Book Coaching
You have started this book more than once. There is a document, and it is good, and you have not opened it since March. You are not lazy and you are not blocked. You are unsupervised.
Writing a book alone is the only major project we expect adults to complete with no deadline, no structure, no feedback and no one waiting on it. Then we call it a discipline problem. It is a scaffolding problem, and scaffolding is exactly what a book coach is.
Crystal Adair-Benning. 4x NYT bestselling ghostwriter & book coach. 30 yrs in books, 200+ authors, 12+ countries.
You will finish this book. It is just a matter of when.
That is not a slogan. Every author I coach finishes, and the ones who take longest are always the ones who spent the first 3 months writing the wrong book beautifully.
So we settle the structure first. What the book promises, who it is for, what each chapter has to do. Then you write, and every 2 weeks somebody who has done this 200+ times reads what you made and tells you the truth about it.
Apply to work together
What you actually get.
Structure
A book that knows what it is.
A chapter-by-chapter architecture with the promise of each chapter in 1 line. Written before you draft, so you never spend a year on a book that was always going to collapse in the middle.
Feedback
Notes that are useful.
Line and structural notes on every batch of pages. Voice, pacing, whether the chapter earns its place. Specific, direct and always followed by what to do about it.
Accountability
A deadline with a face on it.
Dates you agreed to, and somebody expecting the pages. This is the unglamorous mechanism that finishes books, and it is the one nobody wants to pay for until they have failed twice without it.
“There is no one I would trust more to guide the process from outline to publication than Crystal.”
Christopher Ali
How coaching runs.
- The validation call. Free, 30 minutes, and occasionally it ends with me telling you this is not a book yet. Better to hear that now than 60,000 words from now.
- The blueprint. We build the outline together. Reader, promise, chapter map, word count, and a realistic finish date based on the life you actually have.
- The writing. You draft to an agreed schedule. Pages come to me in batches. No one disappears for 3 months.
- The sessions. A working call every 2 weeks. Notes first, then the fix, then what you are writing next and by when.
- The finish. Full manuscript read, structural pass and a publishing recommendation with the trade-offs laid out in plain language.
When coaching is the wrong answer.
If the honest problem is that you have no hours, coaching will not manufacture them. You need a room with a door and 5 days where nobody needs anything from you, which is what Createcation™ retreats are.
If the honest problem is that you do not want to write, that is also allowed. That is what ghostwriting is for and there is no shame anywhere in that sentence.
See the retreatsYour next fave read.
- What Does a Book Coach Actually Do?
- How to Choose a Book Coach
- The Difference Between a Book Coach and a Ghostwriter
Questions I get asked.
What is the difference between coaching and ghostwriting?
With coaching you write every word and I make sure the words are the right ones in the right order. With ghostwriting I write it and you approve it. Same destination, very different calendars.
How often do we meet?
Most people land on a call every 2 weeks with written feedback on pages in between. Some want weekly. The right answer is whatever keeps you writing.
What if I fall behind?
You will, at least once. Everyone does. That is the actual reason to hire a coach, because a deadline you set alone is a suggestion and a deadline somebody is waiting on is a deadline.
Do you read everything I write?
Yes, and I give you notes on structure, voice, pacing and whether the chapter is doing its job. I am not a cheerleader with a highlighter.
Will you tell me if it is not working?
Yes. That is the most expensive service I offer and the one people thank me for years later.
What if I have already written 40,000 words?
Then we start with a manuscript assessment and find out which 40,000 they were. Sometimes it is the whole first half of the book. Sometimes it is an extremely long warm-up.
Can you help with publishing too?
Yes. Traditional, hybrid and self-publishing all have a place. I will tell you which one serves your goal and what each will actually cost you in time and money.
How long does coaching usually run?
Most authors work with me for 4 to 9 months. The 90-day sprint exists for people who already have the material and need a finish line.
Not sure which one is yours?
Book a free 30-minute call. I will tell you which path fits your book, your calendar and your goals. If none of them do, I will tell you that too.
