The question I’m always asking is: what’s the next piece of the puzzle? What step is the author ready to take next?

Author Coaching

We’ve heard of business coaches, sports coaches, and life coaches, but how does the editor–author relationship shake out when books and coaching are involved?

As with many things in the publishing world, the answer is often, it depends, and that’s a good thing, as there are different coaches working with various levels of authors.

I’ll outline the three types of coaching I offer below. Other coaches might provide something similar or something very different, so it’s worth considering your needs and shopping around.

Coaching is all about transformation and change: starting in one place, identifying issues, problems, and weaknesses in technique, and taking on advice and feedback to improve and move forward during the coaching period.

Most coaches, including myself, will be open to a free discovery or introductory Zoom call, because the fit—covering personality, working style, and communication style—is more important, I’d say, than a traditional editing relationship, where sometimes the editor and author communicate solely by email.

Outlining and brainstorming coaching is where we’d sit down with the early nuggets of an idea and talk through plot points, character arcs, and the issues preventing you from diving in to write. My belief about writer’s block is that it’s often linked to not being clear or not having a fully formed idea. It might be that the characters’ backgrounds, arcs, and relationships need a closer look.

Recently, I’ve worked with an author who had a full MM crime fiction novel outline and synopsis, and I got to play detective. By being an objective queer peer, I helped her dissect the story before it was written, and we found some neat ways to raise the stakes, add sneakier clues, and throw the dashing duo off the case. Often it’s about making things just a little bit harder for the main characters—whether that final kiss is harder to come by, the mystery harder to solve, or the quest needs to get progressively harder. All great things to talk through before getting stuck in the messy middle.

Generative coaching involves working with the author and providing accountability as they write the first draft.
Wait, what?
I know for some authors this would be a nightmare, but for others, there’s comfort in having someone to cheer them on, toss ideas around with, and provide direction if things feel off track. With gay romance, queer crime, LGBTQIA+ historical fiction, and memoirs being my focus, I have plenty of experience to draw from and can help the author get closer to their vision for the story. If your goal is a heartbreaking, high-stakes, emotional romance, then I can help ensure all those pieces are set up and the payoff lands as you’d hoped.

Revision coaching takes the completed manuscript, steps back, and then dives in with analysis tools at the ready. Usually, I review three to five chapters, depending on length, and then return the chapters to the author for rewrites as needed. I share all the strengths, weaknesses, and suggestions in a shared document, so you can work whenever you have time. The coaching calls are to review my suggestions and talk through questions and queries as you approach the next batch of pages.

I can build accountability coaching into any of these levels, where we’d set fixed times to check in and talk over progress. For some authors this is twice weekly; some prefer weekly; and sometimes twice a month is enough. Email or Zoom, depending on what works best for the author.

My approach to coaching is based on the GROW methodology and aligns with my educational philosophy of fostering a growth mindset. I also work with clients in their ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development), meaning I’ll work at the author’s level but also offer challenges and stretch material to help them level up—whether that’s scene structure, emotional resonance, or intimate moments.

In short, I love helping people learn, practise, and develop their writing skills and fiction craft.

I’m a great fit for debut authors, as well as experienced writers exploring something new—whether that’s a different genre, a new plotting method, or refreshing their knowledge in queer romance, crime, historical fiction, or memoir.

For a deeper dive into me, my editing, and author coaching services, you can read more here: https://sjkeir.com/faq/