Today’s blog post comes to us from Author Accelerator certified book coach Vanessa Soto.

I had a moment with a client the other day that I can’t get out of my head.

It was one of those times where the fundamental impact we as book coaches can have on our clients made itself crystal clear.

We have been working together for about five months. She’s a Canadian food writer developing a book proposal for her first cookbook. The proposal is polished, the query letter is singing, and it was time to hop on Zoom to talk through her list of agents and finalize the pitch strategy. 

We spent much of the call on the nitty-gritty of agency submission guidelines, because per usual, every agent wanted something different. 

As we started to talk through how she had prioritized the agents — who she would pitch first in her first batch, second batch, and so on…. I noticed something that gave me pause. 

My charming, confident, multi-talented client who appears regularly on Canadian morning television, has a combined platform of 35k, aspires to a Netflix deal and whose personal mission is to “help a million people change how they cook and eat” — had prioritized the one agent probably best suited to help her make it all the way to Netflix… at the very bottom of her list.

And this is not the first time I’ve seen something like this. Clients do it out of fear, anxiety, struggles with the imposter complex — each of these things individually, and all of them mixed up together in their heads.

And as book coaches, while it’s absolutely our job to help our clients hone their book concept, develop standout book proposals, and design strategic pitch plans — I believe, it’s also our job to pay attention to what’s going on underneath.

Things like, WHY is my rockstar client placing that rockstar agent at the very bottom of her list? 

So instead of just telling my client to move the rockstar agent back to the top, I asked her why she was at the bottom. I asked if maybe that agent was making her nervous, maybe making her doubt herself...

And the answer was yes, yes she is. My client explained that the agent’s website was in fact the most exciting website of them all. It made her think of Netflix deals. It was just so darn exciting it overwhelmed her so much she almost had to close her laptop

So, we talked about how exciting and scary can feel very similar.

And how in this case, the exciting/scary combination is a positive sign. It’s a sign of stretching yourself in a good way — the kind of way that makes you uncomfortable, nervous, and excited all at once. The kind of way that opens the door for Netflix deals.

We also talked about what could happen if some other agent at the top of her list were to say yes first, and then the rockstar agent never even got a chance, because they are way down at the bottom… and how that would definitely not do!

So, my client moved the rockstar agent up to the #1 slot on the list and we shifted a few others down. And then she said, “Wow I love this list so much. I am so excited now!” 

And with that, I felt like the proudest mama. 

When clients first come to me it’s because they have a big idea burning away inside them and a deep desire to share it with the world in the form of a nonfiction book. 

When they decide to work with me it’s because they are creative, skilled, accomplished women who are smart enough to know when to ask for help to make their book proposal the best it can be.

But when they finish their work with me, they have the polished proposal, the query letter, and the pitch plan — and they are quicker to recognize when they discount their expertise, downplay their successes, or expect perfection from themselves on a first try. This is because I work quietly with them on these rockstar emotional resilience skills, right along with drafting their author bio and marketing plan.

For a first-time author heading into the competitive publishing world, emotional resilience skills are as crucial as the ability to hone their voice or grow their author platform. When my clients finish their work with me, I want them to feel as confident in their pitch materials as in their ability to showcase their value and handle the ups and downs of the publishing marketplace.

My food writer client will start querying soon. And who knows what will happen — whether she’ll get the book deal, or if she’ll make it to Netflix. It’s impossible to know. 

But one thing we both know for sure is that neither of us will ever wonder “what would have happened if…” And that’s because when faced with the uncomfortable scary feelings of self doubt that came up around that rockstar agent, she chose to let herself feel those feelings, and then she went ahead anyway and made a rockstar move.

Vanessa Soto is a book proposal coach who helps women with a POV go from “I have this book idea”—to pitch-ready proposal in 6-months flat. Connect with Vanessa on Instagram or subscribe to her #booknotes newsletter for curated tips, guidance, and advice to help you stay on track towards your goal of publishing your first nonfiction book.

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