Book Coaching Services
Are you ready to start the journey?
- Do you have an idea, but don’t know where to begin?
- Do you have a finished manuscript, but you know it needs intensive revision?
- Are you somewhere in between?
Wherever you are at the start of our journey together, I will commit to helping you make your story shine.
- Create a story that is meaningful, impactful, and has emotional resonance
- Develop a story structure that works
- Introduce fully-formed characters to the world
- Be the writer you want to be
My coaching practice is all about giving you the tools and confidence you need to write your story.
Choose Your Path
Mapping the Route
You’ve got a great idea for a novel. Maybe you don’t know where to start. Maybe you’ve started, but don’t know where you’re going. Or maybe you’ve already made an entire journey, but aren’t sure if it’s really a story at all. This package is to help you figure out how to get your ideas in order and your feet planted firmly on the right path.
Orientation
Do you feel like you need to get your bearings before you begin a journey? Maybe you need a small push in the right direction. Or perhaps, you just want a taste of what this coaching thing is all about.
On the Road
You have your map, your destination, and you are ready to write. Or maybe you’ve started writing, and realize you don’t know how to navigate. Or maybe the road beyond the headlights looks dark and intimidating. This package will provide regular feedback and encouragement to keep you on track, as well as keeping some of the doubt monsters at bay.
What clients have to say
Orientation
A companion can make or break a journey. I get that. Maybe you are not ready for a full-on coaching commitment. Do you want to get a sense of my coaching style, or whether or not we will click? Maybe you want to see what feedback will look like, whether or not you agree with it. As with any journey, it can serve you well to check your maps and your guidebooks, and then decide on your course of action. Then the Orientation service may be for you.
On the other hand, maybe you are already at the end of your journey. The Orientation Package can also serve as a way to polish your synopsis and first chapter for querying or conferences.
The package includes:
- General and structural feedback on your synopsis (up to two pages, single-spaced)
- General feedback on first ten pages (double-spaced) of your novel, including:
- Notes on scene structure
- Specific, first-chapter comments
- Specific, in-line comments on your first ten pages
- Outcomes:
- Strong structural analysis of your plot
- A plan for revision of your first ten pages
Orientation Package: $100
[Katy] possesses an intuitive strength in getting to the emotional underpinning of a story. … Katy is tough and meticulous while being a positive cheerleader. She believes in me even when I don’t believe in myself. Katy is an excellent story coach and a very gifted author in her own right. I’m very thankful to have her keep me on track and In the writing trenches. She is a strong ally in story creation and editing. The best part is, Katy truly cares.
Book Coaching client
Mapping the Route
Starting a novel is like looking out at the world and seeing every possible trail and destination. Making any decision can be daunting in the extreme, and that doesn’t even take into consideration the lightning sand and flying monkeys you can’t even see yet. A book coach can help you draw the map you need to get started on your journey and a guide to help you avoid the hazards.
You’ve got a great idea for a novel. It’s right there, waiting to leap fully-formed out into the world like Athena from the forehead of Zeus. Except most novels don’t do that (don’t we wish they did!) This package is to help you figure out how to get your story onto the page. Who is your protagonist? What is the world they’ll be navigating? What elements will go into the story? In what order? How will it end??
I’m here to help.
This ten-week package includes:
- A guide through the development process
- A schedule of exercises to develop all the essential elements of your novel
- Regular feedback on each set of exercises
- Assistance in building guideposts and turning points
- Additional feedback on any revisions suggested
- One one-hour phone call to discuss all of the work completed, and to set goals for your next steps
- Outcomes:
- A Roadmap based on and adapted from the Author Accelerator Blueprint for a Book
- A definitive concept of your plot, characters, and world
- A strong sense of the meaningful, emotional repercussions of your story
- A manageable outline
- Drafts of your first and last chapters
- A clear idea of how you will proceed on your journey
Mapping the Route Package: $900
* This package can also work as a Revision Roadmap. If you would like to work with me on a complete or partial manuscript, please contact me and we can discuss your options. Please be aware, this is not a full manuscript evaluation.
Katy’s storytelling expertise and her ability to guide you to the heart, soul, and depth of your story are next level. There are so many questions I wouldn’t have dared to ask when carving out my story. Katy not only asked them for me and then led me to face the difficult ones, she also did so with an unparalleled patience and never-ending kindness.
Book Coaching client
On the Road
A writer’s journey doesn’t have to be alone. We all know the romantic image of the lone scribbler in their garret, creating a masterpiece fueled by nothing but red wine and bread crusts. But we are social creatures, and we write to communicate, which requires a reader. Your book coach is your first reader, your best cheerleader, and your quick-draw story protector. The garret is cold and drafty. Get out and start moving forward.
You have a great idea for a novel. You have mapped your plan. You know where to start and where you’re going. But maybe you’re getting lost along the way. Maybe you get distracted by roadside adventures (everything from the Grand Canyon to the World’s Biggest Ball of String). Maybe you’re new at this and want to learn along the way. Maybe you’re a seasoned traveler and want to keep yourself on track. Maybe you’re none or all of these, and just want regular feedback and accountability.
I’m here to help.
This package includes:
- Six months of one-on-one book coaching on a regular writing schedule
- Accountability to keep you focused and on track
- Two regular deadlines every month for up to twenty pages (double-spaced)
- Feedback twice a month, including:
- In-line comments on twenty pages showing specific areas that work well or need extra attention
- A detailed bird’s-eye edit-letter on what’s working, and what you can do to strengthen it
- Thoughtful analysis with specific and actionable feedback on anything that’s not working
- Homework for revision
- Additional lessons and exercises on craft, structure, character development, etc. specific to your story and your individual writing needs
- Motivational encouragement
- Email support, including:
- A sounding board to brainstorm solutions
- Honest answers to any follow-up questions
- Support to keep you going, especially when self-doubt tries to take the wheel
- Please note that email support is “office hours” only
- One 30-minute phone call per month (or one 60-minute phone call every two months, depending on need and availability) to discuss feedback, brainstorming, and next steps
- Outcomes:
- Find your voice and your story as you establish a regular writing practice
- Learn new skills as you strengthen those you already have
- Build a revision program for the next draft
- Produce pages that are stronger, tighter, and more well-developed than they would have been had you written alone
- The option to continue monthly coaching practice after the initial six months has concluded
- Please Note: You must complete the Mapping the Route package or provide a detailed writing plan according to my instructions in order to sign up for the On the Road package
On the Road Package: $2600 for six months or six monthly payments of $450
- This package requires a six-month commitment. When I agree to coach someone, I go all-in, and I expect you, too, as well. I expect you to be committed to your story, and I will be, too.
* This package does not guarantee a finished manuscript at the end of six months, nor does it guarantee publication with a completed manuscript.
Working with Katy on my Young Adult fantasy book is the best version of ‘grad school’ I could have ever done. Not only is her feedback so incredibly thorough and endlessly smart, but she is also as passionate about my story as I am, which has made this experience even more transformative as an aspiring writer. I can safely say that, in the future, when my book gets published, I will owe a great deal of it to everything she has taught me.