Welcome! It takes courage to make enquiries online, let alone to make an application for one-to-one book coaching or editing. You definitely have courage because you are here, which shows you are taking your book project seriously and treating it professionally as you explore your options in seeking expert advice. I'm Ruth, a certified book coach and an experienced editor and indexer. This application form will help us both get a feel for whether we could be a good fit to work together. If it looks as though we may not be the right fit, I will let you know and when possible, I’ll share suggestions or resources to help you continue your project.

This is a long Q&A. I think you'll need a coffee or two, or a very large pot of Yorkshire Tea, to sustain you through it. If you end up working with me, you'll discover that I'm wired to give you value. This is your first taste of that discovery. The value of this form lies in helping you to reflect on your book project, and perhaps gain new insights into it.

You've likely only just become aware that I exist. Naturally, you don't want to commit to my service before you are ready but you are also keen to find out what's possible. You are doing the right thing to take this first step towards applying to work with me.

I ask you all these questions for a reason. Your answers help me assess if it is a good use of your time and money to work with me. I work with only two private clients at any one time. I've been a book coach and editor since 2020 and I have a lot of experience of assessing if I can support a writer's book project. If I don't think I can help you, my promise to you is that I will be honest and clear with you.

I work best with writers whose projects align closely with my areas of expertise. If it seems your book would benefit from a different kind of support, I’ll be honest about that.

I coach ideas-led books that seek to illuminate or clarify a topic. They are factual, accurate, and deep. I work with writers who, by offering their deep knowledge, encourage their readers to live their best lives. I am a good coach for books that speak to the reader's heart and mind by bringing a deeper understanding of the real world around us. Writers who love to work with me understand the importance of rational thought, scientific knowledge, and historical fact. They also value nuance, humility, compassion, and have more than a dash of humour. But I don't coach books that spring from unfiltered pain, anger, or a sense of injustice. Nor do I work with books about spirituality or religion, nor fiction, memoir, short stories, essays, poetry, or screenplays. I do not work with sexual or violent content. If you recognise your book in this, you may be able to find another book coach who can help you on this link to a register of certified book coaches: https://www.authoraccelerator.com/matchme

It may also save you a lot of time to know that I offer no guarantee at all of your book's commercial success. There can never be any guarantees in publishing: there is only a small chance of securing the interest of a traditional publisher; expensive marketing campaigns rarely result in significant book sales and while I can share with you everything I know about how to create realistic marketing plans to spread the word about your book as widely as you can, there is very little chance of your book gaining "#1 bestseller status" (whatever that means.) None of these facts are any reason not to write and market the best book you possibly can.

So much information, but it all matters. How are you doing? Honestly, if this is becoming a drag, that shows it's time to stop. Close the form and don't worry about it. But if you are feeling energised by starting to talk about your book - great! Keep going. Let me just check in with you first...

Great. Just so you know what to expect: when you press "Submit", your answers come straight to my inbox. I treat everything you tell me with the utmost confidence. I review your answers and email you to let you know if I am available to work on your project and if so which of my services could be a good fit for your book project with a rough idea of the cost.

Tell me about your book and what you want from editing. By reaching out to me, you are doing the most important thing by your book. You are treating it with professional respect.

So now that we are getting to know each other a little better, let's talk about some more details of your book and your writing practice.

Further along, I will tell you a little about the various routes to publishing. This is the first thing I want you to know: if you are new to writing nonfiction, and you want to seek traditional publication, you will write a sparkling book proposal. (I help you with that.) You submit the proposal to publishers and agents to try to secure a publishing contract. Usually, you write the book proposal before you write your book. If you already know you want to publish the book yourself, you won't be sending a proposal to anyone but it's worth working on a modified form of the book proposal because it will help you write a really good, marketable book.

I want to give you a bit of information about the publishing process, but the first thing to make absolutely clear is that I have no vested interest in any publishing company of any nature. All my advice and research and guidance is completely independent. And so, because I cannot control your publishing experience, I can give you no guarantee that your book will be published, even as a result of my superlative coaching and editing. Nor can I guarantee you will make any money on your book. For 99% of authors, there is very little money to be made. The purpose of writing your book is to write the book you feel you HAVE to write, and not to swell your bank balance.

Let's canter through the most important things you need to know about the publishing process. The three most viable routes to publishing are these: 1. The traditional, highly selective publishing process in which you pay no money at all to a publisher; 2. Self-publishing and distributing your book through, e.g., Amazon; and 3. hybrid publishing, where you pay a professional team to produce and distribute your book in return for a higher royalty share than a traditional publisher offers. The good news is, you don't need to make a decision about which route to follow yet. But it's good to be informed, so here's some basic information:

Books you see in your local bookshop most probably have gone through this process. Publishing is a commercial proposition: if a publisher thinks they can make money from your book, they will contract with you for the right to print copies and distribute it. They choose books that fit their portfolio, books that look like other books that have made them money in the past, and books that fit into their production schedule. (On getting your book to market, we are talking 2 to 3 years into the future. That means if you want to press a copy of your book into a reader's hands within the next year, traditional publishing is not likely to work for you). For all these reasons, it's a highly selective process and, to be brutally honest, your chances of securing a first-time publishing contract are low. All you can do is increase the odds by writing a well-thought out book proposal and executing a careful pitch strategy.

Not all nonfiction publishers accept unsolicited book proposals submitted to them directly. Most of the Big Five publishers and their imprints only look at proposals brought to them by writer's agents. An agent receives hundreds of proposals a month and will only act on proposals they think have a good chance of interesting a publisher. If a publishing contract ensues (this can take up to 12 months) the agent receives something in the region of a 15% commission for the introduction; and, often, a share of the royalties. So your focus is on persuading the agent, not a publisher, of the value of your book idea in a brilliant book proposal.

The traditional publishing route is hard work and not guaranteed to get you published. You have options that are quicker to market and enable you to retain greater creative control over your book. The steps you will need to take are: get your manuscript copyedited and proofread; hire someone to format your book for ebook and print; commission a book cover; upload the book's files to a publishing platform such as Amazon; market it. With time and energy at your disposal, you could do all this by yourself except for the editing, formatting, and book cover. If you prefer to delegate the work to a book producer (I don't do this), for a figure in the low thousands, you will save yourself a lot of time and energy. The beauty of self-publishing is that nobody interferes with your creative decisions and you get higher royalties compared to traditional publishing. But unless you have an enormous 'following', resulting from hard marketing work, you are unlikely to reach a wide audience. It's a perfect tool for getting the book done and out there, so that you can put your book in front of potential readers. It's important to write the best version of your book as you can, because it will be judged as freely as a traditionally published book by your readers. It's therefore advisable to do the same preparatory work, write under guidance, and get it edited to the same standard as a traditionally published book before you self-publish.

There are many highly reputable hybrid publishers: more, perhaps, in the US and for the US market than elsewhere. Unlike traditional publishing, you pay a fee to produce and distribute your book; it's in the nature of a joint venture and so your share of the royalties is likely to be higher. It can be expensive but with the right publisher you will have a supportive team and a beautiful book at the end. Good hybrid publishers tend to be selective and so you will need as good a book proposal to pitch to them as if you were pitching to traditional publishers.

If you got this far, you've already demonstrated significant commitment to your book. Well done! You've got a feeling by now for the amount of care I put into our working relationship. You are also exploring the possibility of making a substantial investment to secure my input. I'm going to make a wild guess that questions about how much this is going to cost you are pushing their way to the front of the queue. 

Book coaching is a professional service. I'm highly trained, qualified, and experienced in working with writers to get to grips with their book. I've also been a lawyer for 35 years experience and so I am practiced in problem-solving and giving supportive, practical advice. I tailor a coaching plan for every writer I work with and you get to decide how much support you want. The potential cost varies widely: we might have an hour-long consultancy session to help you with a very specific book-related problem for £250 + VAT, or I might support you with book coaching all the way through building your book proposal and writing the first three chapters for a great deal more. When I edit manuscripts, a useful rule of thumb is to to expect it to cost around 4 pence per word, but the total cost will vary depending on your needs and your manuscript. An index for your book could cost upwards of £750 + VAT - it just depends on what your book needs. The most important thing at this stage is for us to work out what you need, break the process down into manageable chunks, and do the work that has to be done to move your book on to the next stage.

If you are worried about how much it is going to cost you to work with me to finish your book, ask yourself these questions: "1. Do I believe in my book's worth to the extent I am prepared to invest in it, by hiring a professional to work with me?" 2. "What is it, exactly, I risk by not taking professional advice on my book project?" If, on reflection, you decide a book coach is not for you, or not at this stage, close the form with a light heart and get back to writing your book.

If you are feeling excited about the possibilities offered by book coaching, on the other hand, please, please, please don't borrow money to pay for my services. And know that I never, EVER, enter into contingent fee arrangements dependent on your royalties, nor do I agree to wait for funds to be raised by crowd-sourcing or sponsorship. 

If we get to the stage of agreeing a coaching plan, or you decide to hire me to edit your manuscript, I will require payment of a deposit of 50% of the total fee, in advance; this is so you can secure the time in my schedule. The deposit is non-refundable and payable by credit card before your slot is secured. The balance of payment is due at the conclusion of each coaching session, or delivery of your edited manuscript.

I am based in the UK and being registered for UK VAT (GB239376182) I'm required by law to collect it. VAT is a sales tax of 20%. It will be added to the price of my services.