howtowriteacademy.com

What It Is

How to Write Academy is an online writing school for fiction authors, with a particular focus on romance writing. The site says it involves multiple award-winning, bestselling, and professionally published authors. Its offerings include the main course, “How to Write Love,” mini-courses on self-publishing and story fundamentals, as well as manuscript assessments and one-hour Zoom consultations.

Core Course and Format

Its core product is a fourteen-week FOUNDATION COURSE, supported by easy-to-follow videos and practical workbooks. The FAQ further explains that the videos are not live sessions, but pre-recorded content released week by week, which students can watch on their own schedule while the course is open. Total access lasts 12 weeks from the course start date and continues until two weeks after the final module ends. The workbooks are downloadable, so they can be used long-term for current and future projects. The platform also offers a members-only Facebook group as optional support, but it is not a required part of the course.

Instructors and Professional Background

The teaching team is one of the stronger aspects of this program. Amy Andrews has 20 years of publishing experience and has provided manuscript assessments; Ally Blake has more than a decade of experience in one-on-one author coaching and in-depth manuscript evaluation; Pippa Roscoe was previously an editor at Harlequin Mills & Boon before becoming a published author herself, and has written more than 30 books. Overall, the course leans more toward industry practice than an academic-style creative writing program.

Pricing, Certificates, and Service Boundaries

The collected text does not disclose the course price, payment methods, or refund policy, nor does it mention any certificate of completion or formal accreditation. The FAQ clearly states that completing the course does not guarantee a publishing contract, which is relatively honest. Its value lies more in writing methods, manuscript development, and understanding the professional path, rather than in promising specific outcomes.

Pros, Cons, and Who It Is For

The strengths are its clear positioning and suitability for authors who want to write romance fiction, whether they are working on their first book or their tenth. The recorded format is friendly to students across time zones, and the workbooks have long-term reuse value. The drawbacks are the limited access period for the main course, the lack of transparent pricing, and the reliance on Facebook for community support. It is less suitable for learners who want a formal academic certificate, unlimited long-term replay access, or Chinese-language instruction.

Access from China and Alternatives

The site’s accessibility cannot be confirmed from the text alone, but Facebook groups are usually not directly accessible in mainland China, so the support component can be considered partly limited. Zoom may also be affected by local network conditions. Payment methods are not disclosed, so students in China should further confirm whether international credit cards or PayPal are supported. Possible alternatives include MasterClass, Reedsy Learning, Udemy, Coursera creative writing courses, as well as domestic writing bootcamps or fiction platform courses.