Book Coaching
What is it?
Through one-on-one sessions, I provide you with the structure, craft instruction, and feedback you need to write your book. The process is collaborative and tailored to the inspiration and support you need.
How does it work?
Sessions can be conducted in person, via phone, or via a platform like Google Meets.
In our first, 90-minute session, we
identify where you are in your book and where you want to go
anticipate what craft tools you’ll need to develop
discuss what practical and psychological challenges you might face in completing your book
sketch out what progress looks like for you
set up a schedule for writing milestones and check-in sessions.
Then in one-hour check-in sessions, we
go over my feedback on up to 7,000 words of your book that you have submitted to me ahead of time
work on any needed craft instruction
try out strategies for getting past any obstacles that have arisen
revise your goals if needed
celebrate when you reach milestones.
When you finish your book, we discuss next steps, including a revision plan and publishing options.
What does it cost?
$100 per month for two sessions per month
$190 per month for four sessions per month
Ghostwriting
What is it?
Using your ideas and my interviewing and writing skills, we work collaboratively to create a ready-to-publish manuscript. Projects can ran the gamut from a memory book just for family or a full-blown memoir ready to send out to literary agents.
How does it work?
Sessions can be conducted in person, via phone, or via a platform like Google Meets.
In our first one- to two-hour session we discuss
your goals in writing a memoir
main ideas
ideal audience
structure and organization
tone and voice
any current gaps, questions, or potential challenges.
In our subsequent weekly one- to two-hour sessions, we talk through each chapter of your memoir, with me guiding you and asking questions to ensure we have all the material we need.
We also at various times during our sessions
do a tone/soundcheck to make sure the book sounds the way you want it to
work on title ideas
come up with a one-line summary of your memoir.
After we finish talking through the content, I write up the full manuscript and deliver it to you.
You read through the manuscript, and then we meet again in one- to two-hour sessions to go over any changes you want.
I next write up a full revision and deliver it to you.
We meet again to go over any final light edits (usually one session).
At our final session, we discuss publishing options.
What does it cost?
Price depends on the scope and length of the project. In general, a collection of short reminiscences could cost around $1,500, while a book of standard publication length (ten-chapters and 50,000-words) could cost around $6,000.
Editing
I’ve read a lot of works in progress. Many of them have great ideas and tons of promise but are not ready for submission or publication because they need to be expertly edited (truthfully, I see a lot of self-published books that have the same problems). I do three types of editing that can take your book draft to the next level.
Editorial Letter
What is it?
This service is designed to give you big-picture feedback of your full manuscript. I will let you know the main strengths and weaknesses of your book in terms of such central components as structure/organization, overarching ideas/themes, clarity, tone and voice, pacing, and (in the case of fiction) literary elements like characterization, plot, dialogue, setting, and description. I also suggest strategies for making your book the best it can be.
This service is appropriate for you if you need some guidance on your manuscript before deciding what to do with it next— get a developmental edit? Do extensive revisions? Polish? Start submitting? Something else?
How does it work?
You send me your manuscript, and we have an initial 30-minute call to discuss deadlines and expectations, and special concerns.
After I review your manuscript, I send you a letter of up to 1,000 words that covers the relevant points listed above and gives you some strategies for general areas to work on in your writing and how to go about revising your work.You receive a letter of up to 1,000 words that covers these points and gives you some strategies for general areas to work on in your writing and how to go about revising your work.
I give specific examples and evidence to explain my points in the letter. Note: I do not write comments and edits on the manuscript document itself beyond the occasional typo correction.
You can contact me via email for the next two weeks for questions and clarifications.
What does it cost?
$150 for manuscripts of up to 60,000 words and $50 for each additional 10,000 words.
Note: If you hire me to do an editorial letter and then want to go on to do a developmental edit, the cost of the letter will be subtracted from the cost of the edit.
Developmental Editing
What is it?
This service combines the editorial letter (see above) with detailed comments directly on your manuscript document. It is designed to give feedback on the manuscript as a whole and consider big-picture issues but with much greater detail and guidance than the editorial letter. Developmental editing digs down into the particulars but still keeps an eye on the overall effect of the book. I also suggest specific strategies for making your book the best it can be.
This service is appropriate for you if you are struggling to take your manuscript to the next level on your own, if you have received an editorial letter but want more specific feedback, if you need a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your writing, and if you are committed to revising your work.
How does it work?
You send me a sample of your work and we discuss during an in-person, phone, or video session what you want to get out of the edit and what I can offer you.
Then I
make detailed notes in the margins throughout the manuscript where I see you succeeding or struggling with such central components as structure/organization, overarching ideas/themes, clarity, tone and voice, pacing, and (in the case of fiction) literary elements like characterization, plot, dialogue, setting, and description
identify what aspects of writing most challenge you so that you can start to build self-awareness and improve
do a reverse outline of the book to help you understand how the book is structured versus how you want to structure it.
Please note I do NOT
rewrite any text
tackle areas like word choice, sentence structure, paragraph structure, wordiness, inconsistent point of view, or other finer text areas
find and correct every grammatical, mechanical, or typographical error in your manuscript.
After I send you the edit and you read through it, we meet for one session where we discuss any questions or concerns you have. I am then also available for two weeks afterwards to answer additional questions via email.
How much does it cost?
Price depends on the length and scope of the project. I will determine the price after looking at your writing sample. The price for a 50,000-word manuscript is usually $1,000.
Note: If you hire me for an editorial letter and then want to go on to do a developmental edit, the cost of the letter will be subtracted from the cost of the edit.
Line Editing
What is it?
This service is designed to give you focused feedback on the language of your manuscript. I note things I think work well, but I mostly focus on what can be better and make concrete suggestions and changes to the text. You receive back from me a manuscript that is thoroughly marked up and gives you strategies for making your words, sentences, and paragraphs the sharpest they can be.
Issues I consider:
Wordiness
Confusing diction and syntax
Transitions
Connections between ideas
Paragraph focus, coherence, and development
Effectiveness of tone and voice
Overall structure and organization
Consistency
Vividness of language
Underdevelopment of ideas.
This service is appropriate for you if
you have revised your manuscript at least once
you are confident with where your manuscript is in general in terms of big-picture issues
you are ready for fine-detail scrutiny.
How does it work?
You send me a sample of your work and we discuss during an in-person, phone, or video session what you want to get out of the edit and what I can offer you.
Then I work on the manuscript by
identifying problems and making changes in the text itself such as deleting weak sentences, moving paragraphs, or substituting a word
staying true to your perspective, language and thoughts
giving feedback you can use to develop a sense of your strengths and challenges as a writer and of what to focus on when you revise and edit your writing in the future.
Although some of this feedback will relate to big-picture issues like theme and structure, I do NOT focus on those issues.
Although I catch and correct some grammatical, mechanical, or typographical errors, I do NOT focus on looking for them and do not catch all errors.
After I send you the completed edit and you read through it, we meet for one session where we discuss any questions or concerns you have. I am then also available for two weeks afterwards to answer additional questions via email.
What does it cost?
$.05 per word with a $1,000 minimum
Classes
What are they?
Small group discussion and practice of the elements of memoir and group review of manuscripts in progress.
Current classes (Fall 2024)
Memoir Writing 101 through Bowling Green-Warren County Community Education
Six two-hour sessions once a week
Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Aug 27 - Oct 1
$30
For beginning memoir students
Topics covered include
Learning to write vivid, precise prose
Negotiating the difficult or elusive memory
Writing about people (characterization and dialogue)
Finding a voice
Matching your story to your structure
Writing through roadblocks
Giving and getting feedback on your writing
Finishing your draft, revising, and editing
Publishing options
MORE Memoir-Writing through the Society for Lifelong Learning at WKU.
Six 90-minutes sessions once a week
Thursdays, 3:30-5:00 p.m., Sept 26 - Oct
See their website for info on cost
For students who have taken a previous class in nonfiction and/or memoir writing
Topics covered include
Improving your prose with stronger imagery, figurative language, diction, and syntax
Improving your prose with stronger imagery, figurative language, diction, and syntax
Analyzing life experiences
Digging down to your authentic voice
Rethinking structure
Digging down to your authentic voice
Giving and getting feedback on your writing
Finishing your draft, revising, and editing
Finding your audience
Publishing options
Intermediate Memoir-Writing (taught independently by me)
Six two-hour sessions once a week
Schedule TBA by enrollment
$240
For students with some background in writing nonfiction and/or memoir
Topics covered include
Improving your prose with stronger imagery, figurative language, diction, and syntax
Analyzing life experiences
Digging down to your authentic voice
Rethinking structure
Digging down to your authentic voice
Giving and getting feedback on your writing
Finishing your draft, revising, and editing
Finding your audience
Publishing options
Not sure which class is for you?
Contact me for more information.
