Because sometimes authors need someone to walk the book journey with them!
While I do little coaching as a standalone service, I love helping clients out with publishing details that the industry usually keeps secret to self-publishing authors.
I didn’t know if I really needed a coach when I published my second book, but I’m so glad I invested in Mitali Deypurkaystha‘s program (now called the Conscious Leaders Academy). Unlike my first book, I considered going the traditional publishing route, but ultimately got the gut feeling that I should self-publish, and I wanted to make sure my second book was done properly.
The Vegan Publisher‘s program put me at ease, and the coaching calls that Mitali provided were invaluable. All the knowledge I received from her program gets passed onto my clients now too.
So why else should you hire a book coach?
1. A book coach helps you stay accountable to your writing
One of the top struggles I see with aspiring authors is completing their manuscript. Some have a great book idea, but they’re not organized enough to carve out writing time in their schedules. Others are just daunted by the amount that they need to write to form a book.
What I say is if you need to get to the 30,000-word minimum, if you can write 2 pages per day for a month, that’s roughly 1000 words daily and you could have a rough manuscript finished in a month. If people don’t think they can do that in a year or they don’t have enough content in another form (i.e. interviews, talks, whitepapers, articles, blogs, reports, short stories, essays, etc.), then they’re probably not cut out for this.
Sure, you can hire a ghostwriter or co-author to do the writing for you, but you’ll still need to carve out the time for us to sit and talk with you. It’s the same time management problem!
If you want to actually write your book but you need a person to stay accountable to, that’s where I can help.
Setting up a 30-60 minute call every month or week to check in and see how you’re doing with the writing can help you get there faster.
2. Connections to other book team members
If you’re self-publishing, you are your own project manager. But let’s say you don’t have the time nor the interest to go out and find the right editors, designers, and marketers.
A book coach may already have a team they’re familiar with and/or professionals they’ve worked with and are happy to refer to you. Often, freelancers will have referral bonuses for getting them work too; I give 5% back to your charity of choice for sending me clients.
If you’re working with a specialized genre coach, they’ll likely have a network of other professionals that also work in your genre, rounding out your team nicely. I had an 80% vegan team when I published my second book, which was important to me.
If your book coach says they don’t have a network of other professionals, that could be a red flag. Ask who they have in their network that could benefit you before you hire them.
3. Sound advice on publishing tips and avenues
Which publishing platform should you use? Where do you get your ISBNs? What should I put on my cover? Which keywords should I use?
One reason I became a book coach is that my author clients were asking me these questions, and I was giving them free advice.
Now I charge for my time and am happy to point people in the right direction, even though a coach should never make the final decision.
Industry standards and publishing steps are always being updated and can be tedious for clients to learn, so a book coach can save time. Bonus if you hire someone like me who will actually do the book administration for you!
4. Someone will celebrate with you when your book launches
Related to #1, sometimes it can feel lonely when you launch a book and most of your community is outside your city (although, an in-person event can help bust this!). But remember, just as your coach helps you get to the finish line, they can also be the first person to congratulate you!
Not only was Mitali my book coach, but she contributed to my book and shared a lot of content and interviews I posted to promote my book. She was truly a cheerleader. We have never met in person, but I loved seeing my book on her vendor table when she was at one of the National Health Association conferences a few years ago. I wish I had that photo!
Joel Mark Harris at Ghostwriters & Co worked on a memoir by a local veterinarian and shared not only videos but also spoke about the author’s story at his book launch event. That’s the person you want on your book team.
We always like pumping up other people more than ourselves, right?
If you’re looking for a very specific book coach, HMU on social or my contact page and I’ll see if I know someone who’s a better fit than I am.
Need a book coach, ghostwriter, or editor to help you publish your book so you can get it in the hands of readers? Read more about my services here and contact me if you’re ready to begin!
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