We Ask a Book Coach: Part 2

I came to book coaching from a writer’s perspective. In writing my manuscript, I kept wondering whether I should wait until the last page to reach out to an editor or contact one earlier. 

Naturally, I reshuffled chapters, debating with myself about the narrative flow and the logic of each section. I can imagine that with the guidance of a book coach, I could have more easily presented the manuscript to the right type of editor. 

In this post, Holly Vestad and I asked about how editors structure their coaching services. Just as we did in part one, we sought insights from the following four experts: 

Anne Bokma (she/her) is a Hamilton-based journalist, author and memoir coach. 

Tanya Gold (they/them) is a fiction editor, translator, educator and coach for writers and editors.

Dinah Laprairie (she/her) is an Author Accelerator-certified book coach, writer and editor. 

Suzy Vadori (she/her) teaches writers with big dreams the actions they can take to get their books written. 

How did you transition into book coaching? 

Anne Bokma: I’ve worked as a journalist and editor for 40 years, the last 20 of which have been as a freelance writer for many of Canada’s leading newspapers and magazines. I published a memoir in 2019, and people asked me to help them with theirs. This evolved into coaching for online writing groups and one-on-one. I also run local and international writing retreats focused on developing personal stories. 

Tanya Gold: I started off offering additional support after authors got developmental edits back, like further support during the revision process. Then some clients asked me to help them wrangle their early plot bunnies into cohesive stories. It was so much fun, I started offering these services to other writers. It just took off from there. I’ve now developed a bunch of coaching services and resources, and I’ve even created some courses based on them.

Dinah Laprairie: I saw a need for author support before the editor arrived. Clients were coming to me because they were not sure what publishing path made sense for their goals. In several cases, I was arriving “on scene,” so to speak, as an editor to work on manuscripts not yet ready for editing. I felt editing at this point was a disservice and wouldn’t yield reader-ready results, despite the work’s potential. Eventually, I was certified in non-fiction and memoir coaching by Jennie Nash at the Author Accelerator program.

Suzy Vadori: When I first started writing books more than a decade ago, I found it difficult to find straightforward information on what made a book “good” in readers’ eyes. I worked with editors, agents and publishers to figure this out — resulting in a debut novel I was really proud of and readers raved about. Then I was asked to beta read the works of other writers, and I began to coach them regularly. I completed my certification with Author Accelerator and finally saw a path to turn this service that I loved doing for writers into my business today.

How did you decide to structure your book coaching packages? Do you offer custom packages, or do you prefer to have set offerings?

Bokma: My coaching package has six sessions of two hours each for C$1,500. (Each session includes a one-hour review of about 3,000 words of the manuscript with my notes, followed by a one-hour Zoom call.) I also offer a one-hour session for $200 on a shorter piece or a submission for a contest, as well as a free 30-minute introductory session. 

Gold: I create custom coaching packages for each writer. This allows me to meet writers where they’re at and shape services that help them meet their specific needs and goals. This can look like workshopping a few scenes to help a novelist learn to further amplify their story and voice, reviewing a story outline and having an in-depth conversation about it, guiding a writer in the process of scripting a graphic novel or offering a bunch of live chats on top of my self-paced revision course, The DIY Developmental Edit.

Laprairie: I have standard coaching packages with monthly support, such as editorial feedback to finished manuscripts and coaching, goal-setting, and routines for writers struggling with their writing practice. Which service I recommend depends on where the writer is in their book project — at the beginning or in revisions. 

Vadori: I offer two paths for writers to get my feedback: developmental editing of a book’s draft or ongoing book coaching, which consists of personalized packages with deadlines (reviewing 20 pages of writing for each deadline, with a 60-minute review call). 

What are some of the challenges of offering book coaching as a service?

Bokma: You need to be a great editor and market your services effectively so that people know about you. A mailing list is helpful. Being active on social media can help you promote your services to get clients. Some participants at my retreats became clients too.

Gold: Some services (like anything live) can take a certain type of cognitive energy for me and can be disruptive to the rest of the day. I find it challenging to shift from editing right into a video call and right back into editing. So on the days I’m doing live coaching, I give myself space to transition before and after appointments. The disruption is so worth it, though. I get to witness authors develop their skills and confidence. I get to witness manuscripts getting shaped. And it all helps me to continuously become a better coach and editor.

Laprairie: The main challenge is education, because book coaching isn’t widely known yet. I’m sure editors understand this: While the public knows some of what editors do — fix grammar and typos, right? — editors often need to inform clients about the types of editing available and explain its value. That happens in coaching too. We love the work, but it is our livelihood. 

Vadori: When I was first certified as a book coach in 2020, the main challenge was explaining what exactly I did to support writers. A lot has changed since then, as the profession has grown, and now writers often find me by Googling “book coach,” through the Author Accelerator community or even from ChatGPT recommendations! 

Coming up

In part three, Holly and I ask Anne, Tanya, Dinah and Suzy about what helpful tips they can offer to editors who are considering becoming book coaches.

About the co-author

Holly Vestad is a freelance editor specializing in memoir and non-fiction based on the unceded lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation. She has an MA in English literature and has held many writing workshops in the university setting. She is also a writing tutor at the McGill Writing Centre and the chair of Editors Canada’s career builder committee.

___

Previous post from Yuxuan Francis Liu and Holly Vestad: We Ask a Book Coach: Part 1

The Editors’ Weekly is the official blog of Editors Canada. Contact us.