Why Book Coaching Could Be the Right Career Change for You
Does reading books all day (and getting paid for it) sound like the dream? What about controlling how much you work and how much you make? And are you yearning to do meaningful work to help others achieve their goals?
This is the work of a book coach. We help writers through ideation, planning, drafting, and editing. We serve as craft experts, project managers, cheerleaders, and more. We do challenging work that’s also fulfilling and fun.
This job is relatively new – though writers have gotten support, coaching, and editorial help from other places for centuries. And as more writers pursue both traditional and self-publishing, book coaching is poised to explode. It’s a great time for people who are looking to change careers to consider book coaching for their next chapter.
But despite all the benefits, you still might ask: Is becoming a book coach right for me? If you’re just starting to consider this, or you’ve been on the fence for a while, here are answers to the questions that might be holding you back.
How do I know that I’m qualified to be a book coach?
The great thing about book coaching is that it doesn’t require any qualifications. That’s not to say that just anyone can start coaching tomorrow. But all the knowledge and skills that book coaching requires can be taught! (You can click here to download a syllabus for our Book Coach Certification program.)
So if anyone could theoretically become a book coach, how do you know if you’d be well-suited to it? And will you like it? If you have most of these characteristics, you probably have the makings of a good coach.
You must love books
Perhaps this one goes without saying, but if you’re going to work all day at helping people write books, you should love books. Not only is this crucial to your enjoyment of coaching, but it also makes you better prepared to help others. When you read consistently, you further your understanding of the craft and you stay on top of trends in the industry.
You must love writers and writing
You don’t have to be a writer yourself, but you have to have an interest in working with writers on the writing process. Talking about books and talking about writing are really two different things – one is an outcome and one is the process. If you find the process, or the people who do it, interesting and engaging, you’ll find this work fulfilling.
You must have or be willing to develop comfort with the creative process
Calling it a process implies that things are straightforward, however the creative process is anything but. It’s messy, iterative, and deeply emotional. Is that something you can withstand? And can you help guide someone else through those trials? Fortunately, you don’t have to come to coaching with this skillset fully developed already, but you must be open to working on it because your writers will look to you, as their coach, for direction when the creative process challenges them.
You must have or be willing to develop comfort with project management
A significant aspect of book coaching – regardless of whether you work in fiction or nonfiction – is project management. Writing a book is big, and often unwieldy, undertaking, which is why so many writers struggle to make much progress on their own. They don’t know how to approach the work, how to plan and execute, or how to keep themselves on track. Coaches provide structure and accountability so that writers can get the work done. This is another skill you can learn if you’re willing.
You should be able to see the big picture and small details at the same time
A book is different than any other format because it must work on multiple levels–and there are many more levels to a book than a short story or any essay. This means that a coach has to hold the larger narrative and character arcs in their mind, while also determining if the story is working on a scene- and line-level. For nonfiction, it’s verifying that each chapter makes its own complete argument while also serving the larger book’s argument.
You must know or be willing to learn about the marketplace
If you choose to coach writers whose ultimate goal is publishing, you have to have an understanding of the market and what publishers and/or readers will expect. Yes, writing is a craft, but it’s also a business, and anyone who wants to produce a successful book has to weigh the business with the craft. As a book coach, writers will look to you with questions about publishing and more, so you have to be willing to equip yourself with the answers.
You like to work one-on-one
There are avenues for coaches, like teaching courses and holding retreats, that don’t involve one-on-one work, but most coaching is done this way. Working one-on-one is simply the most efficient approach to help a writer progress quickly because you’re entirely focused on their story and helping them address their unique needs. If that suits you too, you’ll love the ability to zero in on one writer at a time.
You feel comfortable working solo
This is possibly the best and worst part of being an entrepreneur. Because you are your own boss, you answer to no one. You control your schedule, which you can dial up or down as needed. That’s the much sought after flexibility that has so many people leaving their current jobs. But, on the flip side, most of your days are spent on your own. While you may take a few coaching calls with clients, you’re mostly alone. Does that sound like your dream?
You have the ability to protect yourself from emotion
Writing a book is a highly emotional process–and people can struggle when it gets hard. So how do you handle a situation when emotions run high? If you can keep a cool head and protect yourself from getting caught in those challenging feelings so you can help your writer work through them, you’ll be a strong coach.
You must be self-motivated
That thing about being your own boss can be liberating, but it will also be a curse if you’re not self-motivated. You have to be able to determine for yourself how you will run your business, how you will use your time, and how you will help your clients.
You might notice a pattern–a lot of these skills can be learned. That’s why Author Accelerator offers a rigorous training and certification program to teach coaches all they need to know about the book writing process, helping writers, navigating publishing, and building a business. So though you don’t need any qualifications to get started, getting certified by Author Accelerator signifies that you can do this work.
What if I’ve never written a book or I’m not sure if I know how to write a book?
Again, you can learn! It’s not so important that you have already written a book–and in fact, many people who have successfully written a book still don’t have the skills or know-how to help others do it. That’s because a lot of writers aren’t aware of their process or they have one that might not work for others.
Author Accelerator teaches a repeatable process that Jennie Nash developed after working with writers over the course of two decades. She noticed similarities in the struggles her writers had, and created an approach to planning and drafting that helped them navigate those challenges. It worked time and again.
You can learn this process, and confidently guide writers through it, even if you haven’t done it yourself. Look at all the agents and editors who have never published their own work but help writers develop amazing books. Doing and coaching are two different skillsets.
What if my current career has nothing to do with writing books?
Regardless of the work that you currently do, or previous careers that you’ve had, you have skills that will transfer to book coaching.
For example, coaches who’ve previously worked in health care (we have a former sonographer and a former physicians’ assistant who are certified book coaches… plus more former health care friends in the course!) say that they feel well prepared to handle the difficult emotions that come up with book coaching. Also, they often pursued medicine because they wanted to help people and interacting with their patients was the best part of their jobs–this sets them up perfectly for the work of helping writers through a challenging project.
Coaches with backgrounds in marketing, advertising, and communications say they have strengths in both coaching and running their businesses. These coaches are great at identifying a client’s underlying needs or challenges and clearly communicating solutions. Additionally, they love finding new and different ways to market their coaching services.
Former lawyers and project managers bring confident guidance to their writers. These coaches are generally process-oriented and provide clear structure to ensure writers meet their goals. They’ve also learned to devise creative solutions, especially when the project goes off-track or surprises come up.
Other jobs also bring plenty of transferable skills to the table. Consider ways in which you’ve developed your analytical skills – it’s important that coaches can quickly diagnose what is and what isn’t working in a manuscript. Or if you feel like your organizational skills are a strength, you’ll be well suited to help a writer wade through several rounds of revision and stay on top of deadlines.
There are even book coaches using their experience and knowledge from their former careers to work with people still in those industries who want to write. Suffice it to say, even if you don’t have a background in writing or teaching, it doesn’t mean that you can’t coach writers to complete excellent books.
Ultimately, if you’re considering a career change and you’d like to become a book coach, a concern that you don’t know enough or that you’re not qualified shouldn’t stop you. What you already know about writing is less important than what you’re willing to learn. As long as you have an interest in books and working with writers, and you’re open to developing your skills, you can become a great book coach! Click the button below to download a syllabus for our Book Coach Certification program.
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