What is a Book Coach?

What is a book coach?

Me!! I’m a book coach!

Great, Monica. But what does that mean exactly?

I’m so glad you asked!

Whether you are a new or experienced writer in the outlining, drafting, revising, or even querying stage of the process, a book coach provides personalized guidance to help you meet your writing goals.

Not specific enough? I get it. A book coach can sound like this nebulous, vague thing.

To break it down into more specifics, a book coach is:

• An accountability partner. A coach can keep you on track as you draft, revise, or query with regular deadlines, support, and check-ins.
• A cheerleader. A coach will not only believe in you and your stories, but also understands the unique challenges of writing a novel and will be there to boost you up when you need it.
• A teacher. Writing is a craft. Something that even the best writers improve upon book after book. A book coach is there to teach, provide resources, offer exercises based on your specific needs, and ultimately help level up your writing.
• An editor. A book coach is like a developmental editor with a discerning eye who can spot what is and isn’t working in your manuscript. Unlike a developmental editor who provides feedback and then is done, a coach will help you identify the big picture issues and help you create a plan to fix them. A coach will be beside you every step of the way.
• A project manager. When you are lost in the weeds of writing and revising, a book coach can help you make a plan of attack to assuage your overwhelm and provide you a road map to finishing the work.
• An empowerer. A book coach’s job is to give you the tools you need to finish your projects and achieve your publishing goals. We want you to succeed with this story and take what you learn into your next project.

A book coach isn’t?

• A therapist. While we may tackle some issues like fear of failure/success or procrastination or mindset in the course of this work, a book coach is not a professional counselor.
• A publisher. We will not be publishing your books for you.
• An agent matchmaker. Querying and submitting your work will still be up to you.
• A guarantee. Writing is a subjective business and working with a coach does not guarantee you will sign an agent or achieve publication.

Now, every book coach’s specific offerings, specialties, and pricing are different, but in general, you will find a person committed to helping you achieve your writing goals.

So, what do you do all day?

I read manuscripts and outlines and pre-writing work. I find the things that work and don’t work in these stories. I chat with writers on coaching calls to talk about their stories and find ways for them to break through their blocks and find fixes to whatever is holding them back in their work. I stay abreast of the publishing community and trends. I read across genres to stay on top of craft. I create content to share with writers to keep them on track. I write and edit my own work. I attend workshops and webinars and essentially try to soak up all the things writing related I can. I connect with writers and coaches on social media. I often get distracted by Instagram reels…although I don’t think that’s what you’re asking.

In a nutshell, I spend my day in story to help writers find the clarity in their own, to watch the moment the idea materializes that solves their story problems, and see their excitement at digging into the hard work of completing a novel. It’s fun and rewarding work that I love! (If you’re interested in becoming a book coach, check this out).

Do you have any specific questions about book coaching–using one or being one? Leave them in the comments and I will answer them (or contact me here). Next week, I’ll tackle when in the process to use a book coach.

Featured photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash

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As a book coach, I read a lot of manuscripts and see many writers making a lot of the same mistakes. In this free guide, I cover 5 Common Manuscript Mistakes.

Get your copy here!