Custom LMS for Book Publishing Educators

AuthorPilot is a custom learning management system LNOKS built for two veteran book publishers who needed to turn time-intensive one-on-one consulting into a scalable online course product. The founders evaluated Teachable, Thinkific, and Kajabi, but none matched the student journey they had in mind. AuthorPilot was purpose-built around their curriculum instead: a structured lesson-by-lesson course viewer, homework upload with instructor review and approval, ConvertKit email automations driven by real student progress, ThriveCart subscriptions that grant and revoke access automatically, and Google, Apple, and email sign-in. Built over four months on React.js, Nest.js, PostgreSQL, and AWS, it launched as a recurring-revenue product that now feeds premium consulting engagements.

1. 01

   The clients were successful one-on-one consultants but could not scale their knowledge delivery beyond direct sessions. They needed a platform that would generate recurring subscription revenue, reduce time spent on repetitive teaching, and serve as a lead generation tool for premium consulting - but existing off-the-shelf LMS platforms did not match their vision.

2. 02

   The clients had no predefined feature list - they knew what they wanted the student experience to feel like but had not translated that into specific product requirements. Designing the course flow, homework submission and review workflow, and admin management experience required collaborative discovery with ongoing scope refinement.

3. 03

   Integrating with ConvertKit for email automation and ThriveCart for payment processing while building a custom course delivery engine that supported multimedia content, homework upload and download, instructor review workflows, and subscription management - all deployed on AWS for reliability.

• Admin panel for users and course management

  Single back-end where the founders create courses, enroll and manage students, sequence lessons, and assign instructors — without engineering involvement.

• Course viewing flow with structured curriculum

  Lesson-by-lesson player that walks each student through the founders' curriculum in order, gating progression on completed homework and instructor approval.

• Custom LMS web platform deployed on AWS

  React.js front end plus Nest.js and PostgreSQL back end on AWS — built around the founders' course flow rather than wrapping a generic LMS.

• Email automation with ConvertKit integration

  ConvertKit handles welcome series, lesson reminders, and re-engagement; the LMS streams student events into ConvertKit so automations stay tied to real progress.

• Google, Apple, and email authentication

  Three sign-in options to remove signup friction — Google and Apple OAuth for one-tap access, email and password for everyone else.

• Instructor review and feedback system

  Instructors review each homework submission inside the platform, leave structured written feedback, and approve or request revisions — replacing email back-and-forth.

• Materials upload and download for homework

  Students upload manuscripts, drafts, and worksheets per assignment; instructors download, mark up, and return work without leaving the LMS.

• Subscription management with ThriveCart integration

  ThriveCart handles checkout and recurring billing; the LMS reads subscription status in real time to grant or revoke course access without manual intervention.

• 2 integrations

  ConvertKit and ThriveCart connected for automated email sequences and seamless payment processing

• 100%

  Custom platform delivered that no off-the-shelf LMS could replicate - matching the exact student experience the founders envisioned

• New revenue

  Online course launched as scalable complement to consulting, generating subscription-based recurring income from day one

• Ongoing

  T&M engagement model allowed flexible scope management, with the platform evolving based on real student feedback after launch

1. 1
   Step 1 / 4

   Worked with the founders through iterative discovery sessions to translate their vision into product requirements. Since they had no predefined feature list, we used a T&M engagement model with limited weekly hours - allowing scope to evolve as the product took shape.

2. 4
   Step 2 / 4

   Launched the platform with the initial course content, monitored student engagement and feedback, and continued to iterate on features through the ongoing T&M engagement as real usage data informed product decisions.

3. 3
   Step 3 / 4

   Built the custom LMS with React.js and Nest.js, integrated ConvertKit for email automation and ThriveCart for subscription billing, and developed the course content delivery engine with multimedia support, homework management, and instructor review tools.

4. 2
   Step 4 / 4

   Designed the complete student journey from enrollment through course completion, including the homework submission and instructor review workflow. Focused on making the learning experience feel premium and personal - matching the quality of the founders' consulting practice.