The Benefits of Investing In a Book Writing Coach
Today’s blog post comes to us from Author Accelerator CEO Jennie Nash. If you enjoy today’s content, you can sign up for Jennie's weekly newsletter here.
I have been a book writing coach for more than twelve years now, guiding fiction, memoir, and nonfiction writers to Big 5 book deals, six-figure advances, and places on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. In 2013, I started Author Accelerator, a company that trains, certifies, and supports book coaches as they launch their own businesses and serve writers in their own unique and powerful ways. I have devoted the last decade to raising the bar in this new industry, which is why I created a rigorous training program that helps coaches develop and hone their skills and stay current with publishing trends.
I believe that working with a book coach is an excellent way for writers to produce their best work. Here are my top 8 benefits of investing in a book writing coach:
Holistic support for the writing life
An editor usually comes to work on a manuscript when it is complete. But this isn’t helpful for writers in the middle of the process (you’ve probably been there.. stuck in the middle of a draft and googled, “Who can help me write a book?”) A book coach works with the writer throughout the creative process, offering a framework while the writer is planning and drafting their book, giving feedback while they revise it, and helping with the strategy around pitching. We work not just with the writing, but with the writer, helping people with their habits and their mindset, their doubts, and their goals.
Accountability
A lot of writers are writing books at the same time they are running companies, caring for children or other family members, and juggling many demands on their time. A book coach keeps their project on track by providing deadlines and timely, focused feedback. You have someone holding a mirror up to your work, asking questions about everything on the page, and pointing out where the writing is veering from the plan. The result is that the work tends to get done and done well.
A streamlined process
Working with a book coach saves an enormous amount of time. Having support and feedback while you write often means you don’t need as many drafts to produce the book you are envisioning in your mind. Writers who work with book coaches have decided that it is more valuable for them to pay to work with a trained professional than to trade their time, which is what is required when working with a critique partner or writing group.
Marketplace intelligence
Things move fast in publishing and it’s tough for writers who aren’t immersed in the industry to keep up with it all. A book coach offers an extra set of eyes to help understand changes and opportunities—everything from a new literary agency opening up to changes in the services hybrid publishers are offering to new apps for book discoverability.
Strategic insight
A new writer may only approach agents once for a book in their career and that time is now. A writing book coach has often guided writers through the pitch process and can help develop an effective strategy for researching and pitching agents, as well as an understanding of how to make meaning of any rejections or responses.
Confidence
Working with a book coach builds confidence. Writers have someone helping them to see both their strengths and their weaknesses. They have honest feedback about what is working and what needs more work. Instead of guessing when the work is ready for the marketplace, they know. Pitching from a place of confidence rather than fear is not only a more enjoyable process, it tends to produce better results.
Career guidance
We help writers navigate the path to publishing, helping them decide on the best approach for their project and their goals. If their plans involve pitching agents, we teach them how to evaluate agents and build a strategic pitch list. We edit their pitch materials and help them get into the right mindset for pitching. We support them through a process that can be terribly confusing and sometimes upsetting.
Cheerleading
Writing is lonely work. It can take years to complete a commercially viable book and you usually get very little feedback during that time. When you work with a book coach, you have someone who is as invested in your project as you are, who is cheering you on, and who will be there for all the ups and downs of the process.
Is book coaching expensive?
It depends.
The book coaches we certify set their own pricing and run their own businesses so there are a wide range of options. It certainly is always going to cost something because of the value book coaches add. I believe in coaches earning at least a living wage, so I council them to charge accordingly.
Author Accelerator’s offerings
At Author Accelerator, we offer programs for writers at every step of the writing process and at every financial price point.
Free webinars and workshops
We frequently offer free programming to anyone who signs up. Here are just a few of the Author Accelerator free events we’ve hosted in 2022:
We just did a 3-hour manuscript editing webinar. Click here to watch Ready, Set, Revise!
Earlier this year we also hosted 4 days of free sessions for nonfiction writers called Behind the Scenes of a Book Proposal. Click here to watch the replay from day one.
Alongside ProWritingAid, we hosted a free event called Roadmap to a Bestselling Book. You can watch the replay here.
I also hosted How to Get People to Care About Your Writing alongside Dan Blank after the release of Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book: Plan & Pitch Your Big Idea. Click here for the replay.
These free events happen year-round, so sign up for our newsletter so you can stay up to date on what’s coming.
Free writing challenge
Right now, I’m taking over the #AmWriting podcast with host (and certified book coach!) KJ Dell’Antonia for 10 weeks of podcast episodes and Blueprint exercises. You can jump in and listen to the podcasts over on KJ’s website. [UPDATE: Even though the challenge is now over, you can still do it on your own! Sign up here.]
$25 offerings
We also offer a $25 Writer Matching Service to help you find the best certified book coach for your WIP. (Please note that if you do decide to work with a book coach, their prices will vary.)
Course offerings
Author Accelerator offers more than a dozen courses for writers. Some are about the Blueprint method featured in my books, while others are about navigating the publishing space, editing a manuscript, how to pitch, and more. These course prices range from $49 to $500.
Our Book Coach Certification program is $2,400, which includes the licensing fee for your first year of certification. It’s a rigorous 6- to 9-month course with monthly live training and 24/7 access to a community of writers and book coaches with a full-time community manager. Book coaching is a different skill than writing and editing, and there is always something new to learn about the work itself and the industry. We’re very proud of the community we’ve built and the support we provide each other and writers!
If you have any questions about book coaching or what we do at Author Accelerator, feel free to reach out to us at contact@authoraccelerator.com.
I am also on Twitter at @jennienash and on Instagram at @jennienashbookcoach.
