The next chapter: help to write your best book
Hi friends!
Those of you that know me know that promoting myself and my work is my LEAST favorite thing to do. I’m the person that stuck my tongue out at my guests at my own wedding as I was walking down the ‘aisle’. (There is video proof!) Attention = not my jam.
But! Much like how your writing will never find an audience if you don’t ever actually pitch or publish it anywhere, if I never talk about what I do as a coach and how I do it, it might mean that I never get to work with writer you! And that would be a bummer, because I really love helping writers. That is very much my jam.
So let’s talk about it.
One of my superpowers is adaptability. How does that fit into my coaching practice? It means that I am incredibly comfortable adjusting to what works for each of my writers. Yes, the basic 1:1 offer—send me pages, I review and give you feedback, and then we talk about it—is the same for everyone. Why? Because it works.
But honestly, when I started out, I tried to squeeze everyone into a box, meeting at a set frequency (every two weeks) for a predefined amount of time (3 months). It didn’t work. Not only does every writer have their own individual needs and styles, but everyone has other commitments. Some people are only able to meet monthly or want to meet more frequently for a few months and then go away for a while because they have a clear path to the next milestone and don’t need as much support for a time.
If my goal is to meet writers where they are and help them write their best book with confidence—and it is!—then I don’t really care if that means I see you weekly or every few months. (I do love seeing y’all but I get it. 😉) The important thing to me is that you are motivated, have a clear path forward, and assurance and belief in your overall novel plan.
Frankly, I’ve been told this is a terrible way to do business. Maybe it is! But I’m not trying to build a generic coaching empire here. I want to take the foundational skills, principles, and frameworks that I know work and shape them to your goals and dreams for your book.
If we haven’t worked together before, I do ask writers to commit to a few sessions because that gives you your best shot at making significant progress. It’s also helpful to take advantage of the motivation that you have when you’re committing to 1:1 coaching. Is it a big step? Yes! Is it an investment? Yes! But I have seen amazing transformations and massive progress.
But don’t just take my word for it….
Not gonna lie; I LOVE reading full manuscripts. It takes advantage of all of my strengths:
Thinking deeply about all the different aspects of a novel;
Pulling apart the different pieces and threads and examining how they come together and/or where there are opportunities to make those things stronger;
Understanding what a writer’s goals are for the manuscript and evaluating whether those goals have been accomplished;
Evaluating whether and where a book would live in the publishing and book-selling world;
Brainstorming ideas for how to implement improvements.
The process is pretty straight-forward: I read your full manuscript, making inline notes and edits along the way. It isn’t a copyedit but my innate editor can’t help herself, so there’s a little of that thrown in too. I write an editorial letter, several pages long, that describes my findings in detail, as well as a suggested ‘order of operations’ for revising and how exactly to implement changes if you agree with my assessment. Then we have a 60-min. Zoom session to talk about it and make sure it’s all clear and you’re feeling confident about what to do. I guarantee feedback within 4 weeks, but it’s often faster.
This service isn’t for those that are looking to hear that everything is perfect and you’re ready to pitch. If it is, I will tell you—but, sorry, it almost certainly won’t be. Based on my experience, depending on how many drafts/revisions you’ve done, there will be at least 1-2 major issues, a few to several medium issues, and some small consistent things to keep an eye out for once you’ve figured out the bigger stuff.
This doesn’t mean you’ve done a bad job! It’s totally normal. If everyone cranked out perfect manuscripts off the tops of their heads, writers wouldn’t need editors, coaches, classes, writing groups, etc. And as a writer, I know that in draft number (cough, mumble, who knows?) it still isn’t perfect. It’s not for lack of effort on my part. This shit is hard. I think I may have mentioned that before?
But I have found that there are generally two types of writers who seek feedback. Type 1 really just wants to hear praise. They argue about each comment or question, how you, the giver of the feedback, don’t understand their vision and how they have actually gotten it across, you just didn’t ‘get it’. If that’s you, no problem! But I can tell you right now, we won’t be a good fit.
The second type are the people who are hungry for constructive criticism. They appreciate hearing what is working (and there are almost always things that are working!) but they are even more interested in what could be better. They want to improve, to write the best possible book they can. I LOVE working with these writers. I consider myself one of those writers!
This doesn’t mean that you have to accept and agree with everything that I suggest. Far from it! You are in charge of your own story and you shouldn’t feel obliged to implement feedback from anyone that doesn’t align with your vision. I won’t be offended if you disagree with me!
As a coach, it’s my job to tell you both what’s working and what’s not. I also help you understand HOW to make it better in practical terms. Both my editorial letter and our follow-up call will walk through not just the notes I’ve provided but my recommended next steps, so that you have a crystal clear way forward and the confidence that the work that you’re going to put in will advance your manuscript in significant ways.
The results?
(Note: I also have a special package that combines the two services—a manuscript review and 1:1 coaching—at a reduced price. It’s called Review and Revise and it’s designed to get you through a full manuscript revision, with 1:1 coaching support, in 6 months. 🔥)
The services above are good-sized investments in time and money. But how do we know if we’re a good fit or if I’m the right coach for you? A great way to get to know me and my style without making a commitment are these Jumpstart packages.
I designed these because I know I have a hard time jumping into a big ‘thing’ without feeling confident that it’s going to be worth it. Part of the research that I do is to test the waters by checking out a smaller offer to see if the person or service is what I’m looking for.
I’m happy to chat about whether one of these is the right starting place for you, but since they can happen fast and are lower cost, I’ve designed them so you can book directly on my website. You will fill out a questionnaire to tell me more about your project and attach either 10 (Bitesize) or 50 (Jumpstart) manuscript pages for me to review. I’ll read and give you an editorial letter within a couple of days of receiving your materials; then we have a 30 min. Zoom call to review the feedback and answer any questions.
These are mini 1:1 coaching sessions and are a perfect way to test the coaching waters. They can also be a great way to unstick yourself if you have a one-off question you’re struggling with.
Upcoming….
In just a few weeks, I’ll be unveiling a project management tool to help you build a specific plan for your novel project. It’s rolling out at a special price to kick it off and you all will be the first to know!!! Stay tuned.
If any of these sound like a good fit or if you would like to learn more, please go to my website for more info and to set up a time to chat!
THANK YOU for bearing with me while I step way way outside of my comfort zone!
♥️Kerry