Expanding Your Craft
We’d like to introduce you to Susanne Dunlap, who is an Author Accelerator certified book coach and author. We invited her to share her success story with us and to talk about her experience.
How did you come to book coaching?
I’m already certified in fiction coaching, and I decided to take the nonfiction course because the fiction course was so amazingly good.
What was your experience in the nonfiction certification course?
I think the most satisfying thing was helping my practicum client go from a germ of an idea to a fully fleshed-out, really strong book proposal (that she is now pitching to the agents on our list with the strategy we developed!).
Most challenging was just having the time to do the course. Every bit of it is so important and satisfying. It did take me over six months, but it was time well spent in my view.
What is the most valuable piece of advice you’re taking away from the training?
The most valuable insight from the course, for me, was how different nonfiction coaching is from fiction coaching. There’s a much stronger emphasis on finding the right market, and in nonfiction, you’re really coaching mainly the proposal - since that’s how most nonfiction is sold. It was an eye-opener. A true learning experience.
Tell us more about your coaching plans.
I already have an established coaching business where I’ve been working with authors of fiction and memoir. I’m super excited to ramp up my work with nonfiction authors - and have even been inspired to create my own proposal for a nonprofit book I’ve wanted to write for a long time (working with a coach, of course!).
What are the next steps in your career?
Just continuing working with some amazing clients, and expanding my coaching practice to nonfiction, and hoping to get more testimonials like this one from a client who is writing a cozy mystery:
“I have learned so much from working with Susanne. She strikes the perfect balance between encouragement and valuable instruction and feedback. Susanne brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her coaching. It is so helpful to sit at the feet of someone who has climbed the mountain. Most importantly, she has helped me rediscover hope in my writing and the joy and wonder of crafting compelling fiction.”
Follow along with Susanne’s work as an author and a book coach. Click here to follow her work on Instagram.
