Book Coaching from both a Book Coach and a Client

One of my roles in the writing world is serving as a book coach for Author Accelerator, a company created by book coach extraordinaire, Jennie Nash. I’m also a client. I work with a book coach on my own novels. When I talk to people about book coaching, the most frequent question I get asked is what IS a book coach, exactly? A book coach is someone who guides a writer through any or all stages of the writing process: from the idea stage all the way through drafting, revision, and even querying stages. Sounds pretty broad, doesn’t it? It’s because the role of a book coach must be broad. Let’s break down a few of the ways a book coach can help a writer get to the finish line.

Editorial Feedback

There’s a point in a manuscript that a writer’s been working on—for a short time or maybe a long while—when they realize they need help. For some, the answer means finding assistance from a developmental and then line editor. Editing is often the first thing that comes to mind when a writer considers who to seek out for help. Obviously, an editor will provide editorial feedback, but a book coach does, too. One big difference, though, is the timing.

While an editor may have a look at your book after a certain point, such as after the completion of a first draft, a book coach can provide editorial feedback at any—or every—stage in the process. Think about that. Imagine you’re in the midst of drafting your book and you have the benefit of someone reading and providing feedback along the way. For many writers, this means their “first” drafts end up looking more like third or fourth drafts—drafts that hang together and have fewer plot holes. An added bonus? Because of this regular feedback, a book coach gets to know your writing very quickly and has the ability to push you when you need it.

Accountability

This is something that resonates for me. As much as I’d like to think I’m a disciplined writer, I really respond to having someone crack the whip. A core benefit to working with a book coach is the accountability factor. Creating deadlines and having someone hold you to meeting them is truly motivating when you’re trying to complete your book. It’s like hiring a personal trainer for your writing. If I’m late with my pages for the week? I will hear from my book coach, Dawn. I do the same for my clients.

Sometimes life gets in the way, but you know what? We’re all busy. We can all come up with an excuse not to write. Or more often, we find ways to make our writing last on our to-do list. But you know what? Working with a book coach is an investment. And it’s that investment that helps you prioritize your writing so that it rises to the top of your list. That pile of unfolded laundry sitting on the couch doesn’t look nearly so tempting when I know Dawn is waiting for my pages that week.

Sounding Board, Cheerleader and Mentor

A book coach is a writer’s ultimate support system. When a scene of my client’s isn’t working and she feels like she’s just banging her head against a wall, she reaches out to me. We might email back and forth or hop on Skype and have a conversation. But either way, we brainstorm a solution to the problem.

A book coach is also there to celebrate the victories, whether it’s fixing that problematic scene, or finishing a rough draft, or finding an agent or publisher. From small victories to large, a book coach is there. A writer can find a mentor in their book coach, too. A book coach is often, not always, an author as well.

As a writer, they might be a step or two ahead of you and might be someone who can help you get to the next level. You can learn from their experience. But even if a book coach isn’t a writer, they are well versed in the steps it takes to get to “The End” of a first draft. They have the vision and insight on how to tackle revisions. They might know how to help you write a query letter and synopsis.

If you find yourself as a writer who’d like that consistent support over the course of a draft or toward publication or for your career, a book coach can motivate you to achieve those goals. For me personally, the benefits from my experiences as both a book coach and a coached author have vastly improved my writing process.

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Sarahlyn Bruck writes contemporary women’s fiction and lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter. She is the author of DESIGNER YOU, published by Crooked Cat Books on August 31, 2018. Sarahlyn teaches writing and literature at a local community college and also coaches writers for Author Accelerator. DESIGNER YOU is Sarahlyn’s debut, and she is hard at work on her next book. Want the latest updates? Follow along for news, events, and announcements at sarahlynbruck.com. You can sign up for her monthly newsletter there, too.

About DESIGNER YOU

Pam Wheeler checked every box: Happy marriage? Check. Fantastic kid? Check. Booming career? Check.

So when her husband dies suddenly and their DIY empire goes on life support, Pam must fix the relationship with her troubled and grief-stricken daughter and save the family business.

Pam and Nate were a couple who just couldn’t get away from each other, sharing not only their bed, but also a successful lifestyle empire as DIY home renovators, bloggers, podcasters, and co-authors.

When Nate dies in a freak accident, Pam becomes a 44-year-old widow, at once too young and too old—too young to be thrust into widowhood and too old to rejoin the dating pool.

Now the single mother of a headstrong and grief-stricken teenager, Pam’s life becomes a juggling act between dealing with her loss and learning how to parent by herself. On top of all that she also must reinvent herself or lose the empire that she and Nate had built so carefully.

It is time for Pam to seize the opportunity to step up as a mother, come out from behind Nate’s shadow, and rise as the sole face of the Designer You brand, and maybe, possibly, hopefully, find love again.

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Tags: book coaching, featured, women writers

Category: How To and Tips