Story coaching
Story coaching for authors with a true story to tell
Story coaching for authors is one-on-one guidance on shaping real experience into a book: finding the arc, the reader, and the lesson, then staying with you until it is written.
Defining Moments Press offers story coaching inside its Author Training program, which includes book coaching for one year, the 8-week writing course, and ongoing training. It is built for professionals who want the book in their own voice, with someone experienced keeping the structure honest and the pages moving.
Last updated:
- Weeks 1 to 2Reader, promise, and outline
- Weeks 3 to 6Draft chapters against the outline
- Week 7Edit and tighten
- Week 8Format, publish, and launch plan
What does a book writing coach do?
A book writing coach helps you decide what the book is, who it serves, and how it is structured, then holds you to a plan while you write. For nonfiction authors working from their own life, the coach also helps you decide what to leave out, which is usually the hardest call.
Story coaching is the right choice when you have the story and some time but need structure and accountability. It is the wrong choice when you will not be able to write at all; then ghostwriting, which Defining Moments Press also offers through Author Premium, fits better.
What story coaching covers
Good story coaching for nonfiction authors works on four things: the turning point that anchors the book, the reader it is written for, the order of chapters, and the voice. It also covers the practical side: weekly targets, what to do when a chapter will not come, and when to stop revising.
Defining Moments Press adds a fifth: what the book will do for you once it is published. Its acquisition call explores your business goals and profit opportunities before you write a word, so the coaching can plan for speaking, clients, or a mission from the start.
What Author Training includes
- Book coaching for 1 year
- The 8-week course to write your book
- Ongoing training and support
- Formatting and book design
- Book marketing
- Full book launch to bestseller
- Access to the author Facebook group
- A media and podcast list to promote your book
Source: the Defining Moments Press services page.
Coaching, editing, or ghostwriting?
| Story coaching | Editing | Ghostwriting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When it happens | Before and during writing | After a draft exists | Instead of you writing |
| Whose words | Yours | Yours, refined | The writer’s, in your voice |
| Your time | About 2 to 5 hours a week in the Author Blueprint pace | Reviewing changes | Interviews and approvals |
| Market price signal | $100 to $300 an hour (Scribe Media) | Not supplied | Reedsy ghostwriter from $18,000 (Yourtale) |
| Defining Moments Press option | Author Training | Included in production | Author Premium |
How to start with a story coach
Book the free call
Talk through your idea, your reader, and your goals with an Acquisition Editor.
Get a fit decision
They tell you on the call whether your book is a good fit for their services.
Choose your level
DIY, done with you, or done for you, depending on your time.
Write with support
Follow the 8-week course with coaching and the author community.
New to the idea? Start with what a nonfiction writing coach does, or check how much a book writing coach costs.
Common questions
See all 46 questionsWhat is the difference between a book coach and an editor?
A book coach works with you before and during the writing, shaping the idea, the reader, and the outline, while an editor mostly works on pages you have already written. A nonfiction book coach helps you get the draft written in the first place. Many authors use both: a coach to finish the manuscript, then editing and formatting before publication.
Open in the FAQWhat is a creative nonfiction writing coach?
A creative nonfiction writing coach helps you tell true stories with the tools of storytelling: scenes, voice, and a clear arc. That is exactly what a life story or personal lesson book needs. Defining Moments Press focuses on nonfiction stories and life lessons that can help others, helping authors find their voice and their audience.
Open in the FAQWhat is included in Author Training (done-with-you)?
Author Training includes book coaching for one year, the 8-week course to write your book, ongoing training and support, formatting, book design, book marketing, a full book launch to bestseller, access to the author Facebook group, and a media and podcast list to promote your book. It suits people who want guidance while writing it themselves.
Open in the FAQBook coach or ghostwriter: which should I choose?
Choose a coach if you want the book in your own words and can give a few hours a week. Choose a ghostwriter if time is the main barrier. Published comparisons from Yourtale list a Reedsy ghostwriter from $18,000. Defining Moments Press offers both coaching through Author Training and ghostwriting through Author Premium.
Open in the FAQHow is story coaching different from fiction coaching?
Fiction coaching works on invented plots and characters; story coaching for nonfiction authors works on real events, structuring true experience so it teaches or inspires. Defining Moments Press works on nonfiction books, helping authors find their voice and their audience for a true story or life lesson.
Open in the FAQHow do I choose a nonfiction book writing coach?
Look for a coach who has published nonfiction, explains the full path to publication, and is clear about price and rights. Ask who owns the finished book and the royalties. With Defining Moments Press, authors keep all royalties and rights, and founder Melanie Warner is a #1 international bestselling author and self-publishing expert.
Open in the FAQ