Apply to work with me

Apply to work with me

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.
Grab a drink

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 want to find out what's possible

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.
Good data, good conclusions

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.
We need to be a good match

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.
Type of books I work with

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
I work with writers who have modest goals

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.
Take a breath

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...
Having got this far, would you say:*

"I feel excited at the prospect of working with you, Ruth!""I'll close the form now, saying 'Goodbye', with my best wishes."
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.
So dive right in!

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.
Tell me about your book. Then tell me what help you need.*
Take your time. This is your chance to go deep. Be as specific as you can.
Your name*

First NameLast Name
Best email for me to reach you on*
Where in the world are you based? *
I am based in England (London Time) and work with writers from California to Cumbria, and from Calgary to Canberra. I also work with writers from areas that don't start with the letter "C".
How did you hear about me?*
If someone suggested you contact me, would you mind sharing their name?
This is so I can thank them.
What sort of book are you writing?*

A book that is based on dataA biography or historyA book that seeks to illuminate or clarify a topicA book that helps people lead their best lifeA book for general reading about my specialist area (not a scholarly or academic work)None of these. My book is...
What goals do you have? I want to...*

To share my knowledge so that readers gain understandingTo achieve #1 bestseller statusTo boost my professional reputation in my area of expertiseTo generate leads for my businessTo reach as many people as possible through sales of my bookTo prove I can do it (one of the best goals you can have!)To publish my book as quickly as possible
Do you have other goals? Tell me.
How many words have you written so far?
If your book is only an idea right now, "0" is fine as an answer: I work with writers who haven't yet started as well as writers who have 80,000+ words under their belt. Here, I'm just probing how far along in the book-writing process you are. If you have written a book proposal, or an article or thesis that is the jumping off point for your book, tell me the word count.
If you are looking for one of my editing services (manuscript assessment, developmental editing, line or copy editing, indexing), what is the earliest date you could submit the edit-ready version to me?

MonthDayYear
Date
How long have you been working on your book?
Why do you want to write it?*
Get really specific. Tip: think about what you were doing when you said, "I could write a book about that!"
What's it called?
If it doesn't have a working title yet, and you just think of it as "my book", that's OK.
Who - exactly - do you want to read it?*
Tip: read through what you have just written and see where you might be able to make it even more specific. Consider your reader's outlook; their taste in, e.g., travel, their hobbies; their preferences for, e.g, a cultural life, or for exploration in nature, or for an understanding of the physical world around them. What do they hope to gain from your book?
Are there any books out there like yours? Give me a comparison or two.*
Identify the actual book, please - give me the title and the author.
What do you hope that book coaching, or editing, could do for you?*
Generally, book coaching comes early on in the book process: it helps you to wrestle with the big ideas and either make a compelling business case (a book proposal) to a publisher that your book deserves to be published, or to write and self-publish the best version of your book. Editing comes after you have written your book: it is where I bring my skill to enhance the reader's experience of your voice in your writing.
Happy to continue?

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.
Have you written and published a book before?*

Yes.No.I've written a book before but not published it.I've published multiple books.
Do you enjoy writing?*

To be honest, it's a bit of a chore.I love it: when I'm in the flow it's all I want to do.It depends. It's easier if I know what I need to write.I love that feeling of diving in and just writing until I hit something good.
What are the pressures on your writing time?*

I run a business that occupies pretty much all my waking time.I hold down a demanding responsible job.My writing competes with other demands on my time that I must satisfy.I can devote as much time as I like to my writing.
Which of these statements resonates, even partially, with you?*

This is the first time I have talked about my book with anyone else.I crave honest informed feedback from someone who calibrates their feedback against publishing standards.I've shared my book idea with a lot of people to get their opinions.My partner/family give me a lot of advice on my book that doesn't always make me comfortable.I have a friend or two I trust and I talk about my book with them.I've had bad experience of writing groups.I am a member of a writing group and we share feedback on each other's work.Feedback tends to sting me.My partner/family is supportive of my book.
Thinking about publishing

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 do not guarantee your book will be published.

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.
You have options

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:
1. The traditional publishing process

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.
Agents

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.
2. Self-publishing

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.
3. Hybrid publishing

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.
Do you have a feel, yet, for how you would like to publish?*

I have no idea yet how I want to publish and will be looking for guidance further down the line.I have a contractual relationship with an agent.I'm not prepared to pay a penny to get published.I would like to be traditionally published and want to seek an agent/publisher.My book proposal has been accepted by a publisher.This book will be a business asset and I'm prepared to pay to publish.I know I want to submit to publishers who accept direct submissions.Speed to market is important to me - I have to get this book out in the next year - so I will self-publish.A good friend has promised to introduce me to their publisher/literary agent.I know I want to use a hybrid publisher.
Have you worked with another book coach, literary agent, or editor, on this book?*

YesNo
If you have, may I ask, "Who, and in what capacity?"
Have you drafted a Book Proposal?*

YesNo
Have you pitched this book, formally or informally, to agents or publishers?*

YesNo
Do you have a publishing contract with a traditional or a hybrid publisher?*

YesNo
If you have a contract, what is your contractual deadline?

MonthDayYear
Date
Most writers come to me because they are experiencing a range of issues with their book. Do any of these sound familiar?*

I am not happy with what I've written - I don't think I've nailed my book idea.I keep writing and rewriting and can't move forward.I want my manuscript edited.I don't know if my book deserves to be Out There.I feel stuck and annoyed because I want to finish this book.I need someone to make sure I write to schedule and finish this book.I want my manuscript assessed. I'm not sure it is ready to publish.I want support in pitching my book proposal.I need your help in getting my ideas straight so I write a marketable book.
Which of these statements do you feel describes your approach most closely?*

I like to wait for the creative muse to find me.I need structure and a clear plan to feel secure as I move forward.I don't do timelines. I don't like being tied down by plans.I need to be able to visualise what I'm aiming for.Deadlines are tedious. I can tell you now, I'll probably miss every one of them.If I agree to a plan, I'll do everything in my power to honour it.
What's your preferred learning style?*

I prefer to listen rather than to read.I prefer to read rather than to listen.I love to talk things through to get clear.I really only learn how do it right by diving in and doing it.
Have you received coaching (of any sort) before? *
Although I am an editor, not a writing coach, it helps me to know if you have any particular concerns about your writing, such as:*

Spelling worriesPunctuation worriesGrammar concernsDifficulty in expressing what you meanNothing specific concerns me
When do you hope to hand a copy of your book to a new reader?*
As a guide: a book can be published more quickly by self-publishing than through the traditional route, so once a manuscript is ready to be published, you could be looking at, say, a month for self-publishing, but up to 3 years for traditional publishing.
When writing your book, do you use:*

MS WordPagesScrivenera PCa Mac
How familiar are you with MS Word's Tracked Changes feature?*

Very familiarI think I know what you are talking about.What?
I use Zoom for all calls. Do you:*

Have any issues with using Zoom?Consider yourself familiar with Zoom?Usually hold calls from your desk?Prefer to call while on the move, because Life gets in the way?
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the least committed and 10, the most, how committed are you to your book project?*
Pretend you have no other demands on your time. I know, that's a big stretch.
Let's talk about money

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.
It's a lot

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 3 x 30-minute consultancy sessions 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 £0.04 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.
Analyse the benefit

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.
Ready money

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.
Payment in advance

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.
Tax. One of two certainties of Life

I am based in the UK and being registered for UK VAT (GB239376182) I'm required by law to collect it from UK (or EU) clients and US companies (LLCs). VAT is a sales tax of 20%. It will be added to the price of my services.
Are you*

Based in the US, and will pay my fees personally, in your individual capacity?Based in the US, and will pay my fees through a company (e.g., an LLC)?Based in the UK, or in the EU?Based somewhere else in the world?
If you intend to use existing material to write your book, such as an article or thesis, are you the sole holder of copyright in that material, and can you confirm that you have not granted someone else an exclusive right to publish that material?*

Yes, I confirm I am the sole holder of copyright and I have not granted a right to publish, on an exclusive basis, to another person.No, I can't confirm that.
While I am being super-boring and Lawyer Me, we need to talk about AI. Any of these tools, Co-Pilot, Chat GPT, etc, are great for giving you prompts to get started. Copying text out of them to write your book will land you in trouble. I don't want that to happen to you. So, can you confirm that no part of the text of your book is, or will be, written using generative predictive text (GPT)?*

Yes - I confirm I won't use GPT to generate text and copy it into my manuscript.No - I can't confirm I won't use GPT to generate text and copy it into my manuscript.
Please upload a small sample (max. 1,250 words) of your writing; alternatively, if you have already written a book proposal, please upload the whole of it. This will help me to give you the best advice I can when I reply to you with your next steps.*

Select your file from your computer and upload it here. That will make a link in the form that lets me access it. By the way, I have been a practicing lawyer for nearly 40 years and I am still an officer of the Supreme Court and a member of the Law Society of England and Wales. If I breach your confidentiality, by discussing or plagiarising your book or book idea, both those institutions will think of more inventive ways to hurt to me than by just killing me.
Cancelof
Do you want to get my "Letters from a Book Coach", by email, about writing and publishing books?*

No thanks. My inbox is too full already.I already get your occasional Letters and love them.Yes, please.
I realise you drained your last sustaining drink ages ago. Sorry. This one's important. Please confirm you have read my legal terms at: ruthbullivant.com/legal*

Yes, I have read themNo - I am exhausted and have decided not to work with you.
Is there anything else you want to tell me, or do you have any questions for me?
Thank you for answering all these questions. You have saved yourself a lot of work, and possibly frustration and disappointment, in the long run. Hopefully, too, you have learned something about the book world and the context of your book in particular. Your answers will come straight to my inbox. I'll read them carefully and email you my advice on your best course of action.
Should be Empty:

Apply to work with me

Grab a drink

You want to find out what's possible

Good data, good conclusions

We need to be a good match

Type of books I work with

I work with writers who have modest goals

Take a breath

When you press "Submit"...

So dive right in!

Happy to continue?

Thinking about publishing

I do not guarantee your book will be published.

You have options

1. The traditional publishing process

Agents

2. Self-publishing

3. Hybrid publishing

Let's talk about money

It's a lot

Analyse the benefit

Ready money

Payment in advance

Tax. One of two certainties of Life