Writing Coach Rates

Learn more about working with a writing coach and writing coaching rates.

BOOK WRITERS—NOVELISTS, MEMOIRISTS, NONFICTION WRITERS—all benefit from a special kind of support: Patience, humor, an open mind, and a steady hand help a writer set their book’s roots and get growing.

Whether you’re just embarking on your first draft or have a solid start in hand, I can help make your writing journey easier (and a lot more fun!).

Solving Problems

Together, we’ll solve the problems that may have halted you in your book writing tracks. 

How? Here are just a few examples: 

• Baffled about point of view, plot, or theme? Together, we’ll make powerful narrative choices that will propel your story forward—and keep readers on the edge of their seats!
• Wondering how to organize your nonfiction ideas for best effect? We’ll explore options and choose the structure that’s most compelling.
• Simply need support getting words on the page consistently? You’re not alone! We’ll create strategies to keep you going strong—all the way to “THE END”!

While our work together will be unique (because you’re unique), generally, we will focus our efforts on the shape of your book.

For fiction writers and memoirists, this includes the development of both a narrative arc and a character arc: in other words, what does your character (or your earlier self) undergo and how does it change them?

For non-narrative nonfiction writers (self-help, how-to, journalistic work), we’ll attend first and foremost to creating an outline that organizes your best ideas for your readers and delivers them for optimal effect.

• You’ll send materials regularly, and we’ll meet by phone or video to dive into what you’ve shared. (Our calls will be deep—and really exciting, too!)
  
• At the end of each call, we’ll plan your next best steps—always moving your book forward toward your publishing goals.

The reliable care and feeding provided by my writing coaching is like Miracle-Gro for your budding book. Expect to see significant, healthy growth from session to session.

Writing coaching rates

1) DISCOVERY SESSION

This stand-alone writing consultation for new clients will allow us to get to know one another—while we address some literary issues. For instance, we might locate an obstacle to your writing practice or resolve an issue of plot, voice, or structure.

Whatever the focus of our attention, once I’ve reviewed your work, we’ll have a deep-dive writing conversation—in which we’re sure to discover a golden key to unblock your writing path.

At the same time, you’ll get a feel for my style: Am I supportive and encouraging? Am I knowledgeable? Do you find me generous with my insights, right from the get-go? All of this—and that undefinable quality called “chemistry”—will let us know if we might continue to work well together.

If it’s feeling right (yay!), at the end of our Discovery Session, we’ll decide what’s next. We might agree to start by developing a solid outline for your book. If you already have an outline? We’ll launch a draft. Have a draft? Let’s talk revision!

$295: Your Discovery Session includes my review of ten pages of your work + a one-hour in-depth phone or video meeting.

2) PLOT CLOCK CONSULTATION

There’s a lot of novel writing advice out there. But here’s the truth: Your plot is the single most important element of your novel—or, surprisingly, of your memoir! So, how do you crack the plot code? How do you keep your reader riveted to the pages you’ve worked so hard to write?

It’s not magic (though, when it’s working, it sure feels like magic). Instead, a well-wrought plot systematically applies universal story principles to your specific character, situation, and concept.

The easiest, most effective way I’ve found to apply those principles is the Plot Clock. It’s simple. Profound. Story-changing. Tell your characters to buckle up. The Plot Clock Consultation is a wild ride.

$495: Your Plot Clock Consultation is an opportunity for you to get to know me and the Plot Clock—while we solve some of your trickiest plot issues! It in includes my review of your synopsis, outline, character list, and plot questions + a two-hour in-depth phone or video meeting.

3) FIRST-50-PAGE REVIEW

Your first 50 pages can make or break an agent’s interest. Those same pages can also tell your writing coach how you can improve your book’s chances in the marketplace!

So, if you’ve got a solid start on your book, let’s begin with your first 50 pages. After I read your pages closely—considering your outline and synopsis, too—we’ll settle in for a powerful, collaborative conversation that will lead to impactful insights! We might discuss

• style, tone, and theme
• plot, pacing, and structure
• character development and point of view,
• and audience and genre.

From this discussion, you can create a road map to either a solid first draft or a significantly strengthened revision.

$795: Your First-50-Page Review (average 250 words per page), includes our dynamic, substantive two-hour phone or video call based on my assessment of your first 50 pages, synopsis, character list, and your most pressing questions and concerns.

4) EIGHT-SESSION PACKAGE

Over the course of eight sessions, if you’re a novelist, we might clarify point of view, advance your plot, and make certain your main character is fulfilling their arc. If you’re writing a memoir, we’ll find the shape and voice that best convey your story. Developing a nonfiction concept? Then outline is king—and tone and audience are a pair of queens!

I call Jamie Morris the master of plotting. Writing a book is like engineering: it’s all about creating the structure, then building on that. Jamie helped me go from initial concept to well-fleshed-out plot. The outline we developed formed the foundation of every chapter of my book. Plotting and outlining are key, and Jamie is your guru. —Maria Vogt, thriller writer

We might be raising stakes in your novel, adding interest and clarity to your nonfiction book, or increasing opportunities for readers to invest in your memoir. And always we’ll be honing your writing style so it’s the sharpest tool in your writing kit. This package allows us to collaborate at deep and meaningful levels as we evolve your book toward its best self.

$2495: Your Eight-Session Package includes my regular review of your work in progress + eight in-depth phone or video meetings + office hours access + next-steps consultation.