Take your book idea from imagined to real.
Author Coaching Services
You have a story to tell. It’s there in the back of your head, whispering to you while you go about your daily life. In all likelihood, you’ve found your way to this page because you can’t ignore your story any longer. Or perhaps you’ve completed a first draft, and you know it needs editing. Maybe there are areas where you feel stuck.
I help writers get unstuck.
I’ll be your sounding board, observant reader, and incisive writing analyst, leading you to think in new ways about your story and how you’re telling it.
I have an ear for the music of language and—to paraphrase one of my client testimonials—I’ll make your words sing. Together, we’ll take your writing to a level you never dreamed possible. You will not only write a better book than you thought you could; you’ll come out of our work together a better writer, ready to tackle your next project with greater skill and confidence.
How it works:
The services I provide are tailored to the individual project. The number of hours of editing and discussion each week or month depends upon the demands of the project coupled with the breadth of your budget, which we set up in advance, based on my hourly rate. Most of my clients take advantage of all or most of the services I offer. I invite you to browse through the offerings below and take a look at the videos on my home page to get a better feel for my personality and approach.
If you think I might be the right person for your project, dash off an email on my contact page telling me a bit about your project and what you’re looking for, and we’ll take it from there.
I look forward to hearing from you!
TESTIMONIALS
What my coaching clients say.
Not only has my writing improved under Gillian’s guidance, I’ve also grown in confidence and in my willingness to consider new points of view. Her unceasing encouragement to get back on the bike has been a gift and invaluable learning experience.
Janina Fuller, Author, The Gecko in the Bathtub: Encounters with Marvelous Creatures
Gillian was more than just an editor. She became my teacher, mentor and friend. Through both positive and constructive critique, Gillian helped me develop each chapter and bring my book to life. She made suggestions, but she also left comments when the writing made her laugh or cry. I never would have been able to complete this project without Gillian’s guidance and support.
Gregg Bonn, Author, Finding My Way Forward: How Facebook Helped Me Heal After the Death of My Wife
Gillian kept me accountable and helped me through the ups and downs that come with writing a very personal piece. She handles delicate topics with grace. Without her support I would still be floundering, and my memoir would be far from complete. She’s a talented teacher who transformed my “one day” into reality.
Kehau Martinez, Author, Dear Dad: Memoirs of a Brown Eyed Girl
In her writing class, Gillian gave me the ability to access a more creative and descriptive part of my mind, transforming my almost destructive experience with my addict son and conflicted marriage into a positive scenario that I could share with others through my writing.
Steven Donovan, Author, A Thousand Miles Out: A Story of Addiction, Retribution and Recovery
Gillian exemplifies “author coach.” Not only did I finish my dissertation with positive feedback from my academic advisor, but my writing actually improved. Gillian elevated my writing and my spirits during a long, grueling process.
Jenna Gerdsen, PhD Candidate, University of Maryland
Gillian helped me focus my college application essays and took away the paralyzing fear I had of writing a bad first draft. She was great at helping me whittle down word count and stick to the essence of the prompts!
Tillie Donover, University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering
Gillian was, without a doubt, the most influential force in the development of my craft. Above all, I appreciated her genuine enthusiasm for my development as a writer. She turned the learning process into an adventure that was not only valuable, but incredibly fun.
Maximilian Hagen, Blogger
BOOK PLANNING & OUTLINING
We’ll work together to plan your book’s overall structure so that it’s well-paced and effectively sequenced.
MOTIVATIONAL SCHEDULING
Together, we’ll create a schedule to keep you motivated and on-task, so that you meet your personal book completion deadline, no matter how busy your life is.
CONTENT EDITING
As you complete chapters or sections, I review them and identify areas in need of transitions, development, clarification, or streamlining. You can accept changes, reject them, or save them to discuss later.
GRAMMAR & STYLE
Grammatical corrections and refinements ensure a high quality, professional manuscript. I’ll identify inconsistencies in tone, tense, parallel structure, and point of view and make sure your writing is clear, powerful, persuasive, and engaging.
SOUNDING BOARD SESSIONS
In collaborative phone discussions we’ll review manuscript edits, comments, and questions, develop thin areas, and plan the next chapter in real-time using Google Drive. If you choose, call recording allows us to capture our discussion and have it transcribed within hours, making it easy to apply any ideas generated to your next writing session, sometimes with simple copy and paste.
PROPOSAL WRITING & PUBLICATION ADVICE
I’ll help you examine your goals and decide whether to publish traditionally or self-publish with an on-demand and/or e-book platform. If you’re going the traditional route, I’ll help you create a compelling book proposal and query letter for submission to agents and/or publishers.
