As I was signing up a new author to work with me next month, I was reflecting on how excited I feel about her forthcoming book. Her draft begins with a deeply personal growth story, which she writes from the perspective of helping others to overcome their own challenges. That’s a theme which is becoming more common as we as a human race scramble to help each other heal. Real life stories are inspiring because they help us imagine a different future for ourselves. While someone is telling a story, it invites our brain to quieten down and focus on their words, allowing us to be more alert and present. Then we get into our creative space and develop our own ideas. That’s one reason I think audiobooks are so powerful - they have a slightly hypnotic effect, especially when read by the author themselves.
And that’s the design for Story Healing: by providing a safe listening space, I invite authors to think out loud and dream what they would like their book to be. I have spent many minutes, hours and days staring at a blank page and trying to write something creative, fun or purposeful. So I came up with the concept of “Unblock Your Soul Story” and began to work on my self-care and coaching skills. It made me realise a good book coach will literally lend you their consciousness and energy to expand your own thinking. So if you’re thinking of working with a book coach, what do you need to consider when choosing the right person for you?
When do you need a book coach?
A book coach can help you at the start, when you’ve got a blank page and want to bring your ideas to life. They can act as a sounding board while you mind-map all your ideas and then help you create the structure for your chapters. This especially matters for a self-help or business book because they can give you an objective view of the flow. Then you can also re-use the content for an online training course. Getting the structure right for your readers is what will help it sell. Yes, an AI tool like chatGPT can also help you take this step - but a book coach will add their expertise to the process.
In the middle, when your ideas have ground to a halt and you’ve lost track of how to bring the reader through it to the concluding part of your book, a book coach will guide you to add the missing pieces to your narrative.
When you’re reaching the final few chapters of your book, you may run out of energy and struggle to finish it. I have worked with several authors whose manuscripts sat in a drawer for years before they were dusted off, finished and published. A book coach will explore the blocks with you and help you define or understand what steps to take to get going again.
What experience does your book coach have?
If your book coach is knowledgeable in publishing or has written books of their own, they will have first hand experience which may help you. An author who has decided to coach other authors could be building their business services so they can afford to write more often. However, does that mean they may be more focused on their books, rather than yours? Also, they may have a particular voice or style in their own writing, which makes it difficult for them to allow you to develop your own unique style.
That said, there are some common styles and some ‘rules of thumb’ which you can’t ignore because they sell better - so they may have good recommendations for tweaking your story.
If your book coach has a lot of writing experience and is a keen reader, they’ll be keeping up to date with what is working in the market place and what your audience may enjoy. So you would benefit from a marketing perspective to get their feedback during the writing process. The main thing to consider is, are they asking you insightful questions to help you move forwards?
If your book coach is working as part of a larger publishing team, you’ll get the benefit of their advice on production. However, do watch out for whether their publishing style is formulaic or follows a pattern. You need to ensure you don’t sacrifice your unique voice in favour of their process. So while you’re thinking about hiring a book coach, what do you need to consider?
Questions to ask before hiring a book coach
Here are some of the factors and questions to ask yourself when hiring a book coach:
Mindset: Do you believe your chosen coach can help you finish the next phase of your book?
If you trust the process and believe in the work that you’ll do together, you can speed up the process of finishing your book. It helps if you are thinking positively about the outcome. The sessions with your book coach will ideally top up your soul, ready to write creatively.
Personality fit: How strong a connection do you feel to your chosen coach?
Getting on well isn’t simply about having lively conversations. When you can feel genuine positive regard and connection with your chosen book coach, you’ll feel safe to be yourself. Some days you might be feeling super creative, other days you might need some empathy and more gentle encouragement.
Process: How comfortable will you be, accepting constructive feedback or praise from them?
If they have outlined a clear process, it can help you see what to expect. You need to be able to trust them to challenge you to think differently. If their approach is to agree with everything you say, you don’t need book coaching - you simply need to finish the writing and then hire an editor.
Emotion: What triggers could derail your writing or book coaching sessions?
If your emotions are on high alert, it’s hard for you to be creative. So if you’re writing about your life experiences and or developing characters with emotional back stories, the writing and book coaching relationship may set off some of your personal triggers. However, it’s worth observing how well your book coach helps you navigate these occurrences to get you back on track.
Contacts: Who do they have in their network to help you reach final publication?
Ask your intended book coach who they typically work with for the design and production aspects of books. Yes, you can find and hire your own team, however, it saves time if you can work with trustworthy, recommended people.
Cost: How much do they charge per session or is there a package option?
When you sign up with a book coach, it may not be clear how many sessions you need. If they can give you an idea of what you’ll cover - or a framework for getting your book started or finished, you’ll be better equipped to decide who to work with and build a budget for how much the whole project will cost. Be aware that you may need to pay a reading fee before they start.
How often do you want your book coach involved?
Cost will mostly be determined by the frequency of your book coaching sessions. The level of involvement a book coach offers can vary greatly. Some coaches work in a hands-on capacity, reading through your work every week, commenting on the writing and helping you structure the narrative. Others will offer accountability to keep you on track with your writing goals on a fortnightly or monthly basis. When considering book coaching, reflect on how much direct support you need. Will more regular check-ins help you finish faster? Or would you use the coach primarily as a sounding board at the beginning, middle or nearer the end?
Discussing your preferences upfront with your potential coach will ensure your expectations are aligned and you get a personalised service. However, you need to choose whether book coaching is actually what you need for the stage you’ve reached with your writing.
Which book production professionals might you need instead of a book coach?
Ghostwriting
If you’re absolutely stuck with the writing process, it may be worth finding out whether your book coach offers any ghostwriting services. This can range from writing parts of the book or re-positioning and re-writing the whole thing. Or taking notes dictated by you to produce the entire text.
Professional editing
When you’ve finished your book and edited it yourself, you will want a professional editor instead of a book coach. However, do check whether they offer coaching advice as well as editing services, because an excellent editor will review the whole manuscript and offer developmental feedback. They might suggest shifting the structure and writing more - or they will simply give you a line edit or copy edit. Depending on which service you need, the pricing will usually be calculated by the thousand words.
Proofreading
Some experienced authors do skip the editing process if they are self-publishing however, I’d always recommend a professional edit AND a proofread to pick up any minor errors in your draft. Bear in mind if you would like a traditional publishing deal, your work has to compete for agents and publishers attention. Yes, they will edit it after they’ve contracted with you but you’ve got to get through the submissions process first.
Design
If you’re self-publishing, you can hire a professional designer to create the front cover and lay out the interior of your book. Be aware that typesetting - so the pages look professional - makes a huge difference to the reader’s eye. Things like the size of the margins, the spacing between the letters and words, and the line heights all matter. You might not notice the differences, but your readers will.
In the UK, you can explore recommended costs and pricing via the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders (CIEP) to help you to pull together the costs for finishing your book.
In conclusion, your book coach should be your greatest ally, helping to motivate you and inspire your writing. Being creative means working with your intuition, so if the book coaching relationship feels right, go for it!
And if you'd like a call to find out more about working with me, find a time and book it here.