The Academic Writer's Collective
12-Month Personal Success Programme for Academics Who Want to Get Published and Make Strides in their Career (In a Matter of Months, NOT Years)
You're waiting for the perfect time to focus on your writing, and yet your peers are getting published and promoted. The difference? Getting access to personal coaching and feedback on your writing practice so you can make the career progress you want.
Your writing isn't the problem–Your Approach is...
📌 “Once this admin role ends, I’ll get back to my writing.”
📌 “When summer comes, I’ll finally focus on my research.”
📌 “As soon as I finish this urgent task, I’ll have time to write.”
You sit down to write… but nothing happens. You plan to work on your paper… but something more urgent always gets in the way.
Every month you delay, you risk:
❌ Watching your colleagues publish while your pipeline dries up
❌ Falling behind in your field and missing out on career opportunities
❌ Feeling guilty every time you “should” be writing—but aren’t
❌ Letting self-doubt creep in, making writing feel even harder
🔹 You know publishing is key to your career… but you just can’t make it happen consistently.
Sound familiar? You're not alone.
I'm Dr Melanie Smith,
your academic writing coach
But the reality? The perfect time never comes. The demands on your time don’t go away. The urgent work doesn’t stop. And the longer your writing sits on the back burner, the more your confidence erodes.
The Solution? A writing system that works no matter how busy you are.
Introducing the Academic Writer's Collective – the only program that gives you the structure, strategy, and accountability to write with efficiency, confidence, and consistency—without the burnout.
Your ideas deserve to be published. Your career deserves momentum. And you deserve to write with confidence and ease.
Inside The Academic Writer's Collective you'll follow my S.C.R.I.B.E. Framework alongside live support and 1-1 feedback to develop a productive and sustainable writing practice
STEP 1: Stable Foundation
Habit Formation
Develop and solidify a rock solid writing habit with the Academic Accelerator. You can't write a book if you are not writing regularly. This foundational training tackles your emotional barriers and give you the 6 tools for successful writing.
STEP 2: Choose your work
Plan the pipeline
Strategise your writing success for career success in 2 steps: planning your publication pipeline for the next 12 months, and then visualising execution with certainty, and predictability amongst uncertain schedules.
STEP 3- Refine practices
Re-thinking practice
Increase the quantity of outputs through a suite a productivity training to suit everyone. Whether it is the skills based prewriting productivity or the conceptual slow productivity approach, these trainings offer alternative ways of 'doing' academia without burnout.
STEP 4 - Ideation
Overcome blocks
Nail your ideation for the swiftest and best quality writing outcomes using my ideation framework training and visualising the completion of each paper or book to a deadline
STEP 5 - Build technique
Better drafting
Increase your confidence, speed and ease of execution with a collection of courses that enables you to draft expertly with purpose using Academic Coach's 5 Drafts to Finish Framework, and a suite of writing templates
STEP 6 - Elevate quality
Quality matters
Elevate the quality of your work with my 6 Stage Editing Framework and a series of writing tutorials and templates.
This 6 Step S.C.R.I.B.E. Training Programme contains the EXACT tools, strategies and processes that I, and hundreds of my clients, have successfully implemented to master their writing craft, sustain motivation and have a productive, value led academic career.
I got my writing done in my 40 hour week, and you can too.
THE S.C.R.I.B.E. Framework
The S.C.R.I.B.E. Framework
In 2 minutes I will talk you through my proven S.C.R.I.B.E. Framework for a productive writing practice without burnout
Every day you wait to invest in your writing is another day lost.
🚀 Start now, and in 12 months, you’ll have a clear publication pipeline, unstoppable writing momentum, and the confidence to take your career to the next level.
Join The Academic Writer’s Collective and take control of your writing success.
Let's get to know each other better...
💫 An EU Law scholar, published author of multiple peer-reviewed papers, chapters, books, and edited collections.
💫 Consultant to the European Parliament bringing research to policy makers
💫Tenured Associate Professor position at Cardiff University for over 13 years, and led writing courses for faculty.
💫 18+ years of experience and 6 years in the coaching world, I've helped thousands of academic clients to foster a better relationship with their writing, maximizing productivity while minimizing time investment.
💫I established Academic Coach to provide the skills, mentorship, and coaching I wish I had, utilizing cutting-edge research in writing productivity, neuroscience, and behavioral psychology.
💫I work with individuals, organisations and Universities across different disciplines, from High Arts to Hard Sciences, training and coaching academics across the world inside and outside institutions.
Live coaching & 1-1 feedback
will support you to get your writing done
will support you to get your writing done
🎯 1:1 feedback from me on key aspects of your writing practice
🎯 Monthly live coaching calls for strategy, mindset, and accountability
🎯 Access to 20+ courses and resources designed to sharpen your writing skills following the S.C.R.I.B.E. framework
🎯 6 free live co-writing sessions each month to boost consistency
Real life client results 🥂: see what's possible for you
From overwhelmed & stuck to confident and consistent
😞 Before working with me
Emma, a mid-career researcher, felt overwhelmed by the constant pressure to publish. Her writing was sporadic—intense bursts of productivity followed by long stretches of avoidance. She struggled with self-doubt, second-guessing every paragraph, and constantly felt like she was falling behind.
💡 What we did
Using my SCRIBE FRAMEWORK, Emma learned to build a consistent, sustainable writing habit. She used structured co-writing sessions to make steady progress, improved her mindset and writing technique, applied planning techniques to balance writing with other responsibilities, and developed strategies to overcome perfectionism.
🎯 Result
Emma reclaimed control over her writing, established a regular rhythm, and submitted two journal articles within six months. Most importantly, she now enjoys the writing process and no longer feels like she’s fighting against time
From inconsistent production to a solid publication pipeline
😞 Before working with me
James, an early-career academic, had ambitious research ideas but struggled to turn them into finished publications. He would start multiple projects but rarely bring them to completion, leaving him feeling stuck and frustrated..
💡 What we did
Through targeted training and monthly coaching calls, James learned how to prioritize and manage his projects effectively. We worked on sharpening his research contributions, structuring his writing time, and setting realistic deadlines. The co-writing sessions kept him accountable, and feedback on drafts helped him refine his work efficiently.
🎯 Result
James built a strong, sustainable publication pipeline, completing two journal articles and securing a book contract within a year. He now approaches writing with clarity and direction, knowing exactly how to move his ideas forward.
From guilt and burnout, to balanced and productive
😞 Before working with me
Ellen,a senior lecturer, found herself constantly writing in the evenings and on weekends, sacrificing personal time just to keep up. She felt guilty when she wasn’t writing and resentful when she was, stuck in a cycle of burnout and frustration.
💡 What we did
🎯 Result
Ellen no longer writes at night or on weekends. She maintains a steady output during her working hours, has more energy for her research, and feels confident in her ability to meet deadlines—without sacrificing her well-being.
Enrol now and you will receive these 2 bonus modules
for a limited time
BONUS 1 🎁
How to get Unstuck
Overcome your blockages so you can take the right steps to move forward with speed. This diagnostic training moves you from being stuck on your book, to writing routinely with practical steps you can implement no matter the root cause of why you stopped writing.
BONUS 2 🎁
Writing Sprint Club
Live co-writing with me for maximum productivity and accountability with FREE MEMBERSHIP (worth €1200) of The Writing Sprint Club, my signature co-writing space at Academic Coach. You will write alongside me, get coaching and cheerleading to complete your manuscript.
If you’re ready to finally prioritise and follow through on your writing projects for maximum publication success, this is your personal invitation to join us inside The Academic Writer’s Collective.
Here's everything you get inside worth €11,040.00
🌟The Writing Accelerator Programme (value €650)
🌟 Making, Prioritising and Implementing a Publication Pipeline(value €650)
🌟 The ultimate Planning guide with Bonus Review (value €450)
🌟 Note Taking For Productive Writing: Faster more efficient production (value €350)
🌟Slow Productivity: Obsess over Quality (value €250)
🌟 Managing your mind: Tackle Procrastination (value €250)
🌟 5 Drafts to Finish: Academic Coach's Drafting Guide (value €279)
🌟Personal 1-1 review of your starting point (value €259)
🌟 Writing in a Time Scarce Environment (value €350)
🌟 The Friction Audit: Productivity checker (value €289)
🌟 Save You Time Writing Templates (value €200)
🌟 How to Write the Literature Review (value €350)
🌟 The Editing Masterclass to Up-level your prose ( value €400)
🌟 Overcome roadblocks: ideation training (value €200)
🌟 Overcome roadblocks: ideation training for journal articles (value €150)
🌟 Grammar Cheatsheet (value €49)
🌟 Writing to Completion: Results and Impact (value €250)
🌟 Breaking things down (value €189)
🌟 Do Fewer Things: Slow Productivity (value €250)
🌟 How to Get Unstuck (value €350)
🌟 1-1 on 6 aspects of your writing practice & personal monthly checkins (worth €2225)
🌟 1 group coaching call every month for accountability and feedback (€1200)
🌟 Membership of the Writing Sprint Club - live co-writing with me 6 x 1 hour per month (€1200)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who is this the Collective for?
It is for junior, mid career and senior academics, researchers and postdocs looking to do writing differently. Whether you are new to academia, or have a long career behind you, we all reach a point where we know writing has to be done differently. This is the place for you!
When are the live sessions?
The 6 x month co-writing sessions are Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 4pm UK Time.
The live coaching calls are once per month on Mondays at 5pm. Those who cannot attend live can see the recording and send me any questions they want answered.
Does this program work for all disciplines?
Yes. I am an experienced academic and coach working across ALL disciplines, from Arts and Humanities to the soft and hard sciences. This program works for everyone.
How large is the group in group coaching call?
There will never be more than 12-15 in a group regardless of how many members enrol. There will be multiple groups to accommodate any larger numbers. You will not get lost in this group, and will get plenty of 1-1 feedback and a chance to use the group as hot seat coaching just for you if you wish.
