Ages 8+ · One Saturday workshop + a live signing · 10 seats per class
Your child becomes a published author.
The Spark Author Program guides young writers through every real step of making a book — writing it, publishing it, and selling their first signed copy at a live bookshop event they'll remember for life.
The Promise
One day that ends with a spark
that lasts a lifetime.
Three simple stages take your child from a blank page to a signed book with their name on the cover.
They Write
In one guided Saturday, your child drafts a real ~1,000-word story through games, timed sprints, and hands-on coaching from a working author — learning the craft without ever feeling like they're in class.
We Publish
Every story is professionally edited, designed, and printed through Epistolary — a traditional publisher founded by David Viergutz. The class anthology is listed for real sale, and every dollar goes back to the young authors.
The World Reads
On day two, at a local bookstore, your child reads their story aloud to family and friends, hears from the class sponsors, signs copies, and makes their very first sale as a published author.
The Experience
From an idea to a book in hand.
A guided journey with real milestones — not a one-off class, but the full arc of becoming an author.
The Field Kit
A welcome packet arrives in the mail with everything a new author needs to start dreaming up their story — notebook, prompts, and tools — so they walk into workshop day already excited and ready.
The Workshop
Timed writing sprints set to music, storytelling games that teach real structure, a guest-author appearance, professional author photos, and a vote on the cover at The Cover Council. By the end of the day, the draft is done.
The Editor's Desk
A few weeks later, each young author is contacted personally to walk through the edits on their story — seeing how a real editor works a manuscript, with every change explained and every choice still theirs.
The Author Signing
Day two is the celebration, held at a local bookstore. When the printed anthology arrives, the class reunites and each author reads their story aloud to family and friends, hears from the sponsors who made it possible, signs copies, and sells their own book — every dollar shared among the students.
The Graduate Class
Publishing one book is just the start. Every graduate joins a lifetime membership with access to the Spark Author Foundation scholarship — which can cover the cost of publishing their next book — and a community for families nurturing a young writer's career.
A Day in the Life
What a workshop Saturday looks like.
A morning built around momentum, breaks, and breakthroughs — every minute designed to carry a child from blank page to finished story.
Arrival
Name tags, snacks, and settling in with Field Kit ideas.
Story Sprint #1
Timed writing with music — first draft on the page.
Snack Break
Refuel and share what's unfolding.
Author Photos & Bio
Professional headshots and writing the author bio.
Story Sprint #2
Push toward the finish line with word goals.
The Cover Council
The class votes on the anthology title and cover art.
Lunch
A break to connect — plus a guest appearance from a working author.
Story Structure
Interactive games to learn the bones of a good story.
Blurb Writing
Craft the back-cover blurb that sells the story.
Read-Aloud & Certificates
Each author reads their finished story and receives their Certificate of Authorship.
Wrap-Up
Final photos, a celebratory close, and pickup.
The Book
A real published book.
A real published author.
Your child plans it, writes it, helps publish it, and sells it — credited by name, with the rights to their story forever.
- A real paperback with their name on the cover
- Credited as a published author — forever
- Professionally printed and listed for sale online
- Sold by the author at their own signing event
- They learn to present their story, read it aloud, and make their first sale
Years from now, their name will still be on the cover of a book they wrote themselves.
A Note for Parents
More than uploading a file to Amazon.
Anyone can pay to print a manuscript. This is expert instruction through the entire craft and publishing process — ending in something no one can take from your child: the feeling of holding their finished book, signing it, and selling it.
Expert instruction
Led by a bestselling, MFA-credentialed author and publishing leader. Kids learn the real fundamentals — character, conflict, voice, revision — scaled for young minds.
They write every word
No ghostwriting. No AI filler. Each story is the author's own — guided, drafted, and peer-reviewed, then lightly edited for print without changing their voice.
The full publishing process
From manuscript to ISBN to cover design to distribution, your child walks through every stage a professional author navigates — and understands how a book really gets made.
A real class, a real team
Small groups of young writers critique each other's work, cheer each other on, and walk into the signing as a team — building genuine friendships through shared creative risk.
Safe, by design
Workshops are held in public venues — a library, bookstore, or studio — never a private space. At least three adults are present at all times, and every presenter is background-checked.
Confidence that compounds
Kids leave knowing they can begin something hard, finish it, and stand behind it in public — a foundation that carries into school, work, and life.
A Note From the Founder
I built this for the kid I used to be.
Nearly 25 years ago, I lost my spark to write. For a long stretch I told myself I was the kind of person who used to write, and made my peace with that.
Then my wife sat me down one night and told me to stop talking about writing books and start writing them. I remembered the kid who'd been told that publishing a book was impossible — and that fueled me to write one, then another, then twenty more.
Now I run a publishing company, and I still remember that kid who lost his spark because someone told him a child couldn't make a living from writing. I built the Spark Author Program so no child loses their spark. The world needs more storytellers. I hope yours loves it.
David ViergutzFounder, Author Academy
Pricing
One day. A lifetime achievement.
One simple tuition covers the entire program — workshop, anthology, and signing.
The full Spark Author Program — workshop day, published anthology, and live signing.
- Their name on the cover of a published anthology — forever
- A private bookshop signing with their first real book sale
- Expert story instruction from a published, MFA-credentialed author
- A professional editorial pass that makes their story print-ready
- A professional author photo and certificate of achievement
- Three official paperback copies to keep, gift, or share
- The pre-workshop Field Kit, mailed home
- Rights to their story, forever — and a lifetime Graduate Class membership
No payment due to reserve · We don't offer refunds, but we're glad to reschedule into a later class.
The Founding Classes
Be among the first names on the spine.
Three founding classes — ten seats each. Reserve a seat and your child walks out a published author, with their name in the very first volumes of Voices of Tomorrow.
Class I
Founding class · 10 seats only- Workshop Day
- Saturday, July 25, 2026
- Signing Day
- Saturday, August 22, 2026
- Location
- Central Texas
Class II
Founding class · 10 seats only- Workshop Day
- Saturday, August 29, 2026
- Signing Day
- Saturday, September 26, 2026
- Location
- Central Texas
Class III
Founding class · 10 seats only- Workshop Day
- Saturday, September 26, 2026
- Signing Day
- Saturday, October 24, 2026
- Location
- Central Texas
Sponsorship & Partnership
Put your name on a published book.
The program runs on sponsorship. Family tuition covers only each child's own books and materials — sponsors make everything else possible, and walk away with something no banner ad can buy: a permanent place inside a real published book, and the story of ten kids who became authors because of them.
A book with your name in it — forever
Your brand is printed inside a real, professionally published anthology that families keep, gift, and shelve for life. Permanent, personal, and impossible to scroll past.
Named authors, not anonymous stats
Your impact has photos, bios, and names — real children who became published authors because of you. Every child receives individual author credit.
A photographable event
A live bookshop signing your team can attend and celebrate — real, usable moments for your marketing, social media, and press.
Turnkey CSR — done for you
A board-ready impact report with stats, photos, quotes, and the book itself — drop it straight into annual reports and board decks with zero extra work.
20% comes back as advertising
For every cash tier, 20% of your sponsorship is reinvested into paid local ads featuring your brand as a Spark sponsor. Your gift grows your name, too.
Category exclusivity
At Platinum and above, no competitor in your industry can sponsor at any level — your brand owns the category for the full term.
"When someone asks what your company did for its community this year, you won't show them a receipt. You'll hand them a book."
Sponsorship Tiers
Choose your level of impact.
Five cash tiers, each building on the last. One sponsor per industry at Platinum and above — exclusivity is enforced.
Founding
- Your name on the program for a full year (~10 classes, 100+ authors)
- A cohort named after you — the [Your Brand] Voices Class
- Every Platinum benefit, amplified — plus a keynote at signings
- Permanent place in the program's origin story
- 10 anthology copies per class + full photo package
- 10% funds the Spark Author Foundation scholarship
Platinum
- Sole "Presented By" credit on the cover & all materials
- Full inside-cover page in the published book
- Industry exclusivity + speaking role & photo op
- 15 anthology copies + professional photo package
- Turnkey full CSR report + press-release naming
- Right of first refusal + advisory council seat
Gold
- Full-page recognition in the anthology
- Attend the signing + group photo with the cohort
- 15 anthology copies
- CSR impact summary + social co-tagging
- Advisory council seat + right of first refusal
Silver
- Half-page sponsor recognition in the anthology
- Signing invitation + photo op
- 7 anthology copies
- CSR impact summary + social co-tagging
Bronze
- Sponsor page listing in the anthology
- Logo on event signage & materials
- Signing invitation
- 4 anthology copies + CSR impact summary
The advertising promise
Every cash tier returns 20% of your sponsorship as paid local advertising featuring your company as a Spark sponsor. Your community investment also grows your brand.
The work is done for you
Stats, professional photos, real quotes, and the published book — packaged into a one-page report ready for your board, investors, or press. It's why sponsors renew.
The Spark Author Foundation
10% of every Founding Sponsorship funds a scholarship that covers production costs when a graduate publishes their next book — so your investment keeps giving long after the class ends.
Scholarship Sponsor — $500
Up to five per cohort. Cover one child's full participation — their family gets the complete experience plus extra books, and your name appears on all print collateral. The simplest way to make a specific child an author.
Sponsor a childIn-Kind & Community Partners
Lend what you have. In-kind partners get category exclusivity and recognition in the anthology, on event signage, and across our channels.
Coffee & Drinks
Beverages at the workshop and/or signing.
Feed the Class
Branded lunch for ~30 on workshop day.
Signing Caterer
A reception for 60–150 signing guests.
Host a Venue
A space for the workshop or the signing.
Photography
Shoot the day; families keep the gallery.
Design / Field Kit
Cover art, or the mailed welcome kit.
How It Works
Becoming a sponsor takes four steps.
Choose your tier
Pick the level — or the class, classes, or full year — that fits your goals.
We confirm it
A simple one-page agreement outlines exactly what you provide and receive.
Your brand goes to work
We place you in the anthology and at the signing, and keep you updated throughout the class.
You get your impact package
After the signing: your anthology copies, professional photos, and a turnkey impact report.
A note on taxes: The Spark Author Program is a for-profit program, so sponsorships are generally treated as a deductible marketing and advertising business expense — not a charitable donation. The 10% directed to the Spark Author Foundation scholarship is considered a charitable contribution. Please consult your tax advisor about your specific situation.
Questions or a custom partnership? Talk to CJ Sleeth, our Sponsorship Coordinator — sponsor@authoracademy.com · 956-617-0114
Questions, Answered
The things parents ask first.
Will my child really be published?
Yes — a real, finished book: professionally edited, typeset, printed with a professional cover, and listed for sale online, with your child credited by name and their photo and bio inside. What sets this apart is that it's an experience, not a pay-to-publish service. Your child isn't paying to print a manuscript — they're learning the craft and walking through every real step an author takes, from revision to a live signing where they make their first sale. Every dollar of book sales goes to the young authors themselves.
Who runs the program?
David Viergutz — bestselling author, disabled U.S. Army veteran, author of 30+ published works, and an MFA-credentialed creative-writing instructor. He leads every class personally, alongside his publishing team at Epistolary.
What ages is this for?
Designed for children ages 8 to 17. The curriculum meets each writer where they are — young enough that publishing still feels magical, old enough to draft a real story.
What if my child has never written a story?
Most haven't. The mailed Field Kit and in-workshop prompts are built for first-time authors, and every child finishes a roughly 1,000-word story by the end of the day.
Is my child safe at the workshop?
Always. Workshops are held in a public venue — a library, bookstore, or studio — never a private space. At least three adults are present at all times, and every presenter is background-checked.
What will they write — is it age-appropriate?
Kids write in whatever genre excites them — adventure, fantasy, mystery, humor. Every story is guided to be age-appropriate, with instruction focused on the craft of storytelling: character, conflict, and voice.
How long is the program, and when does the book arrive?
One workshop Saturday (about 5 hours, lunch included), followed roughly four weeks later by a 90-minute author signing at a local bookshop once the printed anthology arrives.
What does it cost, and what's your refund policy?
Junior Author tuition is a one-time $99 fee covering the workshop, the published anthology, and the signing. We don't offer refunds, but if something comes up we're glad to reschedule your child into a later class.
Where and when are the classes?
We host in the Central Texas area. The three founding classes meet on Saturday, July 25 (Class I), Saturday, August 29 (Class II), and Saturday, September 26, 2026 (Class III) — ten seats each. Reserve a seat and we'll confirm the exact venue with you.
Can siblings attend together?
Absolutely. Reach out and we'll coordinate seats in the same class.
Who edits my child's story?
A working professional editor reviews every story after the workshop and makes a light pass — spelling, grammar, and clarity — keeping each child's voice and words intact. It's their story, polished, not rewritten.
Three Classes · Thirty Seats · One Season
Hold your child's place.
No payment due now — this just holds the seat. We'll only email you about your child's class.
Reserve a seat
Founding classes are limited to ten authors each.