ChapterBuzz - Where serious writers become published authors

Write & publish a novel in 365 days

Starts on July 1st, 2023!

Sign up free! • What awaits you... • Plans • Results • FAQ

During the 365-Day Indie Author Challenge, you will ...

WRITE A NOVEL

Learn how to write an excellent novel, edit it, and self-publish it on Amazon! You'll get one short lesson a day—for all 365 days.

BUILD A FOLLOWING

Start attracting readers today! Here, you can share your writing and build your following. We'll keep your new followers up to date on your progress.

PUBLISH YOUR BOOK

Congrats! Your novel is now available on Amazon for readers to buy, in paperback and Kindle.

Simply the best way to write a novel.

You may have started writing a novel before, only to find that your story just wasn't coming together. Or maybe you lost motivation. Perhaps life just got in the way, as it tends to do.

Forget all that, starting today. Onwards and upwards!

This time, let's start out with the tools you need to succeed.

Over the next 365 days, you'll learn a lot, build a following, and write and publish an excellent book.

Whether you're writing your first book or your tenth, the work you do this coming year is a small investment in a bright future.

Join us for the 365-Day Indie Author Challenge, and we'll help you see it through to the end!

Welcome to the adventure of a lifetime.

The chapters you write, the people you meet, the book you publish ...

... will make this ...

A year to remember.

Here's what awaits you:

Writing Mini-Quests

Stay active, stay inspired, and earn credits for your hard work!

We'll Mini-Quests for you to complete to keep you moving forward as you write your novel.

First chapter evaluation

Does your first chapter grab the reader's attention? Does it set the stage for your story? Are you on the right track?

I'll personally read over your first chapter, then privately give you feedback on what's working ... and what you could do to make it even better.

Build your readership

Building your author platform is so important.

ChapterBuzz offers plenty of chances to attract followers. That way, when your book is published, you already have a base of loyal readers who can help you start moving up the Amazon charts.

A self-paced novel-writing course

This course in story structure* is an eight-week, self-paced way to learn the fundamentals of writing a terrific story.

Each lesson arrives in your e-mail inbox for you to complete.

Connect in our private writer forum

You'll get exclusive access to our private writer forum, where we'll be having discussions, asking questions, and learning from each other.

Think you could benefit from talking with others who are on your same journey? This approach has helped many of our writers achieve their goals over the years.

We're here to cheer you on

When you're part of a friendly group of motivated writers like this, you're more likely to stick with it.

Stop by each day and chat. We'll cheer each other on, talk over ideas, and celebrate our successes.

Lasting bonds

Perhaps best of all, some of the professional connections you make with other writers could even turn into personal friendships that last a lifetime.

It seems to happens a lot here ...

Your book, published on Amazon

Congratulations, you're a published indie author!

Our Challenge Mastery Plans include huge discounts on our publishing packages.

You'll get a gorgeous book cover designed by a professional graphic designer. Your text will be formatted and published as a Kindle e-book.

You don't need to know how to do any of this, because I handle the details and technical stuff. All I need is your creative input and final approval.

*Available with certain paid Challenge Mastery Plans. This course is offered by a third party. In the event that it's no longer available, it will be substituted with 150 ChapterBucks.

It's free to sign up.

Want to learn the ins and outs of writing a terrific novel?

Connect with your fellow writers to discuss, learn, and share?

Move into the world of indie publishing with confidence ... and plenty of guidance along the way?

This is the Challenge for you!

Want to take it to the next level?

That's what our Challenge Mastery Plans are for:

How can our Challenge Mastery Plans help you?

Plan 3
Master

Plan 2
Expert

Plan 1
Apprentice

Free Plan
Free

Step-by-step guidance
A new novel-writing lesson every day

Mini-Quests
Earn publishing credits by achieving mini-goals and milestones

Daily e-mail messages
Learn, stay motivated, and stay on track

Daily

—

Discussion group
Exclusive access to our private writer forum

Story structure course
Self-paced learning to make your story even better (See course description)

Included
(a $27 value!)

—

Challenge Hangout
All-year access to the Challenge Hangout, a hidden area of the website just for us. Get inspired, learn, and meet other writers!

Full access

Partial access

Build author platform
Use ChapterBuzz to attract followers and build readership

First chapter eval
Tighten up that first chapter with personalized feedback^†

Included!^†

Save $30!^†

Save $20!^†

$59^†

Bonus rewards
Multiply your rewards! Earn more publishing credits for completing Mini-Quests

—

Publishing discount
You'll be a published author with one of our gorgeous indie publishing packages

Save big!

Save $100
on our
Kindle Novelist package

or ...

Save $250
on our
Paperback Author package

or ...

Save $300
on our
Deluxe Indie Author package

Save big!

Save $75
on our
Kindle Novelist package

or ...

Save $150
on our
Paperback Author package

or ...

Save $200
on our
Deluxe Indie Author package

Save big!

Save $50
on our
Kindle Novelist package

or ...

Save $100
on our
Paperback Author package

or ...

Save $150
on our
Deluxe Indie Author package

—

Master
~~$129~~
$96
(for the year)

Expert
~~$99~~
$74
(for the year)

Apprentice
~~$79~~
$59
(for the year)

Free

FREE!

^†Prices for first chapter critiques apply to my own service only. Other service providers who offer critiques through the ChapterBuzz Service Directory work on a freelance basis and set their own prices.

Ready to do this? Expect results.

At ChapterBuzz, we've hosted many different writing challenges over the years. Here's what our writers have to say about them:

“

The Challenge pushed me to write more than I ever have before—every day—which in itself has given me so much pleasure. I have made a start on my very first novel, which is something I'd always thought only other people did! The sense of pride and personal achievement is immense. I have made some new friends who share my enthusiasm and excitement in the process.

I am convinced that this month will absolutely stand out as one of the high points of this year for me.”

—Liberty Henwick, winner, Fan Favorite Award

“

This ... Challenge is the most rewarding thing that I have ever been a part of—the pivotal moment my novel needed. I enjoyed the feedback, and reading how much others were enjoying what I was writing. If you haven't joined us yet, you should really consider it!”

—Tiffany S. Doran, award-winning author of Desires of the Heart

“

I don't think I've ever wanted to work so hard for something before. I'd written for hours on the last night of the Challenge trying to hit that 10,000 word mark, and I am so happy that I managed to get through and finish.”

—Bexx Matthews, winner, Most Buzz Award

“

I thought to myself that if I committed to this Challenge, I'd force myself to finish my book. I was so nervous just looking at the blank document. Then the first line came to me, and I was off!

As I wrote, I could see scenes in my head and I typed them up. I was really doing it! I was writing! Sometimes it would be challenging to keep up the word count, and some days I couldn't write at all. But in the end, I finished the Challenge—mentally exhausted, but so very happy. It was the first complete story I had finished.”

—Cynthia A. Jensen, author of Starrbodies

“

These are the first words I've written on the book I've wanted to write since 2007. Thanks so much for getting me to actually begin. ChapterBuzz is the best!”

—Arline Chase, author of Spirit of Earth

“

This Challenge was a huge boost for my writing and my ego. It was refreshing to receive so much feedback on my work-in-progress that I can't stop now. Thank you for creating this amazing opportunity.”

—Dacia M Arnold, two-time winner of the Most Buzz Award

Frequently Asked Questions

Is any genre allowed?

Just about! Most of our writers are working on fiction novels, but not all. For a little more detail about genres, please see Is any genre allowed? in our general FAQ.

Do I have to post my writing publicly?

You do not have to post your material publicly in order to complete the Challenge, but you would be missing out on half the fun! Feedback from readers and other writers can be especially useful and informative at this stage.

Is the 365-Day Indie Author Challenge free?

Yes! You can complete all 365 days of the Challenge for free.

However, our Apprentice, Expert, and Master Plans include many more benefits to help you write an excellent novel. Have a look at our Challenge Mastery Plans to see which one is right for you.

Not sure which Plan to choose? Sign up now and you can upgrade later.

Do I have to choose a Plan now, or can I upgrade later?

If you're not sure which Challenge Mastery Plan you want, or you want to try out the Challenge first, sign up now and you can upgrade after the Challenge starts.