“I had no idea book coaching was a thing until recently!” 

I hear variations of this statement during my calls with aspiring authors. And I get it—who knew you could get a coach for writing a book? 

But book coaching makes sense when you think about it. Driven humans get coaches for all sorts of big goals, from winning the Olympics to growing a business to learning an instrument. And writing a book is a big goal—and a new skill. 

Because writing and book writing are two different skill sets. You need the former to achieve the latter, but they are distinct skills. Layer in the fact that writing a book takes a lot of deep thought, organization, knowledge, and follow-through, and it makes sense that many aspiring authors seek out a book coach like me to support them along their author journeys. And if you work with the right coach, not only will you write a great book that elevates your business, brand, and impact—you’ll arrive on the other side of the book-writing journey changed. 

 
Part of my core nonfiction book-coaching philosophy: writing a book is a transformative journey. Becoming an author is more than about writing a book; it’s also about stepping fully into your next big thing. 

So—how do you find and choose a book-writing coach? I’ll walk you through five checkpoints. But first, let’s level set on what a book-writing coach is and what she does. 

What is a book coach? 

A book coach is a professional who walks your author journey with you, from idea to completed draft and often beyond. A coach is typically not editing your draft unless you’ve specifically defined that at the outset of your work together—in which case a better term would be “developmental editor” or “cowriter.” 

At her core, a book coach should have a proven system and a process to encourage you and keep you accountable. In my coaching, I provide clients with a project plan, step-by-step system, and templates plus the encouragement, accountability, and honest feedback needed to ensure they write the best book draft possible.  

If you’re looking for someone who deeply understands integrating your book into your business or brand efforts, you might also look for someone who is a book strategist. This person has the business and marketing acumen to help ensure your book is a “catalyst book” that will enable you to go from point A (where you are today) to point B (your big vision). 

 
A great book coach will meet five checkpoints: heart of a teacher, gold-star track record, formal education, proven system and process, and pass the vibe check. 

Checkpoint one: Heart of a teacher 

With sixteen years in the industry, I’ve learned that people can be great at what they do but not necessarily have the right posture when it comes to working with clients. By the same token, someone can be an incredible people person but lack the proven background and self-organization to be a great coach. 

When you’re selecting a book-writing coach, look for someone who wants you to arrive on the other side of coaching with a new skill: book writing. While I love working with clients on their second (and beyond) books, it’s a testament to my teaching when they start writing their next books—and feel confident doing it themselves, with some expert feedback at key points (and often with the support of a vibrant community, like the Author Influence Circle).  

Checkpoint two: Gold-star track record 

This is where research comes in. Do a search online about your potential book coach. Ask ChatGPT for a summary of the coach, including client successes. Review the coach’s social media profiles, website, and Google reviews. Scroll a few pages deep through a Google search to see what others are saying about this coach, where they have been interviewed, and the articles or other content they’ve created. Read their articles, watch their videos, and listen to their podcast episodes. You’ll get a good sense of this person, their expertise, and whether they are the right fit as your book coach. 

You’re looking for glowing reviews, client testimonials, and a digital footprint of some kind. That said, please do keep in mind that “word folks” are introverts by nature and may not have a flashy social media profile. However, a book coach should have an up-to-date website and positive client reviews. 

Checkpoint three: Formal education 

This one is important. While it’s not required for a coach to have a university degree in writing and editing, it is critical the coach has done some formal education or training—or they have the equivalent experience in an institution. 

I cringe every time I see another first-time author sell a course on writing a book, because writing your own book and guiding authors along their journeys are two very different things. To me, this is the equivalent of a surgical resident completing one successful surgery and then saying, “OK, I’m good! I’m ready to teach all the other residents now!”  

I personally have a bachelor’s and master’s in writing, but again, that’s not a requirement. I have worked with world-class editors who did editing certificates or other continuing education in a formal university or through a reputable institution. There’s no perfect formula, but your book coach should have completed some type of formal education to be qualified to teach others. 

Checkpoint four: Proven system and process 

Writing a book is not formulaic, but a coach should have a system. My system is focused on idea organization and skill development, enabling authors to clarify their unique message and story and write a standout book. 

The key here is system. Your coach should have a clear step-by-step system they have tested for years with numerous clients. They should not have a cookie-cutter formula where their clients’ books end up being the same generic structure and writing style, just with a different topic slapped on. 

You also want the coach to have a process for coaching. This coach should have set call times, regular check-ins, and other processes that will support you in getting your book done. 

Checkpoint five: Pass the vibe check 

On a first call with a dynamite woman who later became a client, she said, “I already knew I was going to hire you. This call was basically a vibe check.”  
 
I laughed out loud and said, “Did I pass?”  

She said yes, and true to her word, signed with me later that week for my book-coaching program, Idea-to-Draft. 
 
The vibe check is subjective, so you’ll have to trust your gut on this one. I am not everyone’s vibe—and that’s OK. I want to work with clients who are doing big things in the world, have a big vision, and appreciate the focus and heart I bring to every client, whether we are in private coaching, my group program, or completing my step-by-step self-paced course. 

You may prefer someone more woo, or more hard-charging, or more relaxed. That’s fine! Feel out the coach to find the one who passes the vibe check. 

Questions to ask as you choose a book-writing coach 

• What is your background? 

• What are you best at as a coach? 

• How many clients do you take on at a time? 

• Can you tell me about one or two clients with similar situations to mine who had success through working with you? 

• Who is your ideal client? Who is not ideal for you? 

• Can you walk me through how we would work together in detail? 

• How much time would I need to dedicate to our coaching and my creative work each week? 

• What options do you have for working with you, and what is the investment for coaching? 

• What should I know about working with you? 

If you’ve worked with, or explored working with, a book coach, what would you add to this? What questions do you have about how to choose a book-writing coach? 

*Real human promise: Every article you read on this blog is written by real humans unless we engage AI in a purposeful way, and we’ll always let you know if that’s the case.