We are now national
Welcome to once upon a time... publishing
Become a Published Author and Have Your Book Go For Sale In a Real Bookstore
Once Upon a Time... Publishing is a national, award-winning, creative writing
and book publishing company for kids and teens grades 2nd-12th where kids are taught how to become published authors! Here at this program students are taught by a professional author how to write, illustrate, and publish professional books that then get sold for money in a bookstore.
All Books Get Sold At a real bookstore near where you live.
Every book goes for sale at a real bookstore near where you live.
You can also sell your book on your own after!
Author Lucas Astrachan purchased 30 copies at $10.00 a book and then sold them for $20.00 each to all of his grandpa's friends at their golf club. In the end, Lucas made close to $200.00 and used it to buy his own bike!
Free writng workshop
Every Saturday I host a free virtual writing workshop at 12:00 pm. Each student can attend once for free before deciding to commit to the program.
How Our Online Classes Work...
You will receive a syllabus at the beginning of the course explaining that we will have class once a week on Zoom chatroom to discuss everyone's stories. Each student will write their book on Google Docs so that I can have access to them, and I will edit and leave comments on every students story every other day. The course will be taught by a professional author along side other professional writers.
When the course is over each story is published into a professional book with a professional cover design like the ones featured below. You will receive a hard copy of your book to your door along with a set of directions on how to order more copies of the book for friends and family.
Normally after this step all of the books are put for sale in Green Apple Bookstore in San Francisco. Due to Shelter in Place this aspect of the program will be temporarily put on hold, and in the mean time we will have a virtual bookstore on our website where kids can view and purchase other students books.
Send an email, call or text and we will give you your first class for free.
EVERY BOOK also GETS SOLD AT a real BOOKSTORE
Class of Winter 2020
Located at Green Apple Bookstore on Clement and 6th street, San Francisco.
Our Published Authors
2019 Winner
Winner of the Ezra Jack Keats Book Making Competition
Violet Gluck's book, Sadness at it's Best, was entered into the Ezra Jack Keats Book Making competition and ended up winning first prize.
The 11 Week Program
The First Session!
This session is very fun and is intended for students to figure out what their story will be about.
Includes: story plotting, brainstorming worksheets, figuring out the ending or whether it will be TBC, and lots of laughs!
Students will also decide if they will write their story with a friend or by themselves!
Week 2 - 8 WRITING AND TYPING THE STORY
Now we start writing your stories with you. Each student will have experienced writers who will work one on one with them to ensure that their story stays on track and that they are on a good timeline to end their story the way they wish to.
Students will also have the chance at the end of each program to share their stories with each other.
Week 8 - 10 ILLUSTRATING BEGINS
By this point, each student's story is pretty much finished, or has ended a great cliffhanger. Now ILLUSTRATING comes in. Each students gets to work one on one with artists who will teach each student where your illustrations will go, and artists will also help students draw them!
Week 11 BECOMING A PUBLISHED AUTHOR
One the last session, each students illustrated story will be overlooked and after, it will be sent to our publisher to be turned into a real published book!
Once again, students have the chance to share their stories with each other.
The Promise of the Program
The promised goal of this writing program is for each student to have a finished, published book that a student can hold in their hands. Their book will have an ISBN code on it and will be placed into Green Apple Bookstore and La Promenade Cafe bookstore. Each student will be able to purchase their book from the cafe or have someone else purchase their book. The third copy of their book will arrive in a brown package from the publisher on your doorstep 2-3 weeks after the program is over.
This is when you officially become a published author!
What Comes Included?
Your own personal note book, pens, pencils, drawing materials, 3 published copies of their book, and SNACKS!
Laptops will be included, but we aren't sure how many, and students will have to share, so if you have a laptop PLEASE BRING IT!
Nicole Jenkins (middle, in the picture above) is the founder of Once Upon a Time... creative writing and comic book publishing school, and she is also the main teacher at the program. Besides founding Once Upon a Time... she also studied literature at the University of San Francisco. However, her love for writing doesn't end there; She is also the author of two young adult novels which you can view below.
HOW TO STEAL A HEART
Above is Nicole's first novel she wrote titled, How to Steal a Heart. It was published in February 2016, shortly before Nicole got the inspiration to create Once Upon a Time. The novel depicts what it would be like to be gay and transgender as a teenager, and it is intended for young adults.
THE INFINITY SCHOOL SERIES
Above is Nicole's second novel. It is the first book of her new children's book series for children, titled, The Infinity School and the eventful life of Charlie Moon. It depicts what it would be like to meet someone in your dreams before meeting them in real life. Nicole plans to give out a copy to each student once a final edit of it is released in Fall 2020.