Friend, you need a book coach
Stories are how we understand the world...
Wherever you are right now,
I can help you get where you need to be.
Let's break the mystery of book writing into a process that works for you. From our first call, together we'll come up with a powerful starting point for your writing (even if you have some pages already).
You most likely found your way here because...
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some considerate friend of yours, or a grateful client of mine sent you. That's the best!
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you've gotten as far as you can on your own; blocking time in your calendar and staring at the blank page isn't getting the words out
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you've got sixty pages but no outline, no start and no finish, and no idea what to do next
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your publisher is breathing down your neck to produce quality chapters and you're stuck
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your writing doesn't sound the way you want it to
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you need this book done by the time the website or online course launches and your team is waiting on you
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you're maxed out, burned out, and can't do it alone anymore.
Yahoo for you!
You're asking for an expert to help take you across the finish line.
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you need a writing partner, with proper experience ... Another course isn't going to get the pages written if you feel like you've run out of steam.
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You need a limitless pool of ideas ... Another tip, template or prompt might get you a paragraph, but what about the other 2,000 of them you need?
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You need someone who believes you can do this and is invested in you completing the book, and achieving the goal.
fall in love with your book again
I support executive, life, intimacy and spiritual coaches and transformational leaders, teachers and speakers to develop books that change their reader's lives. The message makers. The movement launchers. Multi-books authors with the energy to vibrate the change the world needs to see.
Just this year I worked on over a dozen books that have found their way with Big Five publishers, partner-publishers, small boutique imprints and entrepreneurial presses.
Some of my clients have shared their praise about how I helped them meet their publishing goals.
If you just started, I can guide you to craft a book that does what you dream it will before you head too far down a self-doubting path alone. I've been known to be a writer's saviour, especially when...
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there's a stack of pages staring at you from your desk drawer. I can turn them into a publishable book with you.
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you're not sure if the writing is strong enough, or maybe a publisher suggested you get some help? I'll revise it with you.
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you have a deadline looming and you're struggling with time management and organization? Bring me in as a project pinch hitter. We'll get a stellar book delivered on time.
I want to help you tell the story of your life.
Here's what working together looks like...
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You write a little, inspired by an event, a talk you gave, a client that you coach, a class you taught, a provocative memory.
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Your pile of pages grows, and we review them together and keep the best base work, making notes together on enhancements, memories to dig for, conversations to highlight.
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A chapter title comes out of the content, and you get a mental snapshot of how to begin and end this piece that is now 25 pages centred around a theme.
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Another theme, another chapter, and we begin to consider a layout, an order of things, an outline.
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While writing to the outline, at a pace that is manageable yet inspiring, we set aside some part of our calls to consider the bigger picture goals you told me about when we began.
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Do we need to consider a proposal for an agent? What deadline are you working to? What are realistic expectations given the pace that we have established?
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And onward we move together, speaking often and reviewing your writing, work plan, goals and expectations on an ongoing basis.
Sounds better than tossing all your pages in the air and giving up, doesn't it?
no one needs to do writing alone
What do you and your book get when you hire me as your writing coach?
- A cheerleader - confidence that you can finish is my main aim in supporting you on your book journey. I'm on your team, dedicated to your project and just as committed as you are to meeting the deadline.
- An accountability partner - with a writing plan, a schedule for our calls, and me working on your pages every week with you, you won't ever wonder what to do next, or succumb to putting off your writing.
- A brainstorming sidekick - I'm your coach, and that means that what we do together is confidential, and that you ultimately decide on how you want your book to work. You have a trusted companion to brainstorm with so that you point toward the strongest strategy and maximize your writing time.
- A wordsmith - I work with you regularly, and show you how to enhance your content, deepen your message, and build your writing muscle with narrative, scene, backstory, reflection, dialogue and other techniques.
- An expert - I'm the one who can see the process from helicopter level, and is focused on you getting what you want (self-published course companion book, a traditionally-published memoir, or the first of three resource volumes for clients)
- A sherpa - I'll be carrying the weight of the tough stories, the arduous content, talking the content through with you, so that you can see what matters to your reader.
- A time manager - I'll get you to the finish line (whatever that is) much faster than you would do on your own. Our timeline is the first work we will do together when we build your writing plan.
This isn't a course, and I don't do packages that promise you'll have a book in some amount of time. If you are looking for a checklist, a template or a guarantee, I'm not your coach.
I won't be supporting your self-diagnosed writer's block. It isn't a thing. I won't let you get stuck. I will find a way to work with or around your time limitations, support your work style, strengthen your content and coach you through your self-imposed limitations.
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your somewhat conceived book idea,
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a clear idea of what you plan to include,
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the book's intended purpose for you,
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your life, your business, and the goal.
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(we'll work out the rest together.)
This goal is yours, and yours alone. Maybe you've always wanted to be a writer, and this book has been simmering on a back burner for a decade. Fantastic! Let's write it! Your goal might be to self-publish the book to launch a business. You might be a writer who wants an agent who can get you a Big Five publishing deal. Let's get you there!
Oh, and I won't let you quit —because that's (in part) what you're hiring me for.
How does coaching work?
Coaching with me is all bespoke, customized to you, your writing process, or your project's needs. If you have a book deal and need 60,000 perfectly polished words in three months, you'll need more support from me than a writer who is giving herself a year to draft a memoir before considering how to publish it.
I fill my docket with the juiciest work I have right now. Because I'm a coach, co-author, collaborator, and publishing project manager, I fill my schedule as the choice projects come. If I can't block the time to help you the way you need it, I won't say yes. That's the way I work.
I base my fees on how much of my time you want (weekly one hour checkins, bi-weekly half day sessions, or daily project management will all have different time and costs involved.
Hang on a sec'...
If you know you're interested, stop right here and schedule a Story Intensive call now, or send me a message on the Reach Out page.
Clients work on a monthly retainer with me, (none of that hourly logging or nickel and diming.) I ask for a minimum three-month commitment to hold your spot. I review some pages of your writing and offer detailed feedback each time we meet.
Need more details on how we can work together?
Please meet...
some of the brilliant thought leaders, transformational coaches, and change-making writers I get to call my clients (and friends.)
These endorsements are pulled from the acknowledgements of their recently published books.
Every writer here came to me at a different phase or stage of writing. Some had a little content, others just a dream. One participated in The Story House mastermind, another already had a book deal from a Big 5 publishing house. One is changing the way we manage in a crisis, and still another is inviting us to play more as an entree to a more fulfilling life. Each writer had a first call with me and we were a fit pretty much instantly — then we went from wherever they were to a published book together.
Kristi H. Turner
Rethink Everything
"To my professional book coach, Patti Hall, who helped me in the beginning to outline the book and guided me through and endless number of cuts, edits and “rethinks”. Your creative ideas and insights were invaluable."
Erin Baker
Joy-Full AF – The Essential Business Strategy We're Afraid to Put First
You have been much more than a book coach and story builder for me over the last two years. From "a book about AND" to The Ten Essentials to Joy-Full AF you were steadfast in helping me navigate the twists and turns, and ups and downs of the book-writing wilderness. You believed in me when I didn’t. You refused to give up when I thought, “No, this time the joy really is gone, I’m quitting.” Your heart, generosity, tenacity, and grit are unmatched. Words will never fully capture my gratitude.
Ken Bechtel
Follow Your Yes – A Simple Idea to Improve Anyone’s Life
“Patti M. Hall, my book diviner, without your encouragement, expertise and enthusiasm to see this book written there’s no telling if these pages would have ever come to be. Through your generous guidance I found the confidence to do something I never thought I would do. I was convinced I was not a writer and you helped me see that wasn’t true at all.”
Mel Miles
Soulcation – Design a Life You Don’t Need A Vacation From
“…my writing coach, Patti Hall, I couldn’t have made it through this solo act without your gut reactions, technical critiques and late-night texts cheering me on. My guest room is always here for you.”
Catherine Hammond
Hope(less) – the truth about hope and where to find it
“Patti Hall, this book truly would not be half of what it is without your loving patience, insight, and curiosity. Your belief in me and in this message have carried me through the process and enhanced every idea I’ve had. Your friendship is one of my most treasured gifts. The words “book coach” don’t come close to describing your role in this process. Thank you with all my heart!”
Addison Brasil
The First Year of Grief Club – A Gift From a Friend Who Gets It
“I could not have navigated the waters of writing to actual authorhood without you. Thank you for the grace and integrity you had in teaching me to sail; being a co-captain, every member of the crew and when all else failed grabbing a bucket and keeping more water out than in with me … Couldn’t have done it without you and wouldn’t have wanted to. Only the beginning, thanks for being “just to the left” with me and for me, always.”
Em Stroud and Orange
Lessons From A Clown – How to Find Courage to Show Up for Yourself and Laugh Every Day
“Patti M. Hall — What a woman you are! Without you this would never exist. For your kindness and skill, your wit and wisdom, I will always be so grateful; along with your friendship and care. I can never fully express my gratitude for your skill in helping me get this book into something I can be proud of. Fancy doing it all again?”
Erin Hatzikostas
You Do You(ish) – Unleash Your Authentic Superpowers To Get the Career You Deserve
“Ironically, words can’t even begin to describe how grateful I am for you. Formally my book coach, you are so much more than that. I cannot imagine going on this journey with anyone else. You taught me so much more than how to write a book. You dove deep into my soul to ensure I wrote a book to my highest, most authentic power.”
Mark J. Silverman
Only 10s 2.0
“Patti M. Hall – You were the missing piece. This book, in its current form, and everything I write for the rest of my life, is your ripple.”
Shelley Paxton
Soulbbatical – A Corporate Rebel's Guide to Finding Your Best Life
"To the best book coach ever, Patti M. Hall. The title book coach doesn’t even begin to describe your immense talent and support. You were my champion, cheerleader, thread puller, memory prompter, co-conspirator, therapist, coach, editor, and, best of all, friend. I could never have done this without you. I’d still be on the first chapter (crying). Thank you from the depths of my heart and soul."
Teo Alfero
The Wolf Connection – What Wolves Can Teach Us About Being Human
"Patti Hall is a gem in the publishing world. She understands my thinking and writing process beautifully. My first book was a complex project on a tight deadline but Patti was able to coach me through the writing and lead me through the endless steps of book completion and publishing flawlessly. She is extremely generous with her vast knowledge and experience and she will jump into the ocean of publishing and swim next to you all the way across to solid land. She and I are on to my next book now which I know will be better than the first. Thank you Patti, I could not have done this without you!”
Want my help to get unstuck?
It's kind of like choosing a book doctor and a companion for a long trip – you know the right one when you have a good long chat. So, let's talk about your book.
