Enrollment is temporarily closed with plans to re-open in January 2025.
If you want to learn how to self-publish...
OR
You've already self-published and want to grow among a community of other Catholic authors...
this is THE place for you!
Rooted in Catholic beliefs, we help you keep God at the center of your work and accelerate your publishing goals for all genres.
WE HELP AUTHORS AT ALL STAGES
Does any of the following sound like you?
1
You are feeling called to write or illustrate a book but don't know where to begin. Is there a market for this book? What is my unique angle?
2
You have a solid idea for a book and maybe even a first draft, but are feeling stuck. What steps do I take next? How do I get feedback and beta readers?
3
You are ready to finally turn your manuscript into a book. It's time to dust it off and get things moving. Is my manuscript ready? What types of editing do I need?
4
You are struggling to find the right editors, designers, and printers to complete your book. How do I make sure my vision is properly executed? How do I know I'm hiring the right people?
5
You are ready to publish but not sure which platforms you should use. Do I print it myself? Should I try Amazon? Start my own website?
6
You've already published but need marketing ideas and a plan to get more sales. How do I get more eyes on my book? Why can't I beat the algorithm?
WHY "FIAT"?
The word "fiat" describes the "YES" Mary gave when the Angel Gabriel announced God's request that she bear the Son of God. Her response, meaning "let it be done" showed her immense faith and trust in doing God's will. We invite you to deeply discern God's will. If you believe you are being called to tell your story, create a resource for the Church or publish any genre of book, we invite you to also say YES, and we are here to help!
HI, I'M KATE!
I started self-publishing after I converted to Catholicism. Like many authors, it began out of a need for a book I couldn't find. I had the perfect idea, but no clear path for creating it. I spent hours upon hours researching, making expensive mistakes, learning the ins and outs of the self-publishing industry and tailoring it to fit the Catholic market.
As owner of Thy Olive Tree, I continue to self-publish my own books, while running a Market which features the books of approximately 20 independent authors.
Learn more about me in this interview I did with Catholic Faith Network
To view the video with closed captions, click here.
CONSIDER ME YOUR GUIDE
My job is to make this as seamless as possible for you. There is so much information out there and it's easy to get sucked into hours of Internet searches without actually making any progress. Or worse... feeling even more confused.
The roadmap and membership community I've created are just what you need to get unstuck!
But I couldn't do any of this without the support of our instructors. Let's get to know them now...
MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS
Academy Instructors each bring with them advanced knowledge in specific areas related to self-publishing. Academy Members get special access to our Instructors through live Events, discounts and digital resources provided for you!
KATE SELL
Public Relations & Marketing
Kate Sell is the Founder and Managing Partner of Mission Advancement Partners. She is an organizational and communications strategist with more than 15 years of experience in business and nonprofit consulting. She is able to help authors better understand the Catholic landscape in the 21st Century, and guide them to effectively communicate to serve the needs of the modern Church.
Connect with Kate at missionadvancementpartners.com or on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.
STEPHANIE PETTERS
Crowdfunding
Stephanie Petters is the author of Fools for Heaven: A Rhyming Collection of Moments From Our Holy Friends. Her company, Of Wood and Word, seeks to inspire people through the intersection of faith and poetry. Stephanie successfully launched Fools for Heaven through Kickstarter and now, as a crowdfunding instructor, assists other authors to launch their own dreams.
Connect with Stephanie at ofwoodandword.com.
JAMES OLSEN
Law
James T. Olsen is a Catholic arts & entertainment attorney as well as partner at Seiler Law, PLLC. His mission is to help build and advance your mission. As a husband, and father of four, he witnesses the power of story on the imagination on a daily basis, and as a convert to Catholicism, his own imagination was first captured by the beauty of the Church. James is also a published photographer.
Connect with James at seilerlaw.com or on LinkedIn and Instagram.
DEACON HAROLD BURKE-SIVERS
Spiritual Advisor
Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers is an internationally renowned speaker, award-winning author, and preacher. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master of Theological Studies Degree from the University of Dallas. He has appeared as a guest on numerous international Catholic radio and television programs, and is the host or co-host of several popular series on the Eternal Word Television Network.
Connect with Deacon Harold at deaconharold.com or Christian Marketing Solution.
KATIE BOGNER
Religious Education
Katie Bogner is a Catholic School Teacher. For over a decade, she has run a religious education website where she shares free lesson plans, printables, and other resources for Catholic homes and classrooms. She also is the author of Catholic children's books including Through the Year with Jesus, Through the Year with Mary, All about Advent, All about Lent, and We Have a Pope.
Connect with Katie at looktohimandberadiant.com
and Instagram.
KATIE BROUSSARD
Book Illustration
Katie Broussard is the illustrator of award-winning children's books, including Audacious Ignatius, I'm a Saint in the Making, Sorin Starts a School, and The Examen Book. In addition to illustrating books, Katie teaches art, paints en plein air, and loves to encourage people of all ages in their creative pursuits.
Connect with Katie at katiebroussard.com and on Instagram.
GREG JOHNSON
Email & Amazon
Greg Johnson is a serial entrepreneur who is passionate about helping others achieve their goals. He has built six and seven figure businesses and helps others to do the same. Currently, he and his wife Erica run The Little Catholic Box, a subscription box for Catholic women, while raising 7 kids. Greg also serves as Head of Coaching inside Capitalism dot com, a mentoring company designed to help entrepreneurs build 7 and 8 figure businesses. In his free time, Greg offers 1 on 1 and group mentoring for online business owners, and runs an email marketing newsletter called Email Magic.
Connect with Greg at emailmagic.com.
JODY C. BENSON
Writing & Editing
Jody C. Benson is a freelance writer and editor. After earning her master’s degree, she taught writing as an adjunct instructor and served as a writing coach and tutor. Her love of writing led her to work for various traditional publishing companies where she's been the editor of over fifty nonfiction books. In 2021, she self-published a journal called Behold: A Reflection Journal Where Wonder, Creation, and Stewardship Meet.
Connect with Jody at jodycbenson.com.
JEANETTE FAST REDMOND
Writing & Editing
Jeanette Fast Redmond is a freelance editor, designer, and writer. During college and graduate school, she worked as an adjunct writing instructor and tutor. After graduation, she worked as an editor for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for 11 years and wrote the USCCB Style Guide as senior editor. In her full-time business, FastEditing LLC, Jeanette offers development editing, copyediting, proofreading, design/typesetting, and permissions editing for Catholic publishers and self-publishing nonfiction authors.
Connect with Jeanette at fastediting.biz.
CHRISTINE MARIE LACAYO
Multicultural Storytelling & Translation
Christine is a multilingual content writer helping mission-driven brands grow an engaged and diverse following using brand storytelling through a multicultural lens. She focuses her work on blogging, email marketing, and translations. Join her newsletter for more on content writing, multicultural marketing, and the intersections of living a life in faith while caring for our common home!
Connect with Christine at christinemarielacayo.com or through her newsletter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
HENRY KUTARNA
Business Coaching
Henry Kutarna is a long-time investor, CEO, mentor, coach, business owner and life-long Catholic. Also known as The Catholic CEO, Henry's mission is to help faithful Catholics build and operate businesses for the greater glory of God. Throughout the years, he has learned many secrets to successful business and is here to offer that wisdom for the sake of your business.
Connect with Henry at thecatholicceo.com or on Instagram and Facebook.
LISA CANNING
Business & Mindset Coaching
Lisa Canning is a mom of 10, and founder of Wealth Without Guilt, an Academy and Coaching experience for Catholic moms who want to build businesses from home. Author of the book The Possibility Mom: How to Pursue Your Dreams While Being a Great Mom at the Same Time, Lisa is passionate about helping authors see their book as a spring board for recurring revenue for years to come.
Connect with Lisa at lisacanning.ca or on Instagram.
BENITA THOMPSON
Book Cover Design
Benita Thompson has worked in book cover design and formatting since 2016, and is passionate about making professional yet affordable design accessible to indie authors. Besides collaborating with clients on commissioned projects, she also works to share principles and techniques of book design so authors can accomplish it on their own. Benita has self-published three books and loves Jane Austen, Dutch food, and thunderstorms.
Connect with Benita at kairosbookdesign.com or on Facebook and Instagram.
CHARBEL RAISH
International Distribution & Ministry Building
Charbel Raish is the founder of Parousia Media which, created in 2005, publishes and distributes books, study programs and events. Charbel has organized over 1000 face to face and virtual events consisting of local and international speakers who have featured all over Australia and the world.
Connect with Charbel at parousiamedia.com.
WE ARE AN ALLI PARTNER MEMBER
The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLI) vets and approves their Partner Members. Partner Members agree to a code of standards and are known to provide dedicated service to the self-publishing community. We are so thrilled to be included! (affiliate link below).
