3 Avoidable Red Flags When Hiring A Book Or Writing Coach

It’s becoming increasingly popular to write and publish a book in order to increase one’s visibility, credibility, and market reach. But where do you begin if you have no prior experience in the publishing industry? A book coach is often sought after by many people. It’s not just that some of these people aren’t real.

Many of my clients have publicly stated that they would not have written their books if it weren’t for my assistance. It’s difficult to write a book, but those who receive the proper guidance, accountability, and encouragement are more likely to succeed.

Some people will take your money, but they won’t be able to help you achieve your goal, and they’ll blame it on you. As a matter of fact, it’s known as gaslighting. So, before you spend your hard-earned cash on a book coach, think about these four factors.

1. Is The Book Coach A Writer?

People who call themselves “book coaches” but have never written for pay or even maintained a blog astound me. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they often don’t proofread their social media posts.

A woman who repeatedly interrupted my Q&A session to pitch her programmes and services claimed to be a book coach when I was recently a speaker at a networking event. She tried to persuade me that instead of writing a book, I should contribute to her anthology for a “nominal fee.” I’ve been told that I kept it classy. “

Inquiring friends of mine found out she had a wellness coaching business and believed it had failed. Because it was “the trend,” she figured that coaching people through anthologies, charging them fees to publish those anthologies, and helping them become (so-called) Amazon best-selling authors would be more lucrative for her.

Because this happens all too frequently, I don’t mean to make anyone feel bad. As a former award-winning newspaper journalist who has written books under my own name and under various pseudonyms, I am horrified by the number of non-writers who claim to be book coaches.

They use unethical methods to get their clients the title of “Amazon best-selling author.”

Clients of these coaches are encouraged to make coloring books and gratitude journals as a form of self-expression. Assuming the coach has no idea how to help their client write a book, this may be the case.

The coach then selects an obscure category, such as Colorado maps, sets the book price extremely low, and does everything they can to get a large number of people to buy the book so that the author becomes an Amazon best-seller, even for 30 seconds. ‘” The number of social media messages pleading with me to buy someone’s book for “only 99 cents today!” appears to be three times weekly.

To be honest, bragging about being an Amazon best-selling author might boost someone’s ego.

But in the end, what does it all mean? The New York Times or Oprah aren’t the best sources of recognition, and I don’t mean that in a condescending way. Those are significant points.

The ability to say you’re an Amazon best-selling author won’t necessarily change your life, but it might be an interesting topic of conversation at dinner parties for those who aren’t in the know.

Suppose a podcast, newspaper, or other form of media asks you for more information about your project. What are you going to say? Is it going to help you gain more clients?

Take some time out of your schedule to write a proper book instead of rushing through it, and you’ll get a better end product.

No, anthologies and journals have a place in the world; they’re valuable in their own right when done properly by people who already have some level of exposure. It isn’t enough to write an anthology, put together a colouring book, or simply put out an online journal with one question per page. It won’t be anything more than a pet project, with a few notable exceptions.

Whether or not you can boast that you’re an Amazon best-selling author doesn’t mean that you’re an expert in your field, because you know the truth.

It’s possible to deceive others, but not ourselves.

Amazon aside, will you really feel proud of your “Author of…” title if you know you took shortcuts?

Are you confident that your project will be able to compete with the efforts of your coworkers who have invested time and effort into the process?

As a result, finding a book coach who can actually help you grow your brand’s visibility, credibility, and market reach over the long term is so critical. You want someone who isn’t more fluent in marketing jargon than they are in actually writing and publishing quality content.

2. Is There A Book Coach Process From Book Idea To Final Chapter?

It’s not a good idea to just wing it when it comes to writing, let alone publishing a book.

If you’re looking for help with writing and publishing a book, a good coach should be able to provide you with a step-by-step guide that you can use as a starting point.

As an example, I’ve helped hundreds of people go from idea to published book using a nine-step signature process I call “The 9 Essential Book Writing Steps.”

So we spend more time on the steps that are more difficult for some people than others.

It is not necessary for the book coach to provide a pre-packaged programme, but rather to have the knowledge and experience necessary to design a system that works for all writers, regardless of experience level.

3. What Does An Internet Search For This Book Coach Reveal?

Be wary of anyone who seems better at sales and marketing than at writing, even if they’ve made a successful transition from one field to the other.

Are there any references from previous customers that I can look at? If this is the case, are there specifics in the testimonials that go beyond “Jane Doe is a great person?”

Inquiring minds want to know if other experts are interviewing this coach, going live with them on their podcasts, endorsing them on social media, or including them in giveaway events. This book coach’s peers don’t think they’re qualified to help you with your book’s writing and publication if they don’t want to share their knowledge with you.

What kind of work has this person done in the media, publishing, or a similar area? Again, it’s perfectly fine to switch jobs. Even so, would you rather risk your book’s success on someone who has never worked in the publishing industry before?

How many articles has this person written? For some book coaches, finding bylines online or even in print media isn’t always a sure thing. Consider going a step further. Did they write for a magazine or a business? Did they go to college to learn how to be a better writer? If this is the case, it’s safe to assume they don’t regularly employ ghostwriters.

No, they’ve never written a book of their own. Some people use pseudonyms (I’ve done both), but there should still be something under their own name. I’m not trying to discredit people who have successfully transitioned from one field to another, but anyone who appears to be better at sales and marketing than writing should be thoroughly investigated.

Are there any references from previous customers that I can look at? If this is the case, are there specifics in the testimonials that go beyond “Jane Doe is a great person?”

A coach’s public endorsement, inclusion in giveaways, or invitation to speak at a virtual or live summit are all signs that other experts are using this coach as a guest on their podcast, going live, or having them on as a guest speaker. Is this book coach qualified to guide you through the process of writing and publishing your book if their peers do not consider them an expert?

What kind of work has this person done in the media, publishing, or a similar area? Again, it’s perfectly fine to switch jobs. Even so, would you rather risk your book’s success on someone who has never worked in the publishing industry before?

How many articles has this person written? For some book coaches, finding bylines online or even in print media isn’t always a sure thing. Consider going a step further. Did they write for a magazine or a business? Did they go to college to learn how to be a better writer? If this is the case, it’s safe to assume they don’t regularly employ ghostwriters.

No, they’ve never written a book of their own. Even if they write under a pen name or as a ghostwriter (I’ve done both), they should have something to show for it under their own name nonetheless.

Summarizing

One of the best investments you’ll ever make is working with a book coach, but it’s possible to get stung.

A few bad apples taint every group of coaches, no matter what their specialty is. Even if something appears to be in order, chances are it isn’t.

You can achieve a lot with a book, but only if it is written methodically and under the supervision of someone with relevant experience. Selling their products, services, and training courses is how most of my clients make their money. A client made $5,000 in one night from book sales at an event, but they also accomplished other goals.

A marketer, not a true writing expert, is most likely the one who claims you’ll make six figures from book sales in a single day or that you’ll become an Amazon best-selling author overnight. Ask yourself if that’s something you’re comfortable with.

In order to become an author, you must work with a qualified book coach who has all the necessary resources to help you achieve this goal.

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