A book coach and a developmental editor are similar in many ways, but a book coach offers continued invested support throughout your process. I encourage you to read my blog post about what a book coach is.

In a nutshell, I would describe my coaching style as part-guide/teacher, part-collaborator. I don't expect you to already know "all the things" about writing a book or even what questions you should have about the process. (That’s is why you went looking for a coach, right?) But I also believe that you are the "captain" of your project — no one, including me, knows more about your vision than you do. I'm not here as a disciplinarian or critic. I don't believe that "whip-cracking" accountability or harsh critique contributes in a meaningful way to anyone's book coming to life. I believe that having someone deeply invested in your vision — a person who has experience and knowledge around the craft and who can ask insightful questions that shed light on aspects of the project or writing that you may not have considered — is at the very heart of book coaching. Alongside, of course, the gentle, supportive accountability that will keep a long-term project moving forward even when life has other plans.

Let’s talk more about this on a call!

Yes. I begin working with new clients at the start of a given calendar month. You'll submit your pages each Monday and receive my written notes a few days later. Depending on your package, we'll jump on a call either once per month or every other week. This means you're constantly receiving feedback and can apply what you're learning to your next set of pages.

I have no current plans to run a group coaching program. I love investing wholeheartedly in each of my client's projects so that I can fully support them as they bring their vision to life. I offer occasional workshops and retreats.

I love working with open-minded folks who are ready to bring their book to life. I am committed to cultivating an inclusive space and believe that when people from marginalized groups get their stories into the world, we all benefit. 

This means that: Love is love. Gender isn't binary. Black lives matter. Immigrants deserve protection and respect. Climate change is real. All bodies are beautiful. All brains fall somewhere on the spectrum. Age is not a disease. There is no such thing as other people's children. Kindness matters. We are responsible for each other and this world we all inhabit.

Fiction: I specialize in adult fiction that leans toward the literary. Women's fiction, historical fiction, magical realism, and quiet stories that dig into questions of self, age, family, identity, or time are some of my favorites but I'm open to working with compelling narratives of most types. I accept young/new adult work on a case-by-case basis. I don’t work with children's or middle-grade genres, though I have some great folks to recommend!. I don't work with horror or erotica, and am likely not a great fit for most mystery/thriller, pure romance, hard sci-fi, or space opera. 

Non-fiction: I specialize in helping experts and academics write for the general public. Many of my nonfiction clients are experts writing a mix of narrative and prescriptive nonfiction rooted in longstanding careers, or are academics who are interested in "translating" their work to a wider audience. I don't offer ghostwriting services and don't accept vanity or "marketing" projects that are more sales tools than books. I'm likely not a good fit for "how-to" books such as cookbooks or gardening books unless they also include narrative or longform elements.

Memoir/Creative Nonfiction: While technically nonfiction, memoir is its own monster! I'd love to hear about your project and accept limited memoir/creative nonfiction work on a case-by-case basis.

Writing a book is a long-term project that can take months or even years to bring fully to fruition. Only you know whether you are in a place in your life where you feel that committing a portion of your time, energy, and brainspace to your book is worthwhile to you. I am happy to support your efforts at whatever speed you can reasonably handle, but ultimately it will be you who has to make that time and space work in your real life. For many folks, investing in a coach serves as a nudge to show up for the work when they might be tempted to let it slide, and a good coach will help keep your energy high over the life of the project. But no coach can write your book for you, so I encourage you to be honest with yourself about the season of life you are in and to what extent you're able to commit to your book before investing in coaching. You can read more in my blog post about how to determine if you're ready for coaching.

While I may suggest grammatical changes for clarity in my notes and feedback, ultimately I am not a "proofreader" who will go through your pages with a fine-tooth comb scouring for punctuation. As a coach, I'm looking for bigger-picture concerns like structure, pacing, and voice. When you're ready, I or your agent/publisher can make suggestions for hiring a proofreader.

A manuscript evaluation is a great way to get big-picture feedback on your finished manuscript and get a clear idea of the overall shape of your book. This is great if you've finished a first draft and are struggling to figure out where to begin your revision, or if you've done a bit of revision and are trying to determine whether you're ready to begin pitching. I'll evaluate your manuscript's structure and other critical elements such as narrative drive, pacing, point of view, and voice. 

Similarly, for a proposal evaluation, I look at the entirety of your book proposal, from the overview to the sample chapters, and make sure each element is doing the work it needs to do. My goal is to put you in the best possible position as you’re sending out your proposal to agents or publishers.

A manuscript evaluation is a one-off service, meaning that I read your manuscript and provide feedback in the form of in-line comments and an editorial letter, and then we have one call where we discuss that feedback. This is for clients who are looking solely for one round of feedback to help them see what's working and what's not, and then plan to take their next steps on their own.

Book coaching is a more hands-on approach. It's great for writers with a book idea but no words on the page yet, as well as for those looking to complete or revise their proposal or manuscript. We'll work together for at least three months, enough time to really get you and your writing on track. I'll support you with monthly or twice-monthly calls and you'll have someone at your side as you move through whatever stage of your book journey you're currently in.

On average, manuscript/proposal evaluations have a 2-4 week turnaround time, depending on the length and nature of the manuscript and other scheduling concerns. A more specific timeframe is provided at the time of inquiry.

If your project is longer than 100,000 words or shorter than 50,000 words, give me a shout and we can discuss how we might best handle your work in a way that makes sense.

I only offer my pitching services to writers I've worked with previously and whose projects I’ve determined to be ready to pitch. If you've never worked with me before, we'll need to do a manuscript/proposal evaluation together first.