Earning Certification
Today’s success story comes to us from newly-certified book coach Kristin Melville!
Kristin Melville
Certified book coach
Tell us more about how you came to book coaching.
After getting my BA in Creative Writing, I was stuck with what I call "writer's drought" for 6 years after college. I was convinced I wasted my time and my tuition for a degree I would never use. Young, poor, and stupid, doomed to settle for an office job that loathed me back.
I know now I was too harsh on myself, too frustrated with my glacial writing pace. In 2019, however, I found a way to rekindle my love of writing, and in 2020 the pandemic gave me an opportunity to quit that frustrating job and work a remote internship for a small publishing house. I loved it! I wanted more!
After that, knowing I couldn't be happy as a simple pencil pusher, I started looking into how to be a freelance fiction editor, which led me to Jennie's book Read All Day And Get Paid For It.
What was your experience in the Book Coach Certification program? What did you find most satisfying? What did you find most challenging?
I enrolled in March 2021, and immediately I loved the wealth of knowledge and depth of the coursework. Common sense story theory with a comprehensive framework in the Blueprint changed how I think about books! That and the Inside Outline were my favorite tools I took away from the program.
I was most challenged by the [third practicum]. Working on the query, synopsis, and agent list took more time than expected, but I was able to learn a ton from the process. I'm exploring how I can use those principles to help self-published authors sell their books to readers.
What is the most valuable piece of advice you’re taking away from the training?
How to position a book in the market, developing a premise that sells as well as speaks from the heart. I also loved the chapter on how Show, Don't Tell is misunderstood, which is now something I preach about incessantly ;)
Tell us more about your book coaching plans.
If I were to take what I've learned into my own writing goals, I would focus on self-published fantasy novels, so that's the key clientele I want to work with. Mid-touch group programs with low ticket online courses are also in the plan. The courses would be for anyone who wants to self-publish, but I'd love to work directly with fantasy novelists the most. You can connect with me on my website!
Congratulations, Kristin!
If you’re interested in learning more about what it’s like being a book coach, we have a 5-day challenge for $99 called The One-Page Book Coaching Business Plan. Get clear on your business goals, the writers you might serve, and the mindset you’ll need to launch your own book coaching business. Click here or click the button below to enroll now!
