but they don't have to be.
This coaching package includes 1 live 60-minute call on Zoom (that you can record) as well as 1 round of developmental edits and notes on your book proposal, including a short editorial letter that gives you an overview of my recommendations.
Please note that this is not a full manuscript edit. It is an edit for your book proposal, including your sample chapters.
We can either have the live consult prior to my edits (in which we talk more in depth through issues or pain points you've had), or we can have it after I've done edits, and you can use the time to talk with me through your ideas for revision. The time is ultimately yours to use however you like.
Once you have emailed me your book proposal (details below), please allow 4 weeks for the delivery of edits.
I love figuring out how to sell a book.
The business side of the publishing industry is one of my favorite parts of being an author. Maybe it's because I've owned several businesses (including retail) myself; maybe it's because I used to work in content & marketing for tech startups. But the blurred line where art and commerce is one of the things that most excites me.
Doesn't mean it isn't hard. It took two separate proposals over two years to sell my first book, Heretic: A Memoir (HarperCollins) — but when I finally did sell it, it was at auction for six figures.
Over the course of that time (and in the years and projects since), I learned a lot about book proposals. At this point, I've helped dozens of friends and students
figure out how to articulate what the heck the argument is at the core of their memoir
uncover the stakes of their spiritual, meditative prescriptive nonfiction
learn the difference between marketing and publicity — and understand and PREPARE for their role in that process
research and deep-dive into who, exactly, their audience for the book is
and so much more
Feeling intimidated and clueless about proposals is the main thing that kept me from trying to publish a book. With Jeanna's deeply informative lessons by my side, I wrote my book proposal in three months and had multiple offers of representation from major agencies within two weeks of submission. Every agent I spoke to said my proposal was one of the most polished they'd ever seen. Jeanna gave me all the knowledge I needed to write a killer proposal — but what I'm still carrying with me, every day, long after the proposal did its job, is Jeanna's unyielding faith in me and my writing.
A class that is guaranteed to walk you through every nitty gritty part of the proposal (unless that's how you want to use our time in the consultation section!)
Extended editorial and email support. Once edits have been delivered and we have our live session, there is no followup, unless you end up needing to clarify any of the comments or edits I made on your proposal.
After you purchase, you'll receive an automated confirmation email. I will personally reach out to you over email within 24 hours to ask whether you would like to do the consult before or after the edits, and when you'd like to send me the proposal. We will then schedule the consult:
If you have opted for a pre-edits phone call, we will schedule it ASAP, after which you can send me your proposal.
If you have opted for a post-edits call, then you can send me your proposal ASAP. We will schedule a call to take place 6-8 weeks from my receipt of your proposal, allowing time for edits, delivery, and for you to absorb the material.
Please note two important things:
If, for some reason, the kind of help you're looking for with your nonfiction project is highly specific and beyond the scope of my expertise (e.g. you're looking for subject matter editing in, say, biomedicine), then I will cancel the package and refund you.
I live in New York City (Eastern Standard Time) and my consulting hours are generally between 11am and 4pm my time. Please keep this in mind if trying to book a coaching session that includes a live consultation. If this isn't doable for you, I recommend doing my independent study of How to Write a Book Proposal.
There is no refund for this coaching package. Once you book, you have effectively reserved a limited spot, which means I am not accepting other clients for this.
With the 60-min consultation, editing clients can rebook up to 3 times (within a 24-hours prior time frame; beyond will be regarded as a miss) OR have 1 no-show. If clients miss/forget a second session, or try to cancel/rebook more than 3 times, then the consultation portion of this package is forfeit. Its success is contingent on your commitment to your work.
If you have a life emergency that prevents you from working on the book before sending it to me, or from doing the live consultation, absolutely no worries. Let me know, and I'll reserve time for you later in the year. We can also discuss a partial refund until that time.