Make it work! – Tim Gunn, Project Runway.
Recently, I decided to uplevel my book coaching skills by joining Jennie Nash’s Author Accelerator program (https://www.authoraccelerator.com/). Jennie’s program is unique, a combination of her wisdom, insights, valuable information, actionable steps, resources, tools and more that have enabled me to see my work in a whole new way and bring even more value to my clients.
Author Accelerator has certified over 300 book coaches who work with writers around the world. Both Jennie and Author Accelerator have a stellar reputation in the publishing business and I’m glad to be part of the community. I’ve found Jennie and the members to be smart, savvy about all aspects of publishing, professional and committed to doing high quality work for each client.
Jennie Nash was an instructor at UCLA’s Extension Writers’ Program and a highly successful author and book coach herself – she’s coached books like Lisa Cron’s Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence (Ten Speed Press) - before she created her brainchild and continues to work with top writers today. Nash knows all the ins and outs of coaching authors in fiction, non-fiction and memoir and is the leader in this exciting field that empowers authors to write their best books.
Observe, Assess, Give Feedback, Provide Guidance
Book coaching is a relatively new field. But athletes, executives and even surgeons have often used coaching to reach their goals. Atul Gawande, a NYC surgeon asked a respected colleague to observe his operations and give him suggestions to improve. Over time, he was able to make small, but important changes that upleveled his skills. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/10/03/personal-best If coaching works for these professionals, why not writers?
Having a coach, whether you’re an athlete, executive, surgeon or author means that an objective person will observe what you’re doing, assess if it’s working or not, give feedback to fix what isn’t working and guide you to a successful outcome. This is a powerful thing. Think about Tim Gunn on Project Runway. He encouraged designers to Make it Work! with a big dose of understanding, empathy and support. A book coach offers writers the same compassionate, focused attention.
Book coaching is a mindset shift from editing, where the editor takes an already completed draft of a manuscript and makes notes, changes and suggestions and book coaching where you work with the author as she writes. In many ways editing and book coaching are the same, but the latter differs in that it’s an active, present moment process as the writer conceives and writes a book in tandem with a book coach.
A Positive Feedback Loop
Yes, you can write a book on your own, but sometimes asking for help and hiring a book coach can be the smartest thing that you can do. Not only will you get from A to B faster, you enter into a positive feedback loop that enables you to improve as a writer. As you submit ideas and later content and get positive feedback, edits, suggestions and support, your writing will become stronger. You’ll also be energized to move forward and finish.
I’ve seen this in many of my authors over a matter of months. The difference between where they start and where they finish can be remarkable. I find that they write with more authority, assurance and confidence and that the content is clear and reader-friendly with actionable steps. This means that the writer feels good about the process and the outcome and makes it much more likely that her ideal reader will too.
Until Next Time!
Contact me when you’re ready if you need:
1. A book coach to be your editorial guide, support and project manager as you write or re-write your book proposal and/or book.
2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview.
3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly.
4. If you’d like a free copy of my PDF: Is it a Book? The Ten Step Roadmap to Writing Your Best Book sign up for my e-mail list at www.chrystlefiedlerbookcoaching.com.
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