What is a book coach and how can you hire or become one?

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What Is A Book Coach And How

Can You Become One?

About Jennie Nash, Book Coach Extraordinaire

Jennie Nash is the founder of Author Accelerator, a business that has trained more than 50 book coaches to support writers through the entire creative process. Likewise, Author Accelerator also matches writers with the right coach that can give them the sustained editorial support they need to complete their book projects. Jennie’s book coaching methods bring back the powerful and time-tested concept of artistic mentorship, which has been largely squeezed out of the publishing industry, hungry for the next fast hit. She has spent 30 years on all sides of the publishing industry and is the author of four novels, three memoirs, and one self-help book for writers.

The Reasons to Write

There are several reasons to write: it’s fun, it’s therapeutic, is self-expression. Jennie has always had a more market focused approach, writing to be read, writing to be published, and writing with a goal or outcome in mind.

As Jennie was helping a friend write her book, she created the processes to guide a writer through their project.

Writing a book is an incredibly complex intellectual process and people tend to minimize the project management side of it. This is something that can’t be taught in the classroom, it’s one on one work.

The process of creation is what Jennie loves and teaches in her Book Coach Program.

What is a book coach?

Is a book coach the same as an author coach? Once a book is finished by an author, they turn it over to an editor. The editor goes through it and improves it and makes it better. A book coach helps the writer while they are writing, through the writing process. This includes accountability, giving feedback as they write, and becoming an emotional sounding board as they work. A book coach and writer will work together for 6 to 9 months or longer.

Jennie uses the term book coach because she is helping people write books. Some people are writing coaches, and they may help people write blog posts. They may help someone write a presentation, but a book coach helps someone decide on a structure for a book, get the book written and determine the path for getting the book to market.

Publishing

The publishing industry is very complex and changes regularly. Publishing became democratized and the means of production was open to all writers.

Types of Publishing

Self-Publishing, Traditional publishing where you work with a publishing house and have an agent, and there are hybrid publishers. Hybrid publishers are somewhere in between and offer more options that are really attractive to people.

As a book coach Jennie helps her clients determine why they want to write a book, identify what their goals are, what they want to get out of it, and do they realize writing a book will actually cost them money, as opposed to helping them get rich. It’s important to understand that this is a product and see how it’s going to live in the world.

A Chance to Be Heard – A Book Coach Helps You Find Your Voice

Writing a book is raising your voice. It’s claiming space and saying I have something to say that is worthy of being heard. As a book coach, Jennie helps her clients understand this and determine how they want to publish because that is related to self-worth.

Writing a book is one thing, but when you get to publishing, it becomes about bringing a product to market, creating a brand, and so worth. A lot of writers get lost and overwhelmed at this point. A book coach can help with this process so that the writer doesn’t lose momentum.

Creatives often lose sight of the fact that they have to have a brand. A book coach can help with creating a brand because creativity doesn’t stand in for a brand. The book isn’t a brand, the writer is the brand and must step up to control the perception readers have of them.

Photography

Branded photography is so important for becoming recognized as an author. It’s important for them to be present to open doors for further opportunities such as speaking.

Book Coach vs. A Hybrid Book Publisher

What you are paying for is slightly different. A book coach will get you ready to get to the place where you need the services the hybrid publisher provides.

Hybrid publishers do what traditional publisher does. They will provide a copy editor, someone who goes through the book line by line, and a proofreader. If self-publishing, you have to find someone to do that for you.

The work a book coach does is more along the lines of designing what the book will be.

A hybrid publisher will be an investment upfront for the author whereas a traditional publisher will pay the author up front. But it’s important to note that it is going to cost to publish a book. A writer must be willing to invest time, energy, and money into publishing a book. If you are going to succeed, you have to put in all three. When using a hybrid publisher, you are shouldering some of the risks with the publisher and paying the expense upfront, when self-publishing you are shouldering all of the burdens, and with traditional publishing, they are paying you, so they are taking the burden of risk on themselves, but the writer gets a smaller percentage of sales over time. With the hybrid model, you get more of a percentage as books sell, and with self-publishing, you get all of the profits.

The big takeaway is that it will cost time, energy, and money. It costs all three before you know the book is going to be a success.

With that said, it could be a risk to hire a book coach, but at the same time, a book coach can help with the process and help achieve success with the book.

The best time to invest in your book is before you start.

Becoming a Coach for the Book Coach

Jennie pivoted her business from being a book coach to helping others become book coaches.

At a time when Jennie needed more help, she decided to change her business model from being a book coach to coaching others. This gave her an opportunity to work with entrepreneurs.

As the list of book coaches who wanted to work with Jennie grew and grew, she decided to train them as book coaches and how to brand themselves as to the book coach they want to be.

Jennie now helps book coaches find their niche and helps pair the coaches with the authors they can help.

Age Shouldn’t Hold You Back

We can do whatever we want, whatever our heart desires, at any age. Jennie is doing something that she can do for many years to come and is enjoying her life so much.