1:1 BOOK COACHING SERVICES
Writing a novel can be hellish. But it doesn’t have to be.
Coaching Services to get you out of hell
Maybe you have…
Zero words written but an epic story idea.
20K or 60K words written but you’re totally stuck.
A few chapters written because you’re a pantser who wants nothing to do with outlining but you don’t know where the story goes after the first act.
Limited time and you want a big writing push, but you’re at a loss to write about and how to start.
This is where Novel Planning & Revision Planning canhelp.
STEP 1
Novel Planning & Revision Planning Package
Novel Planning
A roadmap to guide your writing project from 0 to 90K words.
Revision Planning
A deep dive into your project to brainstorm twists/solutions & develop a roadmap for revision.
THE BENEFIT - NO JOKE…
Save hundreds of hours of frustration
Planning out your novel BEFORE you start writing can save you (no joke) hundreds of hours of frustration.
The same frustration can be alleviated by taking the time to deconstruct your novel when you’re stuck or you know something isn’t working. Perhaps you’re missing some twists. Perhaps your character logic is broken. Perhaps you just don’t know how to finish the story.
The work of deeply knowing your characters, their goals and motivations, and what stands in their way has to happen sometime, and doing this work up front is a game-changer for both efficiency in writing and your sanity.
A good novel is one where we care about the characters
and can relate to and connect with their emotional journeys, regardless of what's happening to them in the plot.
When you can see your whole story in 20 pages (via my Story Workbook),
it’s MUCH easier to see where you went awry and fix it than it is after you’re 100,000 words in and realize that your main character hasn’t developed at all, and halfway through, the plot took a hard right turn that makes no sense.
If you're even considering working with Sam, DO IT!
She is amazing, insightful, positive, encouraging, and can find those little holes that make all the difference.
It feels like Sam really loves MY story, that she gets what I'm trying to say and thinks it's worth saying, and that she clearly wants me to succeed. It's so refreshing. It's wonderful.
Tammy Euliano, Author
When you invest, you get:
A Dedicated Roadmap: Follow an actionable roadmap as you write or revise forward, with a clear understanding of who your characters are, the point of your story, and why it all matters.
The relief of iterating, editing & fixing with ease: With feedback and a plan, your first draft will be organized and editable, as opposed to having to throw out half of it because you wrote yourself into a corner.
Structured Accountability: With me in your corner, holding you accountable we’ll break down your goals, and make an overwhelming project feel doable.
Plot Clarity & Confidence: Know what’s happening in your novel when, how your protagonist changes over time, who your villain is and what they’re up to (which will provide you with a clear understanding of where and when your twists happen) and a solid outline to follow as you write or revise forward. When you work with me, you have professional eyes looking at your words to ensure what you’re writing isn’t full of plot holes, lack of character development, or lack of suspense.
Inside Outline: Deadlines 3 through 5 are generally focused on the Inside Outline, an invention of Jennie Nash a tool that takes your draft to the next level! I can’t recommend this enough!
STEP 1
NOVEL & REVISION PLANNING
INVESTMENT
$3000 USD ($600/deadline)*
*Deadlines are paid upfront, per deadline. Package must be used within 6 months of kickoff call. Most clients complete the package in 4 months.
Both the Revision Planning Package and the Novel Planning Package include:
6 Coaching Calls with Recordings: A 25-minute Kickoff call to discuss your goals/concerns for your manuscript and 5x 50-minute video calls, one after each round of subsequent feedback.
Access to my Story Workbook, tailored to where you are in the process. We will go through 5 total interactions, resulting in a clear roadmap for you to follow as you write or revise forward.
Each deadline includes in-line feedback on your Workbook, a separate 3-5 page editorial letter, and a 50-minute feedback call to discuss everything and brainstorm solutions. The feedback focuses on what’s working, what’s not, and why.
STEP 2:
Ongoing Coaching
Both revising and writing forward are hard, and at times it can feel absolutely hellish.
I know it can be:
overwhelming (there’s so much to do!),
scary (I’ve already spent so much time on this!),
and frustrating (I’ve written myself into a corner! Again!)
I can help. Let’s get you out of hell.
Ongoing Coaching is only available to clients who’ve worked in revision or novel planning (see STEP 1).
Because this package is only available to clients whom I’ve done either revision or novel planning with,
I know your vision.
I know where you want to go.
I understand your characters as well as you do.
This package is where ongoing coaching makes a massive difference.
When you invest you get…
8 Deadlines: Typical cadence is 2x deadlines/month. For a 90K novel, typical usage is two rounds of 8 deadlines.
Each deadline includes a review of up to 6,250 words (not necessarily consecutive), including in-line comments, a 3-5 page evaluation letter detailing what’s working, what isn’t, and why, and either a 25- or 50-minute recorded video call to discuss the feedback.
Coaching Calls with Recordings: We talk after every deadline to make sure you understand the feedback and what you’re focusing on next. I record all our calls and send them to you so you can review them as many times as you’d like.
Accountability and feedback as you write. This results in a cleaner draft with less revision, because I know your story and your vision, and will make sure you stay on track. Deadlines are available anywhere from weekly to monthly.
[Sam’s] support & encouragement reminded me why I started writing to begin with.
The critiques and suggestions pointed out my book's weaknesses. The calls helped me figure out exactly how to fix those in the way I wanted. I never received a critique that she didn't follow up with a suggestion on how to fix it, and as a result, I never felt lost or frustrated, only inspired.
Amanda Solimando, Author
STEP 2
ONGOING COACHING
INVESTMENT
$500 USD/deadline
$500 USD per deadline (50-minute call) or $450 USD per deadline (25-minute call)
Deadlines are paid upfront, per deadline, and quoted in an 8x deadline package. Typical usage for a 90K novel is two 8-deadline packages.
Each 8-Deadline package includes:
Coaching Calls with Recordings: We talk via Zoom for either 25-minute ($450/deadline) or 50-minutes ($500/deadline) to review the feedback I’ve emailed you, brainstorm solutions, and make sure you know what you’re focusing on next.
Each deadline includes my feedback on a max of 6,250 words of your story (typically consecutive), including in-line feedback and a separate 3-5 page editorial letter highlighting what’s working, what’s not, and why.
Email Support: Email between deadlines for questions, brainstorming, and remote cheerleading.
Deadline cadence is determined by your schedule and pace, and can be anywhere from weekly to monthly.
Sam’s insight into my manuscript has been extremely valuable.
Her balanced feedback helps me recognize what sections are effective and which could benefit from more attention. Her ability to provide thought-provoking suggestions has definitely made my writing stronger. I would highly recommend her as a book coach.
T.J. Hock, Author
STEP 3
The Pitch Package
Help with every aspect of your query package.
You’ve done the work, and your manuscript is agent-ready. Maybe even have a dream agent picked out. But you’re terrified, because you’ve read 100 articles warning that if you pitch and they say no, that bridge is burned.
Welcome to pitching hell. I can help.
ANOTHER TRUTH:
You get one shot
with an agent.
That’s one shot to show them what you can do and why your story should be part of the (less than) 1% that makes it through the thousands of queries they receive every year.
That means every single part of your query package needs to be as perfect as you can get it BEFORE you have your first agent pitch session and before you send out your first query (which is why I require my sign-off before I’ll work on pitch preparation.)
Even if everything is perfect, rejection is the norm.
And although it can feel personal, it’s not. It’s entirely about what the agent thinks they can sell.
I’ve been deep in the query trenches, and it’s a world full of rejection and mystery and excitement and waiting and then waiting some more.
Call me weird, but I love it. I love query letters, and synopses, and planning out live pitches. I think this work is fun.
I cannot guarantee that you’ll get an agent after working with me, but we’ll do our damnedest to get your manuscript and your pitch package in as great a shape as we can, and then I’ll be there to guide/encourage/celebrate you once responses start coming in.
I know pitching. I’ve made (all) the mistakes and learned from them.
Sam’s book coaching has been instrumental in my efforts to polish my debut novel to a level worthy of publication.
She helped me recognize the points that needed work and, most importantly, helped me improve on the stakes of the conflict, as well as my main character's arc of change through the story. My novel is a far better book because of her, and I am extremely grateful.
Stephen Mann, Author
When you invest you get…
Polishing of first 3 chapters (or first 5,000 words, whichever is longer): up to 3 rounds of revision
Synopsis and Query Development + Revision: up to 5 rounds of revision each
Elevator Pitch Development + Revision: This is your 1 sentence pitch, also known as a logline. Up to 5 rounds of revision
Personalized Agent List: A list of 30+ agents, personalized to your goals and who are looking for stories like yours. I do the research so you don’t have to.
Personalized Pitch Plan: I break down exactly what to do when, so you can proceed with confidence and know exactly what to do if someone responds.
Video Calls: An initial 25-minute Kickoff call to discuss your goals/concerns for pitching, a 50-minute call to form your personalized pitch plan and review the agent list, and 5x 25-minute calls to be used at your discretion (for query/synopsis revision, discussion of first pages, live-pitch practice, OMG an agent responded, etc.)
Call Recordings: I record all our calls and send them to you so you can review them as many times as you’d like.
STEP 3
THE PITCH PACKAGE
INVESTMENT
$3,000 USD*
*Package must be used within 12 months of kickoff call. Only available to clients with whom I’ve worked extensively with. Here’s why.
The Pitch Package is customizable to your needs. Some clients don’t need help with agent research, but do want help with live pitching. Some need five rounds of development on their query, some need three. We work together to figure out the plan you need and I develop a custom quote from there. All-in, with agent research and 5x rounds of revision, is $3,000 USD.
She provides insightful and well-considered feedback that gets to the heart of the story on the page in a supportive and helpful way. Aware of the elusive nature of the creative process, she helps writers appreciate their strengths while encouraging them to explore other areas to find the perfect balance for their story.
Lisanne Davidson, Author
