“Mirror, mirror on the wall—who’s the writerliest writer of them all?” Wait! Let’s not go there! As a book coach, I get it. When other folks are somehow producing full drafts, querying agents, or even getting book deals, for heck’s sake, it’s easy to feel left behind. You’re not. Rather than comparing timelines, let’s just make yours make sense.”
What is a book coach and how do they work?
A book coach helps you get your book across the finish line.
We haven’t met, but I bet you have an idea for a book. Or maybe you have more than an idea! Perhaps you have a solid hundred pages written—or even a full draft! But wherever you are in your book writing process, right now, you might be feeling a bit lost.
While writing a book may seem pretty straightforward at the outset, there’s plenty of swamp to get stuck in along the way.
Here’s the good news: A book coach is a book writer’s fairy godmother. 
But instead of a magic wand, a book coach wields a full toolkit of book-saving devices. Including a winch to pull a writer out of the muck and hoist them back onto their writing path.
For instance, do you have too many characters bossing you around? (That happens more often than you might think!) At some point, you have to put your foot down and assign major roles to characters who deserve them—not just the ones who are shouting the loudest.
On the other (nonfiction) hand, you could be struggling to focus in on the most vital of the dozens of important concepts of your nonfiction book topic.
Or maybe you’re just wondering how to handle such a big project with so many other demands on your time!
In all of these cases, and a hundred more, your expert book coach is prepared to guide you forward with confidence and clarity.
Expert book coach
When you first started your book, I bet you felt excited! You trusted that writing your book would be inspiring, easy, and fun. But if you find yourself suddenly stumped by unexpected writing challenges, a book coach might be just what you need.
A coach can help you outline your book, create a first draft, or complete a significant revision. They can also educate you about preparing your manuscript for agents, small presses, or self-publishing.
How does professional book coaching work?
Generally, you and your potential coach start with a free book coaching consultation. During that initial chat, the coach will want to hear all about your writing goals. (They might even give you a few pointers right away!) And you’ll want to get a feel for their style: Are they supportive and encouraging? Are they knowledgeable about your project? Do you find them generous with their insights, right from the get-go?
All of this—and that undefinable quality called “chemistry”—will let you know if you might work well together.
If it’s feeling right (yay!), you might agree that developing a solid outline for your book is job one. If you already have an outline? Together, you and your coach might plan to launch a draft. Or revise your draft so that it serves your publishing goals.
Getting going …
Wherever you start, your work together will be unique—because you’re unique! However, it will generally look something like this:
- Every week or two, you’ll send your coach what you’re working on—a chapter or scene, perhaps—and your current questions about it.
- Then you’ll meet by phone or video call—or email exchange—to dive into the material you’ve shared.
- Next, you’ll create a plan to carry you forward to the next step.
From their review of your work, they’ll help you identify the strengths of your writing, as well as areas that would benefit from further attention. Among the many points your coach might consider are:
- plot and pacing
- organization
- audience and genre
- and character and point of view
For instance, your coach might mention a recurring image or sloggy passage or suggest deepening a character’s arc. Whatever the focus of their comments, their feedback will be clear, kind, and constructive—because insight lands best when it’s offered with care.
Bottom line? Your meetings should help you understand exactly what your manuscript needs to take it to the next level. And with your coach’s support, you’ll be able to do just that.