What’s the difference between book coaching & book editing?

Hi Reader,

I’m writing this email just two days after returning from a business conference for women called Alt Summit, which was in mid-March (and now, here it is April 1 already!). If we met at Alt Summit, it was SO great to connect with you. Welcome, and thank you for being here! 💜

At the Alt Summit conference I had the privilege of hosting an attendee-led meet-up on the topic of authors & publishing. It was meant specifically for authors at any stage, both aspiring and published, and we had such a wonderful group of about 15 women turn out. It was exactly what I expected from a conference like this: there were some folks who were curious or just getting started, some interested in finding an agent, some who had recently self-published, and some with books forthcoming.

There were questions about:

• how to decide whether to self-publish or pursue traditional publishing
• hybrid publishing, what it is, what’s different about it from self- or traditional publishing
• how to find literary agents to query (and what IS a query anyway?)
• what’s included in a book proposal (and when do you need one?)
• etiquette when in conversation with more than one agent
• and so much more

It was a wonderful sharing of experience and resources, which is exactly what I cultivate among the clients who work with me.

The last question that came up at the meet-up is one I get a lot, but am not sure I’ve ever answered here:

I’m sort of laughing at myself for not talking about this more, but also realizing that simply by writing and sharing with you the things that I do every week, I am SHOWING you what a book coach is. You are getting a little dose of coaching every time I land in your inbox. So what is a book coach?

Well, if you think of another type of coach, like the coach for a sports team for example, and you know what they do:

• develop plays and strategies for the team to practice and execute during a game
• facilitate practice and workouts, designed to hone the player’s skills
• observe and give feedback to players, helping them to improve
• talk through challenges and struggles that a player may face at anytime during training or a game
• motivate players to keep going, even in the face of adversity
• during games, the coach is on the sidelines, cheering on the team, looking at the big picture and calling out direction when the players may have a blindspot
• but also during games, coaches have to trust that they have done enough for their players in practice and training, and that the players are ready to perform at their best level
• all of this adds up to witnessing a player’s talent and then working alongside them to support, encourage, motivate, and hold the player accountable to being the best they can possibly be

A book coach does all of this for an author.

You might be wondering, what about editing and feedback on my writing?

Yes, I can provide feedback and review on an author’s writing—because I’m also an editor. But not all book coaches are editors and not all editors are book coaches. In fact, most editors I know are not coaches. That usually means that your engagement with an editor ends once they deliver their feedback, and so now you are left figuring out how to implement their recommendations on your own.

But working with someone like me, a coach and an editor, means that I deliver my review and then keep working with you throughout the revision process. Depending on the level of engagement, your package may even include a second review of the revised draft.

Book coaches who are not editors typically focus on the book concept, how to pitch it, how to market it, and how to package it in the proposal.

All of this to say, there is definitely some overlap between book coaching and book editing, but there’s also a lot of nuance and still a specific distinction between coaching and editing.

I started calling myself a book coach when I realized that, for me, I can’t be an editor without also being a coach. My editing is not separate from my coaching. Can I coach without editing? Yes. But can I edit without coaching? No.

People always like to ask me which do I prefer: coaching or editing? The answer is probably coaching, but I still have a hard time with the question, because even when I’m editing, I’m coaching.

Since we’re talking about the difference between coaching and editing, another question I get is:

The short answer is: NO.

But, of course (like everything else), there is nuance.

Ghostwriting is when someone else does 100% of the writing on your behalf. It usually involves several interviews for them to collect as much info, stories, experience, anecdotes, etc., as possible, which they take and use to write the manuscript. If the person they are writing for has any material written, they take that too and will sometimes use it, sometimes not, and if they do it’s usually completely rewritten (hence the overlap with editing).

Developmental editing, on the other hand, the type of editing that I do, involves a review of the manuscript and in-depth feedback on what’s working/what’s not working, recommendations for revisions. It’s a holistic review of the manuscript looking at all craft elements including opening/introduction, structure, pacing, showing vs. telling, conflict, setting/context, voice/point of view, language, and others.

There are people who offer both editing and ghostwriting, but my professional opinion is that someone who focuses on one isn’t as strong in the other. This is absolutely true for me as I certainly can ghostwrite (and have for projects in the past), but it is not my strongest skill.

As I’ve mentioned, I can’t separate my editing from coaching, so my style is very much editor + coach, meaning that I deliver all of my feedback and then coach clients through the process of making revisions.

The biggest difference between ghostwriting and developmental editing is that with an editor like me, you’re doing all the work with professional guidance, and what I’ve seen in my clients as a result is incredible growth and expansion in their ability and confidence as writers. Ghostwriting is generally for people who want to be an “author” without doing the work of being a writer, and my instinct tells me that if you’re here you want to be a writer!

Whew! This turned into a long email. If you want to hear me talk through these questions, take a listen to the most recent episode of the More to the Story podcast on Substack here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

What questions do you have? Hit reply to this email to let me know and I’ll respond as soon as I can (and probably also answer in a future email and podcast episode)!

Thanks for being here.

Janna

p.s. I host a monthly virtual writing retreat for women writing nonfiction and the next one is coming up on Saturday, April 12 from 10a-1p Pacific. Find all the details & sign up here.

Have a question or some thoughts to share? Hit reply. Your email lands right in my inbox.

What I’m Reading 📚

The book On Our Best Behavior: The Price Women Pay to Be Good, by Elise Loehnen.

​“Reframing Hybrid Vs. Traditional Publishing,” by Brooke Warner on her Substack, Writerly Things. Brooke writes:

Who am I and what’s this email all about?

​

I’m Janna. I’m a book coach and editor for women writing nonfiction. I write weekly emails with tips, motivation, inspiration, and encouragement for the writing and creative life. I support women with coaching and editing on writing, finishing, and publishing their nonfiction books in my private coaching community More to the Story. (Yes, editing and manuscript review is available for members.)

One of my mantras is: Tell stories without shame. I believe that we can find health, wellness, and happiness in life when we share our personal story with others, because it helps us come to terms with what makes us who we are.