My philosophy about book coaching and writing

I believe that the goal of writing books is not only about landing big publishing deals.

Those deals are nice when they come, but it’s not what makes writers write. Writers write because we are called to do it. We write to raise our voices. We write because making art of any kind often makes us feel alive. We write to have an impact on people, to engage readers, to get them to think and perhaps act. We write because it’s something we have dreamed about doing our entire lives and we can’t rest until we do it.

I believe that helping writers do this work — the work of their heart and the work of their soul — is good, noble work.

Helping people get clarity around their thoughts, share their stories and their perspectives, and invite others to see the world the way they see it is one of the ways we can rise above the noise and reveal our humanity.

I believe that good writing can be taught.

There are rare native geniuses who know how to write an engaging book without having to work at it or think about it, but most writers must learn the craft. Throughout my career, I have had the pleasure of seeing all kinds of people from all kinds of educational and cultural backgrounds figure it out. It takes time and persistence, but it’s a skill that can be learned.

I believe that writing is not a zero-sum game.

Even if someone tries and fails (which means what? They don’t gain a broad readership? They don’t make the bestseller list? Insert any arbitrary metric….) the effort is still more than valuable and enriching. The same could be said for children who take piano lessons. The goal of the work is not always to end up playing at Carnegie Hall. It is a worthy goal to apply yourself to something challenging, to engage with an artistic medium, no matter the outcome. Aiming for big success is good — of course we all want it, and I get up every morning to try to guide clients to it — but it is not the only acceptable outcome.

I believe that it is difficult to make a living from writing alone.

Most writers will never get to quit their day jobs, land a movie deal with Reese Witherspoon, or even go on a great vacation from their earnings. It is for this reason that we don’t guarantee publication or a specific ROI from writing, and I counsel the coaches I teach not to do this, as well. Publishing is too dependent on luck and timing to make that kind of guarantee.

I believe that book coaching can be taught.

Whoever said that only successful writers can teach other writers to write? In my experience, famous writers are often the worst teachers because they are so genius at what they do that they can’t fathom not being a genius. They can explain what they do, but they can’t help others find their own way. There are a lot of good writers who are also good teachers, but the two things are not dependent on each other. In other industries — sports and music, for example, or executive business coaching — the coach has almost never reached the same level of achievement as the student. No one seems to question this. I believe it is no different in the world of writing. There are great agents and great editors at publishing houses who have never written or published a book. Most of them, in fact, have never written or published a book. They have learned how to help writers do their best work. This is what book coach training does for book coaches.

I believe that book coaching is a viable way for writers and other book lovers to add an additional income stream to the mix of things they do, either as a side gig or a full-time job.

The coaches I have trained are moms who want satisfying work they can do from home during school hours, MFA graduates who have not yet found a way to monetize their skills, English teachers who don’t make enough in their day jobs to support their families, writers who have not yet found a way to earn a full-time living as a writer or who may never find it.

I believe that I am in a strong position to teach others how to be writers and book coaches.

I have spent more than 30 years in the publishing industry and have developed a method that works across genres, across phases of the creative process, across different styles of working and writing. As a result of these systems, I can proudly and confidently teach others to do what I do.