As a alum of the Creative Circus and part-time teacher at Miami Ad School, I think these are the best places to go to in order to make the most progress the fastest.
You can work on your own but you have to be super disciplined, good at judging your own work (or have other people who can give you good feedback) and really push yourself. It's totally doable and if you have the creativity, people will see your great thinking - which is the whole purpose of putting a book together in the first place.
At the end of the day, your book is as good as you make it. Where you go to work on it doesn't matter as much as how much work you put into it and how inherently good you are.
(Fortune cookie moment) Whether or not you're going to be great is completely up to you and only you.
Here are some portfolio schools across the country:
The Creative Circus Atlanta, GA
The Portfolio Center Atlanta, GA
Miami Ad School Miami, FL
VCU BrandCenter Richmond, VA
The Art Center College of Design Pasadena, CA
Brainco Minneapolis, MN
School of Visual Arts (SVA) New York, NY
The Chicago Portfolio School Chicago, IL
Every school has its own programs, personality and prestige. Pick which one best fits you and go make an amazing portfolio.
(Side note: I don't know much about art schools, but I'm going to ask around and get back to you on that.)
