Book Coaching

Book Coaching Services

Are you writing a novel or memoir?
Do you need help getting started, sticking with it, or revising?
You've come to the right place!

Memoir. I can help you dig deep to uncover and articulate the emotional journey beneath your physical journey. I enjoy memoirs of all types, and am especially interested in working with writers who are developing memoirs about experiences in nature, outdoor adventure, or motherhood.

Fiction. I can help you get started by mapping out your novel, keep you going through the challenges of writing, and evaluate your full manuscript. I focus on literary, book club, women's, historical, and mystery fiction.

Coaching Packages

The Window Box: Mini Blueprint & Chapter Review

Are you curious about book coaching but not quite ready to commit to a full package? Try a mini blueprint and manuscript review. For this package, I'll provide you with a worksheet for developing a scaled back version of part of the From Kernel to Seedling planning materials and review the first 20 pages of your novel or memoir and provide line edits and a detailed editorial letter.

Cost: $75

From Kernel to Seedling: Planning Your Novel or Memoir

Do you have an idea for a novel or a memoir but don't know where to begin? This package is for you! Over the course of four weeks, I'll guide you in finding your way into your deep-level why of writing this book; grasping the point your novel will make or the question your memoir will answer; and building the sturdy tripod of setting, character, and plot on which to rest your narrative. This package includes weekly assignments and coaching calls, and you'll come away with a one-paragraph hook for your book, a visual timeline of your story, a draft of your first and last scenes, and a two-page outline that will set you on the path to writing your best book.

Cost: $750

Water and Weed: Growing Your Book One Chapter at a Time

This is the package for you if you've completed the planning in From Kernel to Seedling but need guidance and regular feedback as you write forward on your novel or memoir. We'll set up a pace of work that fits your needs and schedule--weekly, biweekly, or monthly. For each round of feedback, you'll send me around 20 pages of new writing and I'll send back line edits and a detailed editorial letter, then we'll have a one-hour video call to go over the feedback and plan your next steps.

Cost: $250/round of feedback

The Forest and the Trees: Complete Manuscript Review

You've written a complete manuscript--congratulations! That's a major achievement. If you know it needs work, but you don't know where to begin, if you need a pair of outside eyes to read through the whole thing and tell you what's working and what needs work--someone who can see both the forest and the trees--then this package is for you. I will carefully read through your entire manuscript and provide you with a detailed editorial letter that will address big, medium, and small issues with your draft and will cover setting, characters, plot, structure, voice, internal consistency, point of view, style, language, and more. The editorial letter will give you clear, prioritized action steps for revising your draft in the most wholistic and efficient manner. We'll wrap up with a one-hour coaching call during which we'll go over my feedback and any lingering questions or concerns you may have.

Cost: $4/page (standard manuscript format)

Experience

I am a writer of fiction and creative nonfiction, with a published memoir as well as a completed essay collection and a novel working their ways toward publication and additional books in the works. I have an MFA in fiction from the University of Southern Maine's Stonecoast program, I was an editor at Literary Mama for nine years, and I'm a certified book coach in fiction and memoir.

Clients and Genres

I work with beginning and advanced writers of fiction and narrative nonfiction. In addition to the book-focused coaching outlined above, I'm happy to work with clients who are crafting shorter works, such as essays and short stories. Contact me for custom pricing.

I love almost any kind of memoir, and I'm especially drawn to narratives that include a strong element of nature, stories of motherhood, and books about hiking, travel, and other outdoor adventures. I'd love to help you bring your personal story to life on the page and help you find and articulate the emotional truth behind your story.

On the fiction side, I work with literary fiction, women's fiction, and mystery writers. I love a story steeped in setting with a protagonist who starts from a place of vulnerability and grows into her strength by the end of the book, a smart storyline, and an unwavering moral compass. I'm especially drawn to stories that are both humorous and earnest and those that seamlessly weave in information about science, history, antiquity, or some esoteric field of knowledge. If you aspire to incorporate one or more of these elements into your book, I'd love to work with you to bring out the best in your writing.

Coaching Philosophy

As an editor and a book coach, I believe in building a writer up, not breaking them down. It's important to me to meet a writer where they are in their stage of development of their craft and provide appropriate feedback that inspires further production of good work. I give my writers space to lead the conversation and ask questions about aspects of the work that they may be unsure about, and I guide writers to finding their own solutions to issues in their writing. My goal is to help my writers strengthen their self-editing muscles and learn to look at their own work through the lens of an editor.

Testimonials

"I loved working with Andrea. Her incredibly thoughtful, specific feedback on my project helped me brainstorm a strong outline and lots of helpful groundwork for my novel. Working through this process with her was much more effective than noodling about my project alone, and it was really fun to share ideas with her and get feedback on them in our meeting. I outlined my novel more quickly than I ever have before and was able to start writing right away. I also feel much more confident drafting, because I know someone else believes in my work and has helped me to make it as strong as it can be. I have so many bits of writing and thoughts to use as I finish my draft, and I've also really enjoyed the process of writing. It makes a huge difference to have an expert like Andrea help you work out the tricky parts of the story ahead of time. I highly recommend her!"
~ Alicia R.

"Andrea is a generous editor who offers constructive and useful feedback. Her comments and questions on my manuscript really hit the mark. I appreciated the thoughtful questions she raised and her attention to even the smallest details. Working with Andrea made my memoir much stronger and I would absolutely recommend her to any writer needing guidance and support on their book project."
~ Amanda J.

"Andrea revived my faith and belief in my novel. It had been “snoozing” in a drawer for over a year. I wasn’t sure how or if I should proceed. Andrea’s engagement was immediate. It was clear from her comments and advice that she read it thoroughly—and so quickly. From her understanding and appreciation of my characters and my writing style she researched and recommended a list of potential agents. Within ten days, we were drafting queries and creating a synopsis. Her expertise with the publishing process has moved me in a positive direction, and I am ready to pitch my book."
~ Pam M.

"Andrea’s thorough reading of an early draft of my memoir gave me the feedback I needed to dive into revision and create a much stronger manuscript. Her attention to detail, ability to see the book as a whole, and careful provision of specific next steps were just what I needed to move forward with my next draft with direction and intention."
~ Sarah K.