. Teaches what a ghostwriter can add, delete, and change in an author's manuscript and what must remain sacrosanct.
The inherent personal characteristics, such as love of problem solving, love of learning, and willingness to change, plus the learnable capacities, such as the abilities to extrapolate insights and abide being wrong, that successful ghostwriters share. Teaches the non-craft human elements that can advance or disrupt a career.
8 components
A structured conversation model that establishes authority, sets boundaries, and initiates the professional relationship on your terms. Teaches political positioning, Ghostwriting Psych leverage, and solopreneurship versus freelancer realities and mindset.
The advanced sales-funnel deliverable that befriends, informs, educates, impresses, and encourages the author by appending a PrismThink(TM) Analysis to a Blueprint. Teaches how to leverage Ghostwriting Psych, Ponderings Technique, and business/solopreneurship savvy.
Visual deconstruction tools that reveal the core points, or bones, of a manuscript through nonfiction/memoir charting and fiction mapping. Teaches reading for purpose versus pleasure, the relevance of repetition, and plot-point versus character action.
The flagship diagnostic deliverable that identifies a manuscript's strengths, weaknesses, one-line pitch, BISAC spread or clump, improvement opportunities, and developmental guidelines. Teaches industry versus author perceptions, professional versus freelance techniques, and Ghostwriting Psych finesse.
Fill-in-the-blanks formal agreement that ensures fairness, clarity, and enforceable boundaries for both ghostwriter and author. Provides vetted boilerplate language for scope of responsibilities, rights, confidential information, indemnification, guarantees, governance, arbitration, termination, and force majeure clauses.
A one-line, paragraph-level method for articulating a book's value concisely, comprehensively, and compellingly. Teaches how to leverage PrismThink(TM) and market discoveries into an industry-credible format that reveals author credentials, industry-purchase category, and the book description including nonfiction purpose and spin, narrative/memoir purpose and resonance, and fiction premise, plot, climax, denouement, and resolution.
A repeatable method for defining a book's industry and market position. Teaches statistical audience research, BISAC Subject Headings, Amazon sales categories, Thema international classifications, and high-traffic keywords.
Flexible, fill-in-the-blank sales-funnel bids that make it easy for clients to say yes. Teaches the rationale behind statement of purpose, intention, ghostwriting process, schedule, budget, and terms.
8 components
Barebones the ghostwriter's fiction perspective, responsibilities, and limitations, and highlights common traps. Teaches the differences between writing and ghostwriting fiction, the three typical fiction clients, and the two unbreakable rules for all novels.
The ABCs of structuring to template, single-concept chapter versus manuscript thesis, chronology, intros and outros, and narration, dialogue, examples, and illustrations. Teaches chapter construction, sensibility disconnects, and how to maintain Slinky(R) flow.
Recognize the differences between plot points and character action to create a plausible, dynamic plot outline by jumping back and forth between the beginning and the end of a fifteen-point plot-point map. Teaches the barebones technique for correcting stalled, saggy-middle, and other architectural mishaps.
Explores reflection as the author's intellectual/emotional responses to people, incidents, or circumstances; inspiration as encouraging the reader's self-reflection; motivation as empowering the reader to take personal action; and takeaway as practical advice for taking that action. Teaches reader resonance as both individual threads and their progressive effect.
Reviews movel versus novel differences, why authors write them, and industry and reader resistance to them. Teaches the psychopolitical technique for overcoming author resistance to converting visual-literary mashups into viable novels.
Ghostwriter-author-MLE specialist collaborative review to flesh out thin passages, brighten flat prose, clarify colloquial metaphors, correct chronology, reduce or eliminate editorial, maintain template power, and ensure purpose, energy, and a pleasing rhythm. Teaches how to deliver an industry-compliant second draft.
Introduces the differences between fiction structure and architecture. Explores protagonist and antagonist expectations, secondary and device characters, extrapolating perspective, motive, and agenda from character action to remedy plot implausibilities. Teaches psychopolitical foundations and techniques for ensuring plot-character integration.
The ghostwriter technique for maintaining word and phrase choices, language flavor, color, and tier; writing habits; and personal vernacular. Includes the myth of voice in script-oriented work and the author's intent and perspective tells. Teaches how to isolate style, tone, and personality through word and phrase choices.
9 components
A book's initial three-to-five-month title-specific marketing plan. Teaches Self-Publisher Stat Sheets, promotion and interview focus, title-specific competitive one-liners, affiliate and sponsorship possibilities, high-volume organization buyers, cooperative marketing avenues, and off- and online promotion possibilities.
Seven-section tool used by literary agents and traditional publishers to assess a nonfiction book's literary and marketplace value and viability. Teaches how to utilize PrismThink(TM), Positioning Formula, and Bestseller Strategy data, find appropriate competitive titles, focus author bios, and provide concise yet comprehensive chapter summaries.
The solopreneur's ghostwriting primary and secondary services and products, prices, payment terms, and negotiating points. Teaches professional positioning based on psychopolitical realities, including BATNA and ZOPA negotiating concepts.
The solopreneur's marketing platform based on their self-assessed strengths, weaknesses, interests, and prejudices. Teaches professional positioning, ideal client, unacceptable client, preferred sales territory, core message versus the competition, key marketing strategy, and utilizing current circle of influence and affiliates.
The culminating project that demonstrates full curriculum fluency, elevates confidence, and launches the ghostwriter's career. Mentors the student through their initial project from first contact to delivered marketable literary property.
The author's initial outreach to a literary agent or no-agent publisher. Teaches how to craft three-paragraph, personalized missives with the sole purpose of soliciting the reader's desire to know more.
The material benefit an investor gains from their financial investment. Teaches what constitutes recoupable expenses versus sunk costs.
A fill-in-the-blank tool for self-publishing authors. Teaches back-office registrations, pricing and discount schedules, and promotional-flyer data.
The summary or condensation of a nonfiction book's content, a novel's plot, or a memoir's storyline. Teaches how to convert a novel's plot-point map or outline into a compelling one-pager.
