What is a book coach? A book coach is a professional editor, book outliner, project manager, emotional support puppy, cheerleader, kind-but-honest critique partner, and publishing guide—with a dash of life coaching and utterly unqualified therapy thrown in for good measure. In this post, I’ll describe what a book coach does to make this happen, and how they work with writers—and aspiring writers.
Plus, you get a little bonus, because boy, do I have a Netflix recommendation for you! Let’s get into it.
“I have to thank my coach, Patrick, for getting me through this. There were moments when I didn’t believe in me, and you did.”
That is what tennis legend Serena Williams said when she won a big game after a difficult streak.
How do I know this? She told me. At a virtual cocktail night. On Zoom.
Just kidding.
I don’t know Serena Williams. But if she happens to get hold of this post: Serena, let’s do margaritas one night, and you can tell me all about your awesome coach.
Why am I so interested in Coach Patrick?
Coach Patrick has a magically insightful way of seeing his players. He understands the mind games that affect the real game. It’s genius.
I discovered this—and Serena’s comment about Patrick—in the Netflix docuseries, The Playbook: A Coach’s Rules for Life.
My husband and I just binge-watched this bad boy. It’s only five half-hour episodes, but each one is packed full of inspiration. As Netflix says:
Coaches with championship résumés share their personal rules for success in sports and life in this reflective and inspiring documentary series produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter.
Now, it’s quite a feat to find a show my husband and I both like. I love Friends; he loves football. I’m obsessed with The Good Place; he likes good soccer games. I’m into anything with a laugh-track; he’ll watch into anything with a zombie attack.
But we both loved The Playbook.
He enjoyed seeing these folks help sporting legends achieve greatness. I was fascinated by their phenomenal coaching skills.
Because I am a coach.
True, I’m a book coach. It’s not quite as kick-ass as coaching basketball, soccer, or tennis. I’m the nerd coach, if you will, and I’m cool with that. Instead of Lululemons, I wear a wooly cardigan. I don’t whack a tennis racket, but I wield a ballpoint pen like a mother f*&ker.
This leads me to the little thing I forgot to mention A YEAR AGO. That was when I pivoted my business from ghostwriting to book coaching. And I think I neglected to mention what in hell a book coach actually is.
So, what is a book coach?
A book coach is a professional editor, book outliner, project manager, emotional support puppy, cheerleader, kind-but-honest critique partner, and publishing guide—with a dash of life coaching and utterly unqualified therapy thrown in for good measure.
A book coach guides you through any and all stages of the book writing process, so you can have a clear plan, understanding exactly what to write next; actually make progress on your book, writing new pages every week; and finally finish your book, knowing it’s the best it can be.
How does a book coach do this?
What does a book coach do?
A book coach works with writers whatever stage they’re at. It might involve talking through book ideas to help you decide which book you should write first, planning, writing, revising a draft that doesn’t work, and editing.
A book coach might help you figure out if your book should be self-help or a memoir, or if you should write it as your real-life story or a fictionalized version.
A book coach can help you come up with a table of contents and decide which stories to include (and which to keep private).
A book coach can help you figure out how to tell your mom you wrote something she won’t like reading, or how to make the bad people in your memoir anonymous, or how to avoid getting sued for what you write.
A book coach can help you understand why you won’t stop watching Netflix when you promised yourself you’d write something—and help you stop beating up on yourself and occasionally turn off Netflix.
A book coach can tell you if your writing is any good, if your grammar needs work, if your sentences are confusing, and if you’re on the right track.
A book coach will edit your writing as you go, so you don’t need to wait until the end to know if it’s any good.
A book coach will cheerlead and encourage you when you feel like quitting writing (but don’t actually want to quit).
A book coach consistently gives kind, honest, constructive feedback so that you can write the best book you’re capable of.
Generally, this is all done via conversations on video calls (I heart Zoom), the nicest emails you’ve ever read, and editing in Word or Google Docs.
When should you hire a book coach?
Well, first off, not everyone needs a book coach. Technically, all you need to write is:
A writing device (hello, random envelope in my recycling bin and that stubby pencil I stole from Ikea), and
A brain (damn, and this was looking so promising).
Except if you’ve ever tried to write more than a shopping list, you know writing ain’t that easy. (And god, if it’s an Ikea shopping list, no one can help you.). Writing—good writing—is intense. Nothing intense is easy.
And when things are tough? That’s when you need help. Don’t wait until it’s all going wonderfully. You don’t need help then. You need assistance when you’re stuck. You need help when you feel like you suck.
Serena Williams hired Coach Patrick when her career was tanking. She’s just lost her first-ever opening round match in the French Open. She was failing. She did have a coach, but something wasn’t working.
She knew if she wanted different results, she had to do things differently. So she hired Coach Patrick to show her what she couldn’t see in her own game.
If your writing game is going well, I am stoked for you! If not, what can you change?
Improving your writing game
If you’re struggling to write, that’s when you could hire a book coach. (Ahem, I am a lovely book coach!) But even if that’s not on your radar right now, how can you find a fresh perspective? What can you do to see your writing practice in a new way?
How will you change your writing game so you get results you’ve never seen before?
Go write. Go write differently, in whatever way strikes your crazy, creative, beautiful brain. And when you’re procrastinating (as all real writers do), go watch The Playbook. I promise it’ll inspire you.
Thanks,
Liz “I Have a Crush on Coach Patrick” Green
Book Coach, Green Goose Writing
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