Why I Call Myself a Book Coach

First and foremost, I consider myself a writer, an author, a journalist, an artist, a storyteller. I never aspired to become a book coach. Indeed, whenever I came across book coaches’ posts on LinkedIn, I couldn’t help but wonder whether writers really need “cheerleaders” to motivate them. Personally, I find writing to be its own reward, and I suspect this to be true for most authors.

?

What, then, is the point of a professional class whose job it is to encourage and motivate writers—something we already do for ourselves?

?

I’ve come to call myself a book coach because it’s the term that best encompasses the services I offer, but these services are determined by what I know professional authors need, not by what I imagine insecure people to need. Writing my memoir has given me an intimate appreciation of the challenges that writers face, both while navigating the sensitive issues in their work, and while navigating the publishing industry. I’ve spent years developing strategies and conducting research. I’ve read thousands of novels, memoirs, craft books, business books, and treatises on publishing. I’ve learned how to think like an agent, an editor, a marketer, a publicist, and a publishing house executive—styles of thought that most writers find painfully counterintuitive. ?

?

I’ve built up a great deal of knowledge by doing this. That knowledge has value, practical value, tangible value, and I don’t believe in hoarding knowledge. I believe in sharing it with my fellow writers so that you can bring your projects to fruition, too. “Book coach” is simply the best term available, the least misleading of limited options. At the end of the day, to my clients, and to all my fellow authors, I have this to say: I’m one of you.