Step 1

Novel Planning + Revision Planning

Novel Planning: A roadmap to guide your project from 0 to 90K words.

Revision Planning: A deep dive into your project to brainstorm twists/solutions and develop a roadmap for your revision.

Maybe you have zero words written but an epic story idea. Maybe you have 20K words written but you’re stuck. Maybe you’re 60K words in, and totally stuck. Maybe you’re pantser who wants nothing to do with outlining but you don’t know where the story goes after the third chapter. Maybe you want to do a big writing push in a short time, but you’re at a loss for write about and how to start.

I can help.

The Benefit

Planning out your novel BEFORE you start writing can save you (no joke) hundreds of hours of frustration.

The same frustration can be alleviated by taking the time to deconstruct your novel when you’re stuck or you know something isn’t working. Perhaps you’re missing some twists. Perhaps your character logic is broken. Perhaps you just don’t know how to finish the story.

The work of deeply knowing your characters, their goals and motivations, and what stands in their way has to happen sometime, and doing this work up front is a game-changer for both efficiency in writing and your sanity. When you can see your whole story in 20 pages (via my Story Workbook), it’s MUCH easier to see where you went awry and fix it than it is after you’re 100,000 words in and realize that your main character hasn’t developed at all, and halfway through, the plot took a hard right turn that makes no sense.

With this package, even if you iterate as you write (and you should!), it’s extremely likely that by the time you finish your first draft, it will be editable and fixable, as opposed to having to throw out half of it because you wrote yourself into a corner. I know, because I’ve done that, and I now use this workbook every time I start a new novel.

A good novel is one where we care about the characters and can relate to and connect with their emotional journeys, regardless of what's happening to them in the plot. This package will leave you not only a roadmap to follow as you write forward, but with an incredibly solid understanding of who your characters are, the point of your story, and why it all matters.

What you get:

- Access to my MTS (mystery/thriller/suspense-focused) Story Workbook: A deep dive into who your characters are, the point of your story, and what happens. By the end of this package, you’ll have a clear idea of what happens in your novel when, how your protagonist changes over time, who your villain is and what they’re up to (which will provide you with a clear understanding of where and when your twists happen) and a solid outline to follow as you write or revise forward. This includes focused coaching on the Author Accelerator developed/designed Inside Outline, a tool I cannot recommend enough.
- 5 Total Deadlines: Each deadline includes a full review of your Novel Planning Workbook, including in-line comments, a 3-5 page evaluation letter detailing what’s working, what’s not, and why; brainstorming on all fronts (e.g. twist/reveal development, pacing, structure, character development), and a 50-minute video call to discuss the feedback. Deadlines 3 through 5 are generally focused on the Inside Outline, an invention of Jennie Nash.
- 6 Total Video Calls: A 25-minute Kickoff call to discuss your goals/concerns for your manuscript, and 5x 50-minute video calls, one after each round of subsequent feedback.
- Call Recordings: I record all our calls and send them to you so you can review them as many times as you’d like.
- Package must be used within 6 months of kickoff call. Most clients complete the package in 4 months.
- Deadlines are paid up front, per deadline.

Investment: $3,000 USD ($600/deadline)

Step 2

Ongoing Coaching

Coaching as you write or revise.

Both revising and writing forward are hard, and at times it can feel absolutely hellish. It’s overwhelming (there’s so much to do!), scary (I’ve already spent so much time on this!), and frustrating (I’ve written myself into a corner! Again!)

I can help.

The Benefit

This is where ongoing coaching makes a massive difference. Because this package is only available to clients whom I’ve done either revision or novel planning with, I know your vision. I know where you want to go. I understand your characters as well as you do.

Getting ongoing professional feedback AS YOU WRITE means that someone is looking at your words and making sure what you’re writing isn’t full of plot holes, lack of character development, or lack of suspense. It means someone is in your corner, holding you accountable, breaking down the goals and making an overwhelming project feel doable. And most importantly, it means that your finished product will likely be tighter, more cohesive, and need less revision in the end.

I’m of the firm belief that every serious writer needs a book coach, whether they’re on draft 17 or they just have an idea. I am part developmental editor, part project manager, part writing mentor, part extremely enthusiastic cheerleader, and part brutally honest tough-love guide who expects you to work hard because she knows you can. Mostly though, I care as deeply about your story as you do, I see the characters in Hi-Def like you do, I will go into the writing trenches with you, and I will help you get through the finish line if you’re willing to work hard. 

What you get:

- Each deadline includes a review of up to 6,250 words (not necessarily consecutive), including in-line comments, a 3-5 page evaluation letter detailing what’s working, what isn’t, and why, and either a 25- or 50-minute recorded video call to discuss the feedback.
- Call Recordings: I record all our calls and send them to you so you can review them as many times as you’d like.
- Email Support: Email between deadlines for questions, brainstorming, and remote cheerleading.
- Deadlines are in packages of 8. Typical cadence is 2x deadlines/month. For a 90K novel, typical usage is two rounds of 8 deadlines.

Investment:
$500 USD per deadline (50-minute call) or $450 USD per deadline (25-minute call)

Step 3

The Pitch Package

Help with every aspect of your pitch package.

You’ve done the work, and your manuscript is agent-ready. Maybe even have a dream agent picked out. But you’re terrified, because you’ve read 100 articles warning that if you pitch and they say no, that bridge is burned. Welcome to pitching hell.

I can help.

The Benefit

It is absolutely true that you get one shot with an agent. That’s one shot to show them what you can do and why your story should be part of the (less than) 1% that makes it through the thousands of queries they receive every year.

That means every single part of your query package needs to be as perfect as you can get it BEFORE you have your first agent pitch session and before you send out your first query (which is why I require my sign-off before I’ll work on pitch preparation.) Even then, even if everything is perfect, rejection is the norm. And although it can feel personal, it’s not. It’s entirely about what the agent think they can sell.

I know pitching. I’ve made (all) the mistakes, and learned from them. I’ve been deep in the query trenches, and it’s a world full of rejection and mystery and excitement and waiting and then waiting some more.

Call me weird, but I love it. I love query letters, and synopses, and planning out live pitches. I think this work is fun.

I cannot guarantee that you’ll get an agent after working with me, but we’ll do our damndest to get your manuscript and your pitch package in as great a shape as we can, and then I’ll be there to guide/encourage/celebrate you once responses start coming in.

What you get:

- Polishing of first 3 chapters (or first 5,000 words, whichever is longer): up to 3 rounds of revision
- Synopsis and Query Development + Revision: up to 5 rounds of revision each
- Elevator Pitch Development + Revision: This is your 1 sentence pitch, also known as a log-line. Up to 5 rounds of revision
- Personalized Agent List: A list of 30+ agents, personalized to your goals. I do the research so you don’t have to.
- Personalized Pitch Roadmap: So you know exactly what to do when.
- Video Calls: An initial 25-minute Kickoff call to discuss your goals/concerns for pitching, a 50-minute call to form your personalized pitch plan and review the agent list, and 5x 25-minute calls to be used at your discretion (for query/synopsis revision, discussion of first pages, live-pitch practice, OMG an agent responded, etc.)
- Call Recordings: I record all our calls and send them to you so you can review them as many times as you’d like.
- Package must be used within 12 months of kickoff call.

Investment: $3,000 USD*

*Only available to clients with whom I’ve worked with extensively, either via novel planning through drafting, or revision planning and a post-revision Manuscript Evaluation ($2,500). Clients must obtain my permission to move into Step 3: The Pitch Package. Click here to read about why I require this. I want to give you the best shot at querying, and that means I tell you the truth about whether or not you’re ready.