From the Not-So-Mixed-Up Files of a Writing Coach, Part 5

Selecting the Write Coach. Pun Intended.

In most non-sports sectors of life, coaching is not a regulated enterprise. Unlike ghostwriting and editing, freelance sectors that largely adhere to professional guidelines and have organizations with which to file credentials, anyone can call herself a coach. Me, included.

So how to find the best coach for you?

Most importantly, where has she been? What life and professional experiences make up her journey? I didn't take on business clients until one of my fiction clients asked me to cross over and help him with business writing. Initially, I resisted. I have my lanes. I try to stick to them. I knew nothing about the world he inhabited, but we had built a trust. "Help me tell stories," he said, "and I'll handle the business stuff." From him, I acquired many of his business friends as clients.

If you write romance, go for a coach who has found success in that genre. Horror is another niche that takes a special caliber of fandom to appreciate. Each genre has a rhythm unto itself and reader expectations that are fundamental to a work's success.

Coaches who ask clients to sign contracts or enter into rigid agreements raise a red flag. While a coach's booking schedule should be respected, mandating a rapport and symbiosis happen for a predetermined length of time for a set fee already shifts the coach-client relationship out of balance. Expectations of the coach imparting wisdom from a vaunted chalice of writing secrets and a client mindlessly accepting guidance sets up a dynamic harmful to creativity.

In an ideal coaching relationship, coaches and clients are equals. Clients are the absolute experts about their story world; coaches are the civil engineers that ensure their story world holds together. 

Coaching is not the most lucrative portion of my freelance business, but it is the most important to me. Coaching reminds me of where I've been, all that I have learned on my journey, and the mentors and acquaintances and friends who have helped me along the way. I live writing dreams, vicariously - far more often than any one writer experiences in a lifetime.

To find your ideal coach, ask the following questions:

1. What does your hourly/flat fee include? Once you've been charged for a scene does the coach charge you a fee to read revisions? What about email questions between sessions? Ask what you can do to maximize feedback and preserve momentum without going broke.
2. Will you keep me abreast of my fees so that I may make decisions regarding my writing budget? How often will payment be required?
3. Will I receive a proper invoice so that I may claim coaching as a tax deduction?
4. Will anyone else read/comment on my pages? (Subletting coaching services is a deal-breaker)
5. How will our success be measured? 
6. May I end our relationship at any time, for any reason?
7. How will we communicate? How often should I expect to hear from you? What is your typical response time to texts/emails?
8. What is your track record of client successes? Awards? Sales? Industry accolades and benchmarks? 
9. Do you have testimonials from coaching clients in my genre? Who may I contact for referrals?
10. What are some challenges you've had with past clients? How have you been able to overcome those challenges?
11. Why do you coach writing?
12. Do you believe anyone can learn the art of writing?

Hint: The coach's answer to #12 is everything.

If you have any questions about the coach-client relationship or anything mentioned in this series, don't hesitate to reach out via social media DMs or email: la-mitchell@la-mitchell.com.