Here are the nitty gritty details of working with me as a book coach for your middle grade or young adult novel.
One-on-One Coaching Basics
You’ll submit material regularly—at least once per month—and we’ll meet via Zoom a few days after each submission.
The basic process goes like this:
- Submit your manuscript pages, double-spaced, per regularly scheduled due date.
- Receive written feedback on your pages—inline comments and suggestions—and an editorial letter within a few days of each submission.
- Ask your questions and discuss my feedback during a Zoom call 4 or 5 days after each due date.
How much you’ll submit
If you want to move faster, then you can submit up to 40 pages each month.
If you want to take it slower, then you’ll submit up to 20 pages each month.
Each submission of manuscript pages should be formatted in standard publishing form:
- Double-spaced
- 12-point Times or Times New Roman
- One-inch margins
How often you’ll submit
Most writers prefer to submit twice a month, but once a month works too.
Either way, we’ll discuss your preferences and choose a regular day your submission is due.
How often we’ll meet
We’ll meet a few days after each submission. If you submit:
- 20 pages twice per month (40 pages total), we’ll meet for an hour after each submission.
- 10 pages twice per month (20 pages total), we’ll meet for 40 minutes after each submission.
What you’ll submit each month
You and I will figure out together, based on your specific goals, what you’ll submit.
For example, if you’re still figuring out a new story, I’ll suggest working through the Blueprint for a Book exercises. These exercises are effective for clarifying the most important pieces of your novel.
If you’ve completed a partial or complete draft of a novel, the first thing you’ll submit will be your manuscript. I’ll do a quick assessment of it to get a sense of where it stands as we begin our work together. I’ll share my feedback during our first call. I may suggest you complete specific exercises from the blueprint or a miniature version of the blueprint.
See Terms for more logistics details.
