How can a book coach help a fiction writer?

In traditional publishing books are acquired by agents and sold to publishers. 

Years ago, when we were kids, these books were half-baked, as in, they weren’t ready to be published, at all. And the manuscript the publisher had acquired was further worked on before it was published. 

Some authors and their editors even became famous for the relationships they developed, in particular, Maxwell Perkins was known for his work with F. Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe. In case you don’t know, there were several rewrites of The Great Gatsby oversaw by Perkins, I doubt that book would be considered the classic it is without Perkins’ insight. And there was a movie about Wolfe and Perkins detailing their relationship, the movie is called Genius (🙄 sorry to interject, but that title is just so presumptuous for a movie about white men . . .). 

Alas, the publishing industry is no longer like that. Because of all the changes that have been roiling the book industry (Amazon, social media, book store closures, etc.), the publishing industry no longer has the time nor money to coddle an author as they once did. I can’t say if that makes it more or less difficult to break into the industry. It’s just always changing. 

That’s to say if you’re an author who wants to be traditionally published then your novel has to be as good as you can get it, especially if you’re a debut author. 

Publishers and agents will still ask you to change certain aspects of your novel to make it publishable, but they’re not going to take care of you the way authors were back in the day. 

✨This is where book coaching comes in. ✨

A book coach provides many services, and one of them is in helping get a manuscript ready for publication. Most book coaches can do a developmental edit on a finished manuscript. They can also provide you with accountability and guidance so you can finish your manuscript. A book coach can provide you with guidance so you can complete your novel, but also get it agent ready. 

On top of that, book coaches are knowledgeable about the publication industry (what is getting published, what deals are being made) and they can provide this information to their clients. Once a manuscript is ready, a book coach can guide an author through pitching to agents and guiding them in signing the deal. 

This is all to say that one reason book coaches exist is to provide guidance to authors who need help in figuring out the publication industry. 

** Are you interested in book coaching? Or do you have questions about it? Feel free to contact me or look at my offerings. ** 

Photo above by Thought Catalog on Unsplash