08 Jan 32. The Power of Author Coaching

Have you ever wished you had someone to call when you get stuck writing your book?

What about someone who can help you figure out how to finally get started writing?

A great author coach can provide that essential help, and so much more, so you can write your book faster and better.

You don’t need to do this alone. In this episode, I share the details of why you might just want to work with an author coach.

Mentioned in This Episode

“The Redefining Wealth Podcast” with Patrice Washington

Short Books: Big Results, the group coaching program for authors who want to write great books

Episode Transcript

Hey there and welcome to Nothing but the Words, I’m your author coach Candice L Davis.

This week I want to talk to you about why I love coaching authors so much and how you can benefit from working with an author coach.

To start with, I understand the value of coaching because I’ve seen the difference coaches have made for me.

I currently have a life coach and a business coach.

I also hire coaches for specific topics. So when I run Facebook ads, for example, I will definitely have a coach to walk me through that process.

I look for specific attributes in a coach.

Because being coached has helped me create great results in my business and in my life. When I first started working in publishing, most of my work was as a copy editor for authors.

We were just coming out of the recession. I was getting a good amount of work, but I was putting in long hours for very little money.

Not surprisingly, I was frustrated, so when I happened to run into a client in Starbucks and she asked me to edit her next book, I told her I’d love to do it but I didn’t want her to pay me. I wanted her to coach me instead.

Patrice Washington is the author of “Real Money Answers for Every Woman” and at the time, she was offering 1:1 Sit + Win coaching sessions.

Not only had I edited her book, but I was watching her career, so I was convinced that she knew her stuff. I was sure she could help me figure out what I was doing wrong in my business.

So when it was time for my coaching session, I took it super seriously.

I filled out all the onboarding paperwork, and I was really happy to see that she asked about my business in the context of my life.

So we were on the same page in our thinking that business is just one important aspect of life.

After some initial conversation, Patrice asked me about my current projects. I was editing a manuscript for a client and I told her about it.

Then she asked how much I charged for the project. And I told her.

And finally, she asked how many hours the project would take.

Sitting on her side of the desk, she punched some numbers into a calculator.

Then she turned it around so I could see the numbers.

“Why don’t just get a job at McDonald’s?” she asked me.

I just sat there, looking like a dummy, so she went on. “You’d make about the same amount of money but you’d be much less stressed.”

Ma’am. Did you just tell me to go back to the same job I had at 15?

Yes, she did. And after the shock wore off and the truth sank in, she worked with me through what I needed to do to make my business make sense.

Patrice had read me well. She knew I not only could take that kind of shocking statement, but I actually needed it to get the message.

That was six years ago, but it feels like decades because my business has grown by leaps and bounds and completely transformed since then.

That’s the power of coaching.

And even though I have no idea what most of my coaching clients would say was there head-spinning moment in being coached by me, I always strive to pour into them the way my coach poured in to me.

So let me share with you the power of author coaching and what you should expect from working with an author coach.

The first thing I suggest you look for in an author coach is results.

What has this chick done? Has she done what she proposes to coach you through doing? Has she written any books? If she’s planning to coach you through the publishing process, has published any books? Has she coached any other people to successfully write books?

You want an author coach with results, but be specific about what you’re looking for. Don’t necessarily expect her to have a #1 New York Times bestseller—UNLESS that’s what she’s promising to coach you to achieve.

And don’t expect all of her clients to have written amazing books. Remember she’s the coach. She’s not doing the writing for them.

However, she should be able to point to some client’s books she’s proud to have helped with.

And I’m saying she because saying he or she gets tiresome, but obviously men can be fantastic author coaches too.

Look for results. As long as you’re willing to show up and do the work, a great author coach can help you get results faster and better than you would on your own. That includes a better organization and flow to your book, feedback to improve your writing, and so much more.

A great author coach should also give you a structure or methodology to follow. It doesn’t have to be written in stone. It can be flexible and customizable to you and your needs.

But writing a book is a big project, and big projects require order to be done well.

Without a process to follow you might get your book finished but it’s likely to need a lot of work on the back end that could have been avoided with some order on the front end.

I use my SPARK writing method, 5 steps that my clients can follow to stay on track with their books.

A great author coach will give you practical steps to take to make writing your book less stressful and more enjoyable or at least more achievable. She can give you strategies and tools to make time for writing and get the words flowing so you can meet your writing goals.

If you’ve never written a book before, or even if you have, you will run into questions about the writing and publishing processes. A great author coach provides a way for you to ask those questions in one way or another.

For example, my private coaching clients meet with me every other week. In between, they can email or text me if they have a question. If they have an urgent need, especially as they get close to publishing or launching, we can even jump on a quick call between sessions.

Right now my group coaching clients in Short Books: Big Results get regular coaching calls with me and can reach me anytime in our Facebook.

A great author coach also has the ability to listen to you and hold the space, meaning she can listen to you without judgment or the need to correct how you feel.

That doesn’t mean she won’t point out when you’re off track. It just means that she knows how to let you say what you need to say, even if it means you’re processing out loud, even if she doesn’t think you should feel that way. Even if she completely disagrees with you.

It might seem like you just need somebody to tell you what to do so you can write your book, but even when you know what to do, there will be times when you need to talk it through. A great coach will give you space to do that.

A great author coach can actually coach you. When you’re stuck in self-doubt. When you feel overwhelmed. When you have no idea why in the name of all that is holy you ever thought you could write a book in the first place, a great coach will show up for you.

She’ll help you see the reality of your struggle without all the drama.

She’ll help you work through self-doubt and help you remember you are more than capable of writing the book you’re supposed to write right now.

A great author coach will give you the tools to coach yourself out of writer’s block and off the ledge when she can’t be there to help you. That’s really invaluable.

I believe in coaching. That’s why I pay for it, month after month, year after year, in different areas of my personal and professional life.

I believe in author coaching. That’s why I do it. I’ve seen the power of the coaching relationship and the way it can authors find their confidence, rediscover their gifts, hone their philosophies and make their books stand out in a crowded field.

Writing a book, by its nature, is a solitary process. I love that solitude. And having a coach by your side through the process ensure that solitude never has to turn to loneliness or isolation.

It’s enthusiastic support.

It’s the synergy of her knowledge and wisdom serving your own.

It’s accountability and encouragement and belief in you and your ability to write a phenomenal book.

The power of author coaching boils down to this. Even when no one else understands what you’re going through writing this book, when other people either think you’re wasting your time or your book should have been done already, I’ve got your back, and I’ll help you see your book through to The End.

That’s all for this episode, my friends.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to Nothing but the Words on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

My goal is to give you everything you need to write a phenomenal book, so don’t miss an episode.

And if you want to learn more about author coaching, book a complimentary consultation call with me at CandiceLDavis.com/call.

Thanks for listening to “Nothing but the Words.” I’m your author coach Candice L Davis, and I’ll see you next time.