Looking for a writing coach to help you write your book?
You’ve come to the right place.
I’ve been in the industry for over a decade and have worked with coaches, editors, and have a team of ghostwriters.
And throughout my experience writing a Wall Street Journal Bestseller and helping clients do the same, I’ve realized something…
Most people who are looking for a writing coach don’t actually need or want a writing coach.
They want to finish their book.
And turns out, there are several better options for doing so.
I’ll walk through each of them in this article.
What Is a Writing Coach (And What Do They Really Do)?
Most peoples’ interest in a writing coach stems from a misunderstanding about what they really do.
So let’s get on the same page with this definition from the get-go…
A writing coach is someone who gives you advice on how to write, edit, and organize your work.
They come in all shapes and sizes but usually they take an advisory role—helping you reach your goals whether that means finishing your book or finding the best way to publish it.
Advice is the key word.
They’ll:
- Help you stay productive
- Structure your book in the most compelling way possible (based on their experience)
- Write a book proposal, query agents, etc.
- And generally guide you
But many people mistakenly assume that writing coaches actually do some of the writing for you.
And while some may assist with editing your work, most will just give high-level feedback.
This is an important distinction to understand because a lot of people who engage with a writing coach are really looking for help writing their book.
And there are tons of options outside of coaches that are similar in price but also include writing help.
Don’t read this wrong…
I’m not anti-writing coach.
I just think as an aspiring author, it’s helpful to be aware of all of your options so you can pick the best type of book writing help for your needs and budget.
How to Know If a Writing Coach Will Help You Reach Your Goals
A writing coach can be a great investment if:
- You want to do all of the writing and editing, but want guidance from a seasoned professional
- You need help determining which publishing avenue you should pursue
- You want to know if your book idea has legs
There is absolutely nothing wrong with engaging a writing coach—they can be incredibly helpful.
But what I’ve learned from speaking to aspiring authors for over a decade is that their #1 problem is time.
They have an idea. They want to write a book. But they are busy with a business, day job, family, or a combination.
And if you find yourself in this boat, you can often find better help writing your book than a writing coach at a similar cost.
Writing coaches can be expensive. Not all of them, of course, but you also get what you pay for.
The great coaches tend to charge tens of thousands of dollars to guide you through writing a book.
Some even in the $10,000 – $20,000 range.
And if you’re looking for help finishing your book, this likely isn’t the best use of your resources.
You can spend just as much (or even less) getting your entire book written for you.
Want a Writing Coach? Here Are 3 Places to Find Them
You have to be really careful with where you look for a coach.
You get what you pay for here—and if you’re going to hire a coach, you need to hire a good one.
Here are your main options outside of simply Googling:
1. Word of Mouth / Referrals
A lot of the great writing coaches out there are under the radar.
They usually have more business than they can handle and mostly get new clients through referrals.
So, your best option is to contact well-known authors in your industry and ask them for contacts.
LinkedIn can be a great tool for this.
Leverage your network and even look for opportunities to expand it.
This is a long-game approach to finding a coach, but will often be the most fruitful.
You’ll be able to hear directly from people they’ve helped and get connected with some of the best.
2. Marketplaces
There are several sites and services that help you connect with writing coaches.
These “marketplaces” can drastically shorten the time it takes to find a coach but increase the need to vet potential coaches to make sure you find the right fit.
Some of the most well-known sites that offer this are:
- Reedsy
- The Editorial Freelancers Association
3. Group coaching
There are several companies who offer “group coaching”.
This usually takes place through online courses and online communities.
Group coaching is substantially cheaper than hiring a writing coach, but it also usually doesn’t give you the opportunity to get direct feedback on your book.
But if you’re looking mainly to improve as a writer and get a little bit of advice for your specific situation, group coaching can be a great resource.
Courses with group coaching usually cost anywhere from $100 to up to $10,000.
Your Best Option For Writing a Great Book Faster
In most cases, the best option you have for getting your book written faster is hiring a ghostwriter (especially if time is your main issue).
But there are all kinds of issues with the traditional way of hiring and working with a ghostwriter:
1. You have to find a GREAT ghostwriter.
Truly great ghostwriters are few and far between. Finding one means scouring through recommendations, research, and more.
This alone can take months.
And even if you do end up hiring one you think will do a good job, there’s always the risk that the work doesn’t turn out how you wanted.
That’s exactly what happened to me.
I hired a reputable ghostwriter, paid tens of thousands of dollars, and months later I received a book that was completely unusable.
The content itself was fine, but it didn’t sound anything like me. It lacked the context to go with the content.
And after all of that, I was back at square one looking for another solution.
(And ironically I never found one, which is why I founded Best Seller Publishing and developed our proprietary Enhanced Ghostwriting process.)
2. Most people don’t like the idea of hiring a ghostwriter.
There’s a stigma around traditional ghostwriting that it’s “cheating” or “low quality”.
And because of this, many aspiring authors completely write it off.
I completely understand this—I went through the stereotypical failed ghostwriting project.
But the feeling of it being “cheating” and the fear of getting low-quality work that doesn’t sound anything like you are based on the flaws of traditional ghostwriting.
And continuing to think this way means you’ll pass up on easily the most powerful way to get help writing a book.
The traditional ghostwriting process fails because it focuses solely on content. That’s why 90% of all ghostwriters struggle to produce truly great work—it might be well-written but it sounds nothing like the author.
And it might not even have much if any, content from the author.
But that’s not the case with our Enhanced Ghostwriting process. We have a proprietary process that captures both the content and the context from the author to pull out their voice.
Then, we write the same book they would’ve written using our proven “Open Loop” process that has led to countless clients making the Wall Street Journal bestseller list (like I did).
When done right, ghostwriting isn’t cheating or low quality. It’s the fastest, most efficient way to get YOUR book written.
You get the same thing you would’ve written yourself in just a few months rather than a year or more.
(And at Best Seller Publishing, we actually help publish and promote your book as well.)
3. You have to manage the project.
Even if you find a great ghostwriter, you usually have to manage the entire process.
It’s not as hands-off as you think unless you hire a company to handle every aspect of writing and publishing a book for you.
You’re the one who has to give feedback, make the final decisions, and hire other contractors (you’ll need a cover, marketing collateral, and more).
That’s a big issue for someone who doesn’t have time to write their book.
…which is why at Best Seller Publishing, our book packages include all of these details. We handle the whole project from start to finish.
Problem Solved: Working with a Company to Do This
Because of these issues and the demand for truly great ghostwriting, many companies have emerged that handle the entire process—writing, publishing, and promoting.
But most either don’t have a proven track record of producing bestsellers or charge upwards of $100,000 for their services.
That’s why I started Best Seller Publishing.
We offer a proven and affordable way for busy entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and more to get their book written and on the market.
Our processes have been proven over the past decade based on things I’ve learned writing a Wall Street Journal bestseller, selling 10k+ copies, leveraging my book to sell multi-7-figures of coaching and consulting programs, and being featured on national media outlets.
And we help busy people like you achieve similar results.
Interested in learning more?
Click here to book a FREE, no-strings-attached consultation with our team where we’ll show you specifically how we can help you write your book and reach even bigger goals using your book as a tool for your business.
