I know. I have not only been coaching writers for years, I’ve also been a coaching client—with four different coaches. And I’ve spoken with dozens of writers about their experiences with coaching. The bottom line is that coaching can be of immense benefit to a writer—or a complete waste of time and money. It all depends on hiring the right coach.
The problem is that many life and business coaches have little or no experience working with writers. Hungry for clients, they’ll take your money anyway. To do them justice, this usually isn’t out of dishonesty, but out of a lack of awareness. They simply don’t understand the complexities of the writing life.
How can you know you’re hiring a coach who works well with writers? Here are three questions to ask:
1. Does the coach understand the writing career?
Does your coach know what a query letter is? What a book contract looks like? What copy editors do? Does he or she understand remainders and royalties and the responsibilities of a literary agent?
Most coaches don’t know the first thing about writing careers. But that doesn’t mean they won’t merrily hand out advice on how to build one. I’ve known more than one writer who paid good money only to discover his coach thought “galley” meant “a kitchen on a ship.”
Not only were these coaches ineffective—they were downright irresponsible.
Make sure your coach understands how the profession works. Ask a few questions. If the coach can’t answer them, find someone else.
2. Does the coach understand the challenge?
The statistics are grim:
- Fewer than 4% of published writers in the United States earn more than $4,000 annually from their writing. Notice that this is published writers: There are many thousands more who don’t publish at all. The statistics are similar in other countries.
- Only 1 in 1,000 novels submitted to publishers ends up on bookstore shelves. Out of those, only 1 in 1,000 will be a best-seller. The odds are worse for poetry. They’re better for nonfiction, but not by much.
- It is very common for a writer to make less than $2,000 on a book that took years to write. One novelist calculated that she earned ½ cent an hour for her labor on a book—even though the book sold fairly well.
- Even writers who are relatively successful often must do other work to supplement their income. I know one writer with over forty published books, who teaches writing classes to make ends meet.
Despite the harsh realities of the writing life, some coaches act as if building a writing career works like building a career as a dental hygienist—a positive attitude, hard work, and voila—success!
This kind of smiley-face naiveté doesn’t help clients, it devastates them. Don’t work with a coach who has no idea of the challenges of the writer’s life. Go with one who gets it.
3. Can the coach empathize with the writing life?
Once, after a shattering career disappointment, I hired a coach to get me back on the right track. The problem: He simply couldn’t understand why I was so distressed. He had some decent ideas for career moves, but drew a blank where it came to the emotional side of the writing life.
Some warning signs:
- Your coach has no idea why someone would set aside three hours after a hard day at work to write poetry—or labor for years on a book that might or might not get published.
- When you tell your coach your short story got rejected for the 72nd time, he says, “Why are you so upset?”
- Your novel gets turned down by two dozen publishers, so your coach suggests you self-publish—as if that’s just as good.
- Your coach can’t rejoice with you at the all-too-rare successes that come your way.
Yes, I’ve personally had coaches respond all of these ways, and in each case I felt misunderstood and ripped off. If a coach isn’t in tune with the emotional challenges of the writing life, ditch him or her.
The right coach can do wonders for your writing, your career, and your life. The wrong one can take your money and leave you angry and frustrated. If you’re thinking of hiring a coach, pick one who not merely claims to work with writers, but who understands the writing life inside and out.