Empowering A Better World through Clear, Compelling Storytelling
Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, psychologist, wildlife biologist, journalist, or a bank clerk who's attended so many yoga retreats that you’ve developed a system for others to gain the same physical and emotional resilience, one thing is clear: You’ve got the desire and the goods to help people step into a more engaged version of life.
The roadblock is, How do you unearth the core message of your content, and learn to meld the essential elements needed for the layered, linear storytelling of a compelling book that spans tens of thousands of words?
The cleanest path forward is to cement your goals and core aspects of your content so that you can elevate writings that stem from your values or cause. That means efficiently digging into factors like the angle you’ll take on the topic, defining the readers who are most vital to reach, and the most impactful content and structure to connect with those readers in an engaging, accessible, and authentic way.
I meet developing authors where their values are while providing tailored, structured guidance on vital content that ultimately fosters healthier lifestyle choices or communities. That includes writers of self-help, memoir, nature essays, historical fiction, and big idea and how to works about intentional living topics like fitness, holistic lifestyle approaches, broad spiritual development, overlooked cultures or times, social equity, or environmental action (see full genre details below).
Why do this work with me:
I’ve guided traditionally published and self-published authors of diverse content through the book-development process since 2016, as well as providing various levels of editing support for six publishers.
I offer the big-picture sensibility that helps you unearth your service-oriented book’s focus from the competing options, and to tackle overwhelm while melding the essential elements needed to craft an engaging book proposal or book.
I also have an eagle eye for polishing manuscripts for publication, and to guide the query letter development and pitch process, if the traditional publishing path is chosen.
My passion for projects that foster healthier lifestyle choices or healthier community perspectives comes from growing up in a predominantly African American suburb with a fascination for how people processes experiences and evolve. My own path has involved decades of writing about science and healthy living topics, and of training in a mindfulness-related martial art (Aikido), attending progressive Christian and non-creed based, inclusive churches, and studying and experiencing energy healing modalities.
Professional highlights include:
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receiving state and national awards for freelance features about conservation and health topics
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covering topics like climate change impacts and research on native plant landscaping for years as part of a previous career of supporting university health and science researchers with succinctly presenting their advances in print
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providing developmental and voice/style edits for books on sustainable agriculture and other topics, including a hybrid memoir that has won two awards from a Mexican-American scholar at Stanford
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completing the nonfiction, the memoir, and the fiction book coach training of Author Accelerator, and acing UC, San Diego’s copyediting certificate program
How we collaborate:
As a coach, I offer clear, direct, in-your-corner input for service-oriented writers over weeks or months, in addition to medium-touch to high-touch, in-text feedback on your writings. I can also help craft the writing life you want by teaching the strategy behind content decisions, such as which publishing path to choose.
Or, for more detail-focused offerings -- manuscript reviews, ghostwriting, line editing and more -- I'll provide a tailored estimate after reviewing content (the graphic below of traditional publishing prep steps has asterisks with my service offerings).
All feedback is grounded in knowing that your book must meet your personal and professional publishing goals, and calls out what's working and what could use polishing.
Which book-development package fits your needs?
Blueprint & Outline Coaching
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Do you want to unearth your book’s core message and solidify foundational elements needed to create a compelling read across tens of thousands of words?
Consider investing in the following road map offering from a book coach certified in three genre by Author Accelerator. I provide individualized feedback for book planning as we look at building your outline and other key elements, founded on the Blueprint framework, an Author Accelerator-designed tool. More than a dozen factors are considered to develop your book's road map, such as clarifying the genre, theme/main point, and narrative arc. You get oral guidance, and weekly written feedback on your exercises, to define these key factors for readers to connect with your work.
Who benefits from the Blueprint-based process: Every writer can learn something from taking a big picture view of their developing work. You may benefit most from this guidance when deciding between book ideas, seeking to clarify the outline and more of your work, or seeking a way forward with tangled elements of a completed manuscript. Two levels of offerings are available to consider:
High-Touch Blueprint
For straight self-help and other NF that does not include your personal stories: Work with me to refine your table of contents, define the reader’s arc of change and more, based on your submissions over 2 months. The feedback includes weekly in-text comments and an editorial letter, and four 30-minute coaching calls after key submissions. Also available for historical fiction writers, where feedback on an opening chapter is included, and the change we'll track is with the main character(s). Investment: $1,800 and 8 weeks.
For memoir or hybrid memoir (i.e., self-help with narrated stories from your life): Write your opening and closing scene for straight memoir, and get feedback on the audience, ideal reader, your arc of change and more with both. Feedback includes weekly in-text comments and an editorial letter, and four 45-minute coaching calls after key submissions. Investment: $2,200 and 8 weeks.*
The Streamlined Blueprint
Click here if you’ve already received Blueprint training, or some key story elements are in good shape or otherwise don’t need much attention. Investment of from $1,200 - $1,500 and 6 weeks.*
*A Blueprint is required before Book Proposal Development coaching of memoir and some nonfiction, such as hybrid nonfiction that includes narrative elements.
Book Proposal Coaching
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A Book Proposal helps you think through key elements to include in your work, the ideal audience and other particulars that will make the writing process advance more smoothly and help you promote the work better. A proposal is also essential to pitch nonfiction and memoir to traditional publishers nowadays.
I assisted faculty at universities for years with showcasing their work in print while using the kind of succinct, compelling language expected in a proposal. Helping developing authors with this document is just one of the steps* illustrated in the graphic that I offer.
Book Proposal Development — We work back and forth over 3 months on this essential tool for traditional publisher consideration of nonfiction (and memoir*). The process easily builds on what was learned about your vision from the Blueprint, and covers the eight elements of a standard proposal, as well as starting to draft two chapters. Specifically:
Over 12 weeks, we collaborate to define the key theme and audiences for your nonfiction book or memoir proposal,* select the most compelling comparable titles to showcase your work’s new offerings, and to develop the five other elements of a proposal that can bring representation by literary agents, or direct interest from a press. With the Proposal Development package, you’ll receive:
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Weekly written feedback on your developing proposal elements
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3 weekly meetings per month via Zoom for 45 minutes
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Input on selling yourself effectively as the book's author, and showing that you know the key readers and marketplace for your work; a second month focuses on refining the overview, drafting selected sample chapters, and developing the book’s outline and marketing plan; and a third month, on refining in-progress proposal elements, potential sample chapter refinement, and next step discussions.
Investment for straight nonfiction : $1,300 per month for three months, or $3,900 total.
Investment for memoirists/hybrid memoirists, after previously developing a Blueprint with me: $1,530 per month for three months, or $4,590 total.
Coaching Hours are available to complete Book Proposal elements, at $650 for 10-hour blocks.
*A Blueprint is required before Book Proposal Development coaching of memoir and some nonfiction, such as hybrid nonfiction that includes narrative elements.
Content Revision Feedback
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A successful manuscript has many moving parts, making clarity and reader engagement challenging. As a certified editor with an eagle eye who's worked on all stages of content development for indie authors and six publishers, I highlight the strengths and key next steps to improve a draft chapter, completed or near-complete manuscript.
Two Chapter Critique — For chapters between 3,000-4,000 words, the cost is 8 cents per word for a critique only or 10 cents per word for a critique plus a voice and style (line) edit. For chapters between 4,000-5,000 words, the cost is 7 cents per word for a critique only, or 9 cents per word for a critique plus a line edit. (In either case there is a 3,000 word chapter minimum, with the first and last chapter often best to submit for memoir.)
The feedback/critique will consist of a 2-4 page letter summarizing your work’s strengths and areas for improvement. A Two Chapter Critique can help test your chemistry with me before committing to a full manuscript review. If you decide to move forward after that, you can apply the cost of the Two Chapter Critique toward a review of your full manuscript.
Ghostwriting of nonfiction is also available.
Manuscript or Book Proposal Review — I assess your nonfiction manuscript, historical novel, or memoir for strengths and areas to consider elevating. The emphasis is on factors such as structure, voice, narrative flow, character or topic development, audience, and whether the reader receives the needed take-home message by book’s end. With both reviews, you’ll receive an onboarding Q&A to share your goals and insights about your work, a one-hour coaching call after you’ve received the edits, and a recording of the call to refer back to as you revise. The core feedback involves the following:
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For the Manuscript Review, a strategic 8-or-more-page editorial letter about what’s working, where you could focus more energy, and actionable next steps on big picture elements for you to make the most progress on completing your next draft. Plus in-line comments inserted into the margins throughout your manuscript, which expand on the editorial letter points. Investment: $2,500 - $5,000 for complete manuscripts of up to 80,000 words (.04c/word added over that).
Should you prefer an Editorial Letter-only approach, the Manuscript Review fee typically ranges from $1,750 - $3,250, with two rounds of follow-up, email feedback.
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With the Proposal Review, a strategic 6-or-more-page editorial letter about what’s working, challenges in the core elements and sample chapters, and actionable next steps on big picture elements for you to make the most progress on completing your draft. This occurs after a full read of your proposal, including up to 2 sample chapters (of a maximum of 40 pages at 250 words/page). Investment: $2,000 for nonfiction or memoir. Agent Pitch Package is available as a follow-up to Proposal Review clients seeking guidance on selecting literary agents and developing a query letter (click link below for details on that, and line editing for voice and style).
Agent Pitch Package is available as a follow-up to Proposal Review clients seeking guidance on selecting literary agents and developing a query letter (click link below for details on that, and line editing for voice and style).
Testimonials
Genre Specialties
Nonfiction that highlights intentional living, such as in:
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Self-help, including with memoir elements, and narrative memoir that does not center on depicting extensive trauma details
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Narrative nonfiction, including nature essays, and environmental justice journalism
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Broad spirituality, from mindfulness, to energy healing modalities, to progressive Christianity
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Big idea and how to books, such as on diversity topics, or sustainable gardening
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Life science-related topics, including wildlife conservation, native landscaping, sustainable agriculture, and climate change mitigation
Fiction
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Historical fiction— exploring human nature through real or fictional characters, including overlooked cultures and times, and works that highlight marginalized communities or connections to nature; not focused on works that are primarily fantasy, sci fi, horror, mystery, or domestic or other thrillers