Working with a Book Writing Coach
Editing has been, for my entire career, my bread and butter. However, I received so many requests to enter the writing process earlier over the last few years that I added coaching to my services in addition to editing. When you hire a copy editor, your manuscript is written. You can still make big changes to its structure, but that’s often easier to do before or during writing. Or what if you want someone to help you flesh out the contents before you start writing? Or what if you need help defining your goals for writing a book to make sure that your writing supports said goal (or goals)? Or what if you need help knowing how to approach beta readers and obtain reviews? Maybe you need help with all of that, or maybe just one or two or those things. Enter a book writing coach.
What the Heck Is a Book Writing Coach, Anyway?
If you’ve been following for a while, you’ve heard me mention developmental editing. (I explain it here and am also working on a more in-depth look at each type of editing, so stay tuned for that.) Book writing coaching, as I define it, combines developmental editing with book planning. My clients write their books during the course of working together, with regular feedback from me along the way, but we also address related topics that first-time authors especially don’t yet know (obtaining an ISBN, for example, and creating their book sales page).
How it Works
Every coach works a bit differently, but the elements you can expect are similar. With regard to the writing of your manuscript, you can expect the following:
Accountability + encouragement
Support via phone/video calls/email
Writing assessment/review/feedback from session to session
Developmental editors focus their work solely on the writing aspect of publishing. (TWEET)
Some book coaches focus their work solely on the writing aspect of publishing. These coaches sometimes call themselves developmental editors. Some of us, though, work on publishing-related tasks in addition to manuscript writing/editing. Some of the other tasks my coaching clients work on during our time together might include:
Defining your ideal reader.
Conducting a book positioning analysis.
Creating a writing calendar.
Determining the best path to publication for your book. (Check out these posts for discussions of self-publishing and traditional publishing.)
Structuring your book/table of contents.
Creating your book sales page.
Reviewing cover copy.
You get the idea, hopefully. Basically, anything related to book writing and publication is fair game.
Benefits
Book publishing isn’t terribly hard; it’s just a foreign process to most creative entrepreneurs and bloggers. (TWEET)
Book publishing isn’t terribly hard; it’s just a foreign process to most creative entrepreneurs and bloggers. As an author-entrepreneur, you need a road map, and a book writing coach can provide just that. The biggest benefit to working with a writing coach is the partnership element of the working relationship. Most coaches, me included, require a multi-month commitment, so you’re working together in the long term (versus copy editing, which can be just a few weeks and isn’t as in-depth). This allows the coach to really get to know you, your goals, your writing style and struggles, and your project.
As an author-entrepreneur, you need a road map, and a book writing coach can provide just that. (TWEET)
Want to learn more or have questions? Schedule a complimentary Book Brainstorm Session here so we can discuss your book project.