THE FORGE
WHAT IS THE FORGE?
A short introduction to the founding beta opportunity for authors willing to test Author Fight Club in real conditions.
WELCOME TO AUTHOR FIGHT CLUB.
Thanks for taking an interest in Author Fight Club. I’m Gerard, and I’m really glad you stopped by, sincerely.
AFC is more than a writing platform. It’s community-driven, was built by an author for authors, and brings together the tools and support you need to move your work forward, all under one roof.
The Forge is the founding beta testing group I’m seeking to help shape what AFC becomes.
Forge membership costs nothing except genuine participation. It is invitation-only, there are only a handful of places, and if this feels like your kind of fight, I want to hear from you.
I called it The Forge because that’s exactly what I want to do with the people who join me here: forge real change in self-publishing.
If you already believe in the vision and becoming a founding member feels like something you genuinely want to be part of, fill in the expression of interest below. I read every single one.
If you want more context first, it’s all here. Dig as deep as you like. And if anything still isn’t clear, use the public chat. Ask me anything. Nothing is off limits.
There are literally only a handful of places, so if you have genuine strong interest, don't leave it too long.
I'M INTERESTED. HERE'S WHO I AM.
Your details are used only to process this EOI. They are not shared, sold, or added to any mailing list without your explicit consent.
HAND UP ACKNOWLEDGED.
Sincerely, thanks for taking an interest. I've received your expression form. Let me read it personally over the coming days and I'll be in touch directly — no autoresponders, no form letters, just me.
I'm really looking forward to chatting soon 👊.
Publishing my first novel should have felt like the culmination of a life-long dream. Instead, the entire experience became increasingly bitter over time. It was unrelenting. The admin, promotion, subscriptions, passwords and disconnected tools nearly finished me.
So instead of giving up, I did something about it. I fought back. I built myself one simple console to keep the mess in one place. At least that was the plan. That console grew into Author Fight Club.
AFC is now much bigger than the problem I started with but in a very good way. It combines writing, planning, coaching, promotion, ideas, prompts, time tracking, A.I. assitance and world-class community tools all inside one platform.
I have carried the entire build myself, but now I need other people inside it before I unleash it on the world. It needs fresh eyes, untarnished points of view, different perspectives. I need people who will use it properly, find the weak spots, and tell me the truth.
The core Fight Engine already contains many working tools, before you even consider the wider community platform around it.
- 01A full manuscript writing engine. Write and manage books chapter by chapter, track things like point of view, hook and tension, build characters, generate front matter, use optional coaching, and keep formatting under control with automated industry formatting compliance baked in.
- 02A social media post builder. Build editable posts for major social platforms with templates, AI help, and text and image tools. Work that used to take hours can be reduced to minutes.
- 03A project management engine. Keep manuscripts, tasks and related work connected to the same project instead of scattered across different apps.
- 04A creative ideas engine. Capture stray thoughts and route them to the right project automatically through a context-aware, heuristic creative pipeline
- 05A prompt engine. Store, edit, refine, organise and reuse AI prompts without rebuilding them from scratch every time.
- 06A scratch pad. Catch quick notes and distractions before they pull you out of the work you were trying to finish.
- 07A Fight Profile and avatar engine. Give the public-facing, promotional side of author life its own identity, so the writer underneath it has a clearer boundary around the creative work.
- 08Session and task timers. See where your time actually went, how much of it was productive, and how much was spent on creative work versus administration.
- 09An emotional-state tracker. Compare how you were feeling with what you actually produced, so patterns in your best and worst working conditions become visible.
Author Fight Club has one big job: reduce the friction around being an independent author by putting more of the work in one coherent, streamlined place.
Regression Pricing Theory has a different job: test whether subscription pricing can move down as participation grows instead of quietly climbing forever.
Forge members help pressure-test both ideas through active participation in what we’re building. You do not need to believe either claim in advance. I would rather you come in curious, candid and willing to challenge what does not hold up in practice.
I do not need multiple versions of the same person. I need different kinds of writers and specialists who can expose different weaknesses in the platform.
Forge is a working beta testing group, not a VIP badge. Here is what I am actually asking from you.
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01You are a beta testerUse the real platform. Find bugs, rough edges and confusing moments. Tell me what happened clearly and without softening it.
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02You show up when you realistically canI want genuine participation, not timesheets. Life happens. If you need to step back for a while, tell me. The important thing is communication and trust.
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03Your voice helps shape the platformOn major feature decisions for the AFC platform, Forge members have a real say. We value thoughtful disagreement over polite applause.
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04You keep unreleased AFC work privateDuring Forge testing, you may see unreleased AFC tools, features, designs, development work and internal ideas before the public does. I trust you'll keep that IP inside Forge.
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05You get a real accountIf your application is successful and you're invited into the Forge, you'll get your own account. This is not a fake demo environment. Push it hard, and tell me where it fails.
If you give the Forge your time and your judgement, this is what I commit to giving back.
- Free platform access from day one — Permanent free access, not just during beta.
- Your name inside AFC — Permanent credit for your contributions to the platform.
- A real say in major decisions — Your input helps shape outcomes; it is valued, not just decorative.
- A direct line to me — We converse person to person, not through a ticket queue.
- Founding status — You were here before Vanguard and before public launch. That stays on the record.
- A genuine founding community — I can't manufacture chemistry, but I can build the conditions for trust, contribution and belonging.
I know it's possible this isn't the right fight for you. But before you close the door, think about whether you know somebody who would be an unusually good fit here. If you do, please send them this page first. If they're interested, you can recommend them through the same expression-of-interest form, or encourage them to apply directly. Either way works. I'll contact them personally.
Be sure to tell them I'm keeping this founding Forge community small and growing it slowly on purpose. I'd rather find the right people than fill seats quickly.
ASK ME ANYTHING.
Checking whether Gerard is here…