deanwesleysmith.com

What It Is

Dean Wesley Smith’s website is the personal blog and course funnel for author Dean Wesley Smith. Its content focuses on fiction writing, independent publishing, Kickstarter crowdfunding, sales, licensing, and the development of a professional writing career. The main text indicates that standard WMG Workshops are registered through Teachable, while some special workshops and in-person classes are handled via the WMG Writer Store.

Core Courses and Format

The site clearly states that “all regular workshops are 6 weeks long and include 5 assignments,” which suggests that its online courses are not simply recorded videos, but follow a structured training rhythm. In addition, there are Kickstarter Mentorship and Sales Mentorship programs. The Kickstarter guidance emphasizes Dean taking students through two crowdfunding campaigns, including preparation, reaching the funding goal, and post-campaign fulfillment. The course topics are strongly geared toward practical issues faced by career fiction writers, such as productivity, discovery writing, cover copy, distribution channels, licensing opportunities, and writing process.

Pricing and Certificates

The captured text does not disclose specific pricing, payment methods, or whether completion certificates or credentials are offered. Mentorship spots are limited, and users need to email directly for more information. For learners who want to compare budgets quickly, the transparency is limited.

Strengths

The biggest advantage is the instructor’s background. The text states that Dean Wesley Smith is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, with more than 200 novels and hundreds of short stories, and that he has completed 60 successful Kickstarter campaigns. This kind of experience is especially valuable for independent publishing authors. His teaching emphasizes being “process-oriented” rather than focusing only on finished products, which can also help writers build a long-term production system.

Weaknesses

The information architecture is somewhat scattered: a personal blog, Teachable, the WMG Writer Store, and email contact all coexist, making course discovery relatively time-consuming. In addition, the content is clearly based on the English-language writing market and the U.S. independent publishing ecosystem, so Chinese writers would need to adapt the advice themselves for differences in platforms, crowdfunding, and rights environments. The author’s style is direct and strongly opinionated—for example, he is clearly opposed to AI writing—which may not suit learners who prefer a more neutral or tool-oriented approach.

Who It’s For and Access from China

This site is better suited to writers who already have English reading ability and are writing fiction or working in independent publishing, especially those who want to learn about Kickstarter, sales, and long-term professional career paths. If you are looking for a beginner-friendly Chinese writing course, a certificate-oriented program, or a platform with clear systematic pricing, this website may not be the right fit. Access from China cannot be determined from the available text and is therefore marked as unknown.