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The Shoot System™
The Writers Co-Op

The Shoot Academy

Where stories grow — and so do the people who shape them.

The Shoot Academy is the Phase 2 learning layer of The Shoot System™ — a self-paced, community-powered place for writers, editors, proofreaders, designers, and formatters to grow their craft on real projects, not hypotheticals. Our target window for launch is 2027–2028.

Tell Me When It’s Ready How the Co-Op Works

If The Shoot System™ is about sharing the work, the Academy is about sharpening the skills — so everyone in the co-op can do their best work with confidence.

Phase 2: a guided environment for learning editing, proofing, design, and publishing craft.
Phase 2 vision

What is The Shoot Academy?

The Academy is a self-directed learning space woven into the co-op. It’s where writers and creative freelancers can take structured courses, practice on real manuscripts, and earn recognition — all within the same ecosystem where books are being written, edited, and prepared for publication.

For Writers

Learn how to give and receive better feedback, understand editing levels, and make publishing decisions with more clarity and less guesswork.

For Creative Freelancers

Build or sharpen skills in proofing, editing, formatting, and book design — with guardrails, mentorship, and real projects to practice on.

For the Co-Op

The Academy grows the talent pool, supports the 80/20 skilled labor ratio, and helps keep the quality of work high for every member.

Self-paced Community-powered Learn by doing Integrated with the co-op
What you'll be able to learn

Proofing 101. Design 202. And beyond.

Our goal is to offer a growing library of courses that help both writers and contributors grow in the exact skills that make books better — from catching typos to building full interiors.

Editing & Proofing Track

  • Proofing 101: Catching errors before they hit print.
  • Line Editing 202: Clarity, rhythm, and voice on the sentence level.
  • Developmental 301: Big-picture feedback on story, structure, and character arcs.

Ideal for: aspiring editors, detail-minded writers, and anyone who wants to understand how strong manuscripts are shaped.

Design & Production Track

  • Formatting 102: Clean, readable manuscripts in Word/Docs.
  • Design 202: Typography, white space, and interior layout basics.
  • Production 302: Print-ready files, EPUBs, and platform requirements.

Ideal for: designers, formatters, and visually inclined writers who want to understand what happens after the words are written.

Phase 2 note: Course names and structures are in development. As a member of the Academy interest list, you’ll have a chance to influence which courses launch first and how they’re structured.
How it fits into the system

Learning, credits, and real work — all connected.

The Academy isn’t a separate universe. It’s designed to plug directly into how The Shoot System™ already works: shared labor, credits, and mutual support.

Earn & learn

  • Members will be able to redeem co-op credits for select courses and workshops.
  • Skilled members will be able to earn credits by teaching workshops or grading certification projects.
  • Course completion may count toward eligibility for the Mentorship & Training Track (MTT).

Guardrails & ownership

  • Learners practice on anonymized manuscript samples and structured exercises.
  • Authors keep ownership of their stories; contributors keep ownership of their craft and portfolio pieces.
  • Quality standards and review processes help keep the bar high for everyone involved.

Want to hear when the Academy is ready?

If you’re curious about the learning side of The Shoot System™ — as a writer, an aspiring editor, a designer, or someone who might want to teach — you can add your name below. This list is just for Academy-related updates.

This is separate from the main co-op waitlist. You’ll only receive updates specifically about The Shoot Academy and opportunities to help shape it.
What Academy interest members can expect:
  • Occasional behind-the-scenes updates as course outlines are developed.
  • Early invitations to help beta-test self-paced modules.
  • Opportunities to apply as a future mentor, grader, or workshop host.

If you’ve ever wanted a guided place to refine your skills — proofreading, line editing, layout, or design — The Shoot Academy is being built with you in mind.

Join the Founding Waitlist

The Academy is Phase 2. Phase 1 is the co-op itself — The Shoot System™. Add your name below if you’d like to be notified when we open our doors to Founding Members of the co-op.

Use the form below to join the early-access waitlist. If it doesn’t load, you can open the form in a new tab .

What Founding Members receive:
  • A voice in the final shape of the co-op.
  • Early access to the first membership cohort.
  • Priority for early manuscript slots.
  • Founding Member recognition inside the community.

The Academy will help people grow skills. The co-op will give those skills a home. If you want to be there at the beginning, this list is for you.