Questions are important – Find the right answer for you.
It depends on where you are with your book and what kind of support you need next.
Assessment is for a completed manuscript that needs a big-picture evaluation before you move into copy editing or proofreading.
Blueprint is for developing the structure of your book, either before you begin writing or after you have a first draft.
Comfort provides six months of ongoing support, accountability, feedback, and coaching as you write or revise your book.
If you’re not sure which one fits, the questionnaire and introductory call are a good place to start.
No. You can work with me at different stages of the writing process.
You might come to me with an idea and need help figuring out what book you are building. You might have a first draft that needs structure. Or you might have a completed manuscript and need an honest assessment of what is working and what needs attention.
The right starting point depends on where you are and what your book needs.
I work with memoir, fiction, and nonfiction, including writers who are adapting a screenplay into a novel.
For nonfiction writers who are preparing to approach agents and publishers, I also offer specialized Book Proposal Coaching focused on developing and presenting the book for the publishing marketplace.
Book coaching focuses on the book itself: its structure, scenes, characters, narrative, pages, revision, and the process of getting the manuscript into shape.
Book Proposal Coaching is for nonfiction writers who are ready to present their book to the publishing marketplace. We work on the proposal, including its structure, competitive titles, marketplace positioning, and how to approach agents.
The proposal service is a separate engagement from my manuscript-development packages.
We talk about your book and the work in front of you. Depending on the package, we might discuss your pages, editorial feedback, the development of your Blueprint, or what you need to accomplish before your next deadline.
The purpose of the call is to help you understand what needs attention and determine your next steps. You’ll leave each conversation knowing what you are working toward next.
That depends on the package.
With Assessment, you receive a 10 to 15-page editorial letter covering the larger elements of your manuscript, plus in-line editing on the first 20 pages.
With Blueprint, you receive comprehensive written editorial feedback on the pages you submit as you work through the fourteen steps.
With Comfort, you receive written editorial feedback and in-line edits on each of your twelve submissions over six months.
Comfort is designed for writers who want ongoing support, accountability, and feedback while they write or revise.
You submit 20 pages at each agreed bi-weekly deadline, for a total of twelve submissions. You receive written feedback and in-line edits on each submission, along with six one-hour coaching calls and continuous email support throughout the six months.
The goal is to give you a regular writing rhythm and a clear next step throughout the process.
Pages should be submitted as a Word document, double spaced, in Times New Roman, 12-point font.
The amount you submit depends on the package. Assessment is based on a completed manuscript of up to 250 pages or 75,000 words, while Comfort includes twelve submissions of 20 pages or 6,000 words each.
Once you submit the questionnaire, you’ll be taken directly to my calendar to schedule a free 30-minute Zoom call.
We’ll discuss where you are with your book, what you want to accomplish, and any questions you have. We’ll also determine whether working together is the right next step for your book.
For the Screenplay-to-Novel workshop, the process is different: after you submit the workshop questionnaire, you’ll be taken to the workshop information and purchase page, where you can review the details and reserve your seat.
No. The work needs to be a good fit for both of us.
I work closely with writers and their books, so I need to feel that I can genuinely contribute to the project and that we can work productively together. The introductory call gives us an opportunity to discuss your book, your goals, and what you need before you decide whether to move forward.
I do not coach books generated by AI, and I am not the right coach for stories that describe violence in explicit, vivid, and disturbing detail.
These ten would give you a good FAQ section without simply repeating the service-page copy. They also answer the “Which service is for me?” question early, which I think is particularly important with your three packages plus the separate proposal coaching.
Yes. This is one of the most useful times to bring in a book coach. We can look at what you have, identify what is already working, and determine what the book needs in order to take shape. You don’t need to arrive with a perfect understanding of your structure. Part of my job is to help you discover it.
Yes. A compelling book needs more than a sequence of events. I help you look at what is happening beneath the surface of the story, what each scene is doing, and what keeps a reader emotionally connected. Together, we can find the thread that makes the story matter beyond simply what happened.
This is a common challenge, particularly with memoir and nonfiction. I can help you evaluate your material in relation to the book you are trying to create, so that you can make decisions about what belongs, what can be developed further, and what may need to go.
Yes. You don’t have to act on every piece of feedback you receive. I can help you step back from individual comments and look at the larger patterns in your manuscript. We can determine which changes serve the book and which ones might take it in a direction you don’t actually want to go.
You may need to step away from sentence-level revision and look at the larger structure of the book. Before spending more time polishing individual pages, it can be useful to determine whether the story, sequence, character development, or overall shape is working. That is where developmental coaching can make a significant difference.
Start by figuring out what book you are actually trying to write. You don’t necessarily need to begin with page one. I can help you explore the idea, identify its essential elements, and create a structure you can return to as the book develops.
Yes. Ongoing coaching can give your writing a regular rhythm and make the next step more concrete. With scheduled submissions, editorial feedback, coaching calls, and ongoing support, you have someone who knows your book and can help you keep moving through both writing and revision.
My role is not to turn your book into something I would write. I help you strengthen what is already yours. We look at the choices you are making, what is working on the page, and where the writing may not yet be doing what you want it to do. Your voice remains at the center of the work.
That is exactly the kind of question an outside reader can help you answer. When you have lived with a manuscript for a long time, it can be difficult to see what is actually missing. I can assess where the manuscript is now and help you identify the work that will have the greatest impact rather than simply giving you more things to revise.
That is how I work. The pages are central to the coaching. Depending on the service, I provide detailed editorial feedback, in-line edits, and coaching conversations about the work. I’m not just talking about writing in general. I’m responding to your book, your pages, and the specific decisions you are making as a writer.