“Loving our work so far. Feeling alive and motivated. Thanks.”
— Bretton Scott, food stylist and video host
When you have a writing coach, you’re not alone anymore, procrastinating, spinning, wondering how to get your writing done and whether it’s any good. Instead, we work together. You will feel encouraged, confident and energized by your progress.
Working with a coach means your chance of success will increase. As a top editor at newspapers, magazines and a publishing house, I reviewed writing submissions for decades. I know what other editors want to see when they look at your work. I will help you crystalize and focus your ideas, improve your writing, and figure out what makes your book idea salable. While other editors fix grammar and punctuation, I’m a strategist. My specialty is understanding your idea and helping you shape it for publication.
Signing Will Write for Food in 2010.
I’ve also worked with people who want to self-publish. I help them evaluate the pros and cons, find resources, and edit their manuscripts.
Many of the people I work with want to write a non-fiction book. It could be their first or tenth. Regardless, non-fiction books require a book proposal. A book proposal is like a sales pitch. It tells the agent or publisher why they should be interested in your book, and sells the idea.
You and I will work together on focusing your book, ensuring that the idea is exciting and sellable. You will write each part of the proposal with my guidance. I provide ideas, resources and additional information and research. I’ll edit each section and give you suggestions on how to improve the structure, focus, salability, and the writing itself.
When the proposal is complete, I’ll edit it again, ensuring it is consistent, flows properly and is exciting enough to send to an agent or publisher. You will learn how to approach an editor or agent for maximum success. I have connections to agents and can make introductions. The vast majority of the clients who finish a proposal with me get a book deal, many with big publishing houses.
Book doctoring and editing
As a veteran editor, I evaluate manuscripts, sample chapters and essays. My job is to look at the pieces as a whole and make written comments about structure, style, content, and characters, plus specific comments on the page. If you would like me to edit your work, I also edit recipes, pitches to magazines, and other writing. I’m primarily a big-picture editor, but I also untangle sentences, check spelling and grammar, move paragraphs around, and make other line edits.
A full-day food-writing class I taught at Cook’s Warehouse in Atlanta, GA.
Blogging help
Some people want to start a blog as a way to find out what they’d like to write about. Through exercises and conversations, you’ll start writing a collection of posts that will form the beginnings of a rewarding blog. Others have been blogging for a while but want more readership or more motivation. As a writing coach I have helped many people in both categories begin or refine their blogs, increasing their productivity and success.
Although I specialize in writing, I can also help improve the blog’s design and usability, based on many years as an editor working with art directors, designers, and user interface ezperts.
I’ve also helped those who have blogged for years with a blog review and refresh.
Next steps
Now that you have an idea of how we might work together, please send an e-mail about the type of help you’d like. Also read my Frequently Asked Questions, list of Clients, and Testimonials from people who have worked with me.