Every great writer needs help — and the best help is hard to find.
I was ready to write a bestseller. I had a great idea. I knew how it would go, chapter to chapter. I saw the scenes, paragraphs and even sentences in my head like a movie. My writing was great - everyone said so.
What’s more, I knew what steps came next: I put together a proposal and got an agent.
Finally, I thought, people will hear what I have to say.
When my agent said, “You need to work on a few things,” I was ready to listen. But the truth was, his advice confused me. I was a strong writer, but I didn’t know the publishing world. Wasn’t he supposed to fill in the gaps?
Every great writer needs great help.
So, I tried a different tack. I hired an editor. She had just left one of the big five New York publishing houses-- and her rate reflected her experience. But she’d be worth it, right?
Well - no. Her notes were rushed. She’d skimmed my work. And when we spoke on the phone, I wondered if she understood what I was going for.
Next, I took my idea and my sample chapters to a writing workshop.
And met well-meaning people.
Who were more confused than I was.
Why was this process so difficult?
All I really wanted was to work with one person I trusted. I wanted to work with someone who could guide my writing, who knew the industry and could help me through the publishing process.
But I couldn’t find that person.
How do published writers do this?
The sad truth is - and I’m embarrassed to admit it - I quit. I gave up on my book. Without good help, I lost sight of the finish line.
I shelved the proposal. My confidence evaporated. My agent disappeared. I wasn’t going to be a best-selling author after all.
What I didn’t know then was that I needed someone like myself. I needed an expert and an insider to guide me.
I needed someone who believed in me, had the editorial chops to guide my work, and the industry know-how to help me reach my goal.
I needed someone who was dedicated to helping me write (and sell!) the best book I could write.
That’s what we all need.
It was my lightbulb moment. It’s why I do what I do now. Writing a book takes work, but it shouldn’t be confusing and painful. It just shouldn’t be so hard.
Fast-forward to today: I’m still writing. But I’m writing smarter. I know what agents and publishers want. I know a good book idea when I see it. I know how we get there.
Every time I cross that finish line with an author, I get the sweetest satisfaction: We did it!
Whether you are a first-time author, or an author with a huge platform, the questions are the same: What is the book that wants to happen right now? How can we, together, create the best book possible?
I ask you the hard questions so that you don’t have to wonder if you’re on the right track.
I’m dedicated to being your guide, your audience, and your cheering section - to the very end.
My background
I'm a book coach helping authors discover their ideas, harness their creative process, develop their proposals and write their books.
My clients have been published with Big 5 and independent presses such as TarcherPerigee (Penguin Group), North Star Way (Simon & Schuster), Harper Wave, Workman, Wiley, Sounds True, Shambhala Publications, and more.
They are top CEOs, world-changing humanitarians, coaches, scholars, moms, midwives, herbalists, entrepreneurs — and more.
My own writing has appeared in the New York Times, Yoga Journal, TimeOut New York, Poets & Writers, and on NPR and McSweeney's, among many other venues. I have been a writing fellow at the Writer's Institute of the City University of New York's Graduate Center and at New York University.
Since I am actively writing and publishing my own work, I know what it means to be edited and coached. I treat my authors with the same rigor, intelligence, and kindness I want for my own work.