What You Should Know About Writing Coaches
Writing coach, Photo by Kyle Glenn
First, what is a writing coach?
A writing coach helps people reach their writing goals. Vague enough for you? Unfortunately there isn’t one steadfast definition because so much depends on the individual writer’s needs along with the coach’s background and methods. Some writers want help writing and pitching magazine articles, essays, or short stories. Others want help finishing a novel or nonfiction book proposal, and others want someone to guide them through the traditional or self-publishing process. And behind every one of those goals is a writer with a unique set of roadblocks getting in the way.
Regardless of the focus or method, a writing coach will help you get out of your own way and get on with publishing your story!
Spoiler alert — I’m biased. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a writing coach, and what you might not know is that I’ve also hired a coach for my own work. That said, I’ll try to be as practical and informational as I can here, and I’ll even include links to find other coaches. This is not in any way a sales page for my services…if that’s what you’re looking for, head here.
In this article, I’ll explain:
How much you can expect to pay
How coaching is different from editing
How coaching is different from a course
How can a writing coach help?
A writing coach can help you develop the habits and the confidence to finish your book, and depending on their background and skill set, they may also teach you the craft and business of writing and publishing.
More specifically, working with a coach can help you:
Turbocharge your productivity
They’ll work with you to develop a road map and stick to it so you’re not distracted by shiny new ideas (or help you evaluate when a change is really needed).
Provide accountability with assignments and deadlines so you don’t procrastinate. (I’m incredibly self motivated, but apart from grad school, I’ve never turned out quality pages as quickly and consistently as when I was working with a coach.)
Help you find a workable writing schedule and stick to it, or on the other hand, identify times to rest so you don’t burn out.
Talk you through any practical challenges that are slowing you down, whether it’s a snag in your story’s structure or a curveball in your real life.
Suggest solutions to vanquish your writers block and slay your mindset dragons (If you’ve spent an entire day writing one sentence just to delete it the next day, or if one day your book seems designated for a Pulitzer and the next it seems like garbage, congrats you’re a normal writer! Coaches have tried and true methods to help with that.)
Hone your craft so your book reaches its fullest potential
They’ll work with you to fine tune your premise so it stands out from all the books already published and competing in the slush pile.
Help you identify and improve both your strengths and weaknesses as a writer. (A good coach will find your strengths. If they can’t, they’re being lazy.)
Offer an outside perspective when you’re too close to the material to see clearly.
Teach you ways to continually improve your craft through gradually more sophisticated feedback and personalized lessons.
Act as a sounding board and strategist for new ideas or snags. (Is that new idea the brilliant solution you think it is or just a distraction that will keep you from finishing?)
Help you maintain the book’s focus so the draft you complete holds together.
Develop your professionalism and publishing savvy
Teach you how the publishing industry works.
Help you navigate publication challenges that might apply to your unique situation.
Show you exactly what obstacles you may face in publishing your particular book, but help you rise to that challenge.
How much do writing coaches charge?
This too runs the gamut, usually depending on the coach’s writing or publishing experience as well as their experience with coaching. Ideally, your coach is a professional writer who has been where you are and can relate to your struggles but who also has the coaching background to guide you through your next steps. That said, if all you can afford is a basic accountability coach who can crack the whip if you don’t meet a word count goal or give you a pep talk when you’re down, that’s still better than trying to do it all on your own.
On the low end, you can go on Fiverr and find people who will coach you for $15 an hour. Likewise you can find companies that charge you more but pay their coaches minimum wage. Usually, their background is more in the realm of “I’ve always loved reading” rather than in the world of publishing. And you probably won’t get detailed feedback on your writing for that price (or be able to trust it if that is included) but their encouragement might be all you need to get that first draft down.
On the high end, I know of a coach who charges $12,000 for a VIP day and $75,000 for a start-to-finish book coaching package, I kid you not! Yet another offers one-week virtual classes for $8,000, and then another who charges $1,000 for one phone call. Whew!
A safe bet for someone with bona fide writing and publishing experience seems to be about $600-$1,200 a month.
How the coaching process works
This varies so much I’d say it’s on a coach-to-coach basis. There is much more variation than other industries, like business coaching.
Some writing coaches work with phone calls alone with packages of coaching calls that you can book as needed. Others have set programs that move you through steps in their process with a mix of phone calls and workbooks.
Some work entirely over email, sending you inspirational quotes and ensuring you’ve met your word count goals.
Some read your work before talking about it on a call, and others read your work and offer written feedback…or some combination.
I’m sure there are dozens of other arrangements! In other words, make sure you find out exactly what you’ll be getting and whether or not it’s a fit for you. Most of us offer free exploratory calls to make sure it will be a positive and productive relationship that’s inspiring for author and coach alike.
Personally I fall into the category that offers both feedback on your pages and coaching calls to support you. The way it plays out can be different for each client, but I do have a basic structure. That structure is a little more defined if you’re working on a book proposal rather than a complete manuscript (you can read more about both of those services HERE). Either way, we start with a 75-minute kickoff call where we find out what is and isn’t working for you and then develop a writing plan that works with your strengths and within your lifestyle. Then I’ll give you customized weekly assignments that keep you and your story focused while moving you toward your goal with a mix of written feedback, coaching calls, and Voxer and/or email support to answer quick questions between sessions.
As we continue, I help you work through anything that’s getting in the way from mindset to plot issues, or it can be thorough written feedback on the pages you turn in. Either way, you’re not gonna just get a “great job, keep it up.” We’ll go deep so that every week you’re pushing yourself to grow and every week your book is getting better and better.
How coaching differs from editing
Since many editors also offer coaching and most coaches offer at least some level of written feedback on your pages, the distinction between the two roles can be confusing. Despite the overlap, the services themselves are usually executed in very different forms. Which one you need will likely come down to whether or not your manuscript or book proposal is already finished.
When you hire an editor, it’s more or less a one-time thing (at least compared to coaching). You send them a completed project, which they then read and markup before sending it back to you, possibly with track changes and comments in the margins, and usually with an editorial letter that goes over larger suggestions for revision. You may never even speak with them, and after they send their feedback, you’ll probably be on your own to implement those edits. They might offer a phone or zoom consultation before and after editing, like I do, or possibly a package that includes a certain number of revisions, but it’s usually not an ongoing process with frequent points of contact.
A coach, on the other hand, is someone you work with regularly — oftentimes once a week or every other week — in order to develop your manuscript. They might send you track changes and comments in the margins, but rather than reading a finished project, they’re coming in earlier in the process, offering moral support, instruction, and practical advice in order to coach you toward a finished book.
How coaching differs from a course or workshop
Although many coaches have teaching experience and can provide thorough instruction on the craft of writing, coaching is customized for your precise needs and challenges. The focus will be on you, and you won’t be workshopping other writers’ pieces, which has both its pros and cons.
It is the opposite of one-sized fits alls. For example some of my clients want to spend each weekly session talking out mindset issues and trying to manage overwhelm (will people hate me if I write this, should I take the story in a whole new direction, when can I find time to write, how can I write this emotional scene, should I give up?) while others want to send in fresh pages each week and pore over my feedback, basically like a private writing workshop.
No two clients are the same. In fact, even when two clients have similar projects, we still might take two entirely different approaches. For example, two memoir clients I’m currently working with have opposite needs, despite having relatively similar books, though each is very unique and marketable in its own way.
One has a big platform but has a hard time focusing on finishing the proposal, in part because she gets so many requests for articles and speaking events. I’m working to help her feel confident that the bio and platform she has is already enough so she can stop acquiring accolades and focus! I’ve just put her on restriction for a month, so she has to say no to all new projects outside of her proposal so we can get this thing done and polished and ready for agents.
The other is working diligently on her proposal but does still need a higher profile, especially considering she’s an expert on a unique lifestyle and can easily leverage that to show why she’s the perfect person to write this book. Rather than turning away other projects to hone in on this book, we took a little time away from the proposal itself in order to pitch a few essays, one of which has already landed at a high-profile publication and will boost her bio and credibility. I’m thrilled that she’s just about ready to start pitching agents with a super strong and exciting proposal.
Where to find a writing coach
Word of mouth is always the best, but if you had that recommendation, you probably wouldn’t be on this page! Besides googling Writing Coach and seeing who seems like the right fit for you, two places I recommend are The Editorial Freelancers Association and Reedsy, a marketplace for publishing pros. Note that Reedsy doesn’t let you search by coaching services yet, but once you choose a type of editing, you can filter by keyword “coach” to find pros who do this type of work. (These are not affiliate links FYI, just respectable services.)
Questions to ask
With so many different approaches and formats, it’s important to find out exactly what each potential coach is offering.
What is your writing, editing, or publishing experience?
How will we work together? Phone, email, some other platform?
How often will we work together?
Is there any contact between sessions?
Will I get feedback on my writing? If so, how many pages? How often? In what form, i.e. general overall comments or line-level analysis or both?
How long is the commitment?
Can you describe your coaching style? (This probably sounds overly open-ended, but just by touching on it, you should be able to get a sense of their personality and way of operating. Are they primarily a cheerleader who will tell you everything is great all the time and promise this is going to be easy? Or are they more tough-love, and like me, will they promise to level with you and push you to up your game, so you have a real possibility of getting a book deal.)
Can I talk to or email some of your previous clients?
In the end, do I think you need a writing coach?
Not necessarily. There are more affordable ways to get accountability and encouragement (like group courses or maybe even free critique groups) and more comprehensive ways to get pro feedback and hone your skills (like MFA programs). But no matter which one of those options might be best for you, what I passionately believe is that you deserve to invest in support.
I have invested in all of the above and they’ve all been way more fun, and more effective, than trying to power through on my own. In fact, I’m noodling a new book idea and will definitely hire a coach again when I get ready to start writing. Here’s something I once heard that sold me on all the writing instruction I’ve paid for over the years. I’m paraphrasing but… “professional athletes have coaches, so why is it that newbies think they can do it all on their own?”
You do not have to do this alone! Get the expert guidance you need, whether that’s in a group environment or through one-on-one mentoring.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! xoxo,
