You’ve got a great idea…and a powerful story.

But somewhere in your book journey, you got stuck. Or maybe you can’t figure out how to get started. As a magazine-editor-turned-book-coach, I’ve got 20+ years of experience coaxing the best and brightest out of writers. I’d love to help you bring your book into the world.

Here are 3 Ways To Work With Me

Get Feedback on Your Book or Idea

Plan, Pitch & Write Your Book

Revise Your Book with Vision

What Nonfiction Writers Say

  • Shannon’s keen insights and meticulous attention to detail helped me polish and deliver top-tier content for Yoga International and Yoga Journal. As a writer who values professionalism and strong editorial direction, I wholeheartedly endorse Shannon for her expertise. Her passion for the craft and dedication to fostering a collaborative environment are truly commendable.

    Subhra Krishan, author of Essential Ayurveda and Radiant Body, Restful Mind: A Woman’s Book of Comfort
    (Delhi, India)

  • Shannon has a rare capacity to see the larger context of any story as well as focus on details of structure and grammar—indispensable skills for a good editor! When I was a columnist and feature writer for Yoga International, I found her sensitive eye, expansive and subtle mind, and creative yet structured approach to every piece made all the difference between a mediocre article and a professional one. Highly recommended!

    Sandra Anderson, co-author of Yoga: Mastering The Basics & former senior editor of Yoga International
    (Honesdale, PA, USA)

Get Feedback on Your Book or Idea

Here are two ways to test the waters with me. If you’re cooking up a book idea, or you started writing but you got stuck, try:

A Mini-Blueprint Session

You’ll work your way through a 1-page Mini-Blueprint of your book. I’ll give you in-line comments and an evaluation letter to help you take your book idea to the next level. Then we’ll do a 45-minute coaching call to discuss everything, work through blocks and plan your next steps.

Timeline: 2 weeks

Price: $300 USD

Your First 50 Pages

If you’ve drafted a full manuscript, send me your first 50 pages. I’ll send you a 1-page Mini-Blueprint. You’ll send it back to me with the first 50 pages of your manuscript. I’ll analyze both documents and send you an editorial letter and some in-line comments. Then we’ll do a coaching call to talk about what’s working, what’s not, and next steps to take your book from good to great.

Timeline: 2 weeks

Price: $500USD

Plan, Pitch & Write Your Book

If you need an industry expert & compassionate coach to guide you through your entire book journey, take these 4 steps with me:

  • I’ll guide you through Jennie Nash’s Blueprint For A Book method—a profound book-mapping process that has landed authors from multiple genres on bestseller lists. As your book coach and industry guide, I will help you map out the core elements of a memoir or nonfiction book that will keep your reader hooked.

    Together, we’ll get crystal clear about:

    • Your deep-level why for writing this book

    • Who your ideal reader is, what their problem is, and how your book solves it

    • What structure will make your story sing

    • Where your book begins, where it ends, and the most important scenes (or chapters) in between

    • What transformation you are promising your reader

    We’ll also outline your book’s cause-and-effect trajectory to ensure that you’re pulling your reader through your book in a propulsive way.

    Once you have a rock-solid Blueprint, it’s easier (and faster) to write your book proposal…and your book.

    Takeaway: You’ll create a 5,000-word outline for a book that changes people’s lives.

    How It Works

    • Work on 40-page Blueprint Workbook

    • Review My Comprehensive Feedback

    • 2-Hour Coaching Call

    • Revise Your Workbook

    • Review My In-line Feedback

    • 1-Hour Coaching Call

    • Plan: What To Write Next

    Timeline: 1-2 months

    The Blueprint is a prerequisite for any of the services listed below. You can purchase a stand-alone Blueprint Package if you’d like to test out the waters with me before committing to subsequent steps.

  • You need a rock-star book proposal to land a literary agent and get a publishing deal—and you also need one if you’re self-publishing. Think of this as a business and marketing plan for your book. A book proposal outlines all the key elements of your book, your audience, your competition, and your marketplace. And it proves why you’re the best person to write it.

    Takeaway: You’ll craft a 50- to 80-page proposal that you can pitch to agents—and use as your guiding light as you write your best book.

    Get Pitch-Ready

    I’ll send you a workbook that guides you through the 7 essential elements of a book proposal:

    • Overview

    • Author Bio & Photo

    • Audience Analysis

    • Marketing Plan

    • Comparable Titles

    • Annotated Table of Contents

    • Sample Chapters

    You will have:

    • 7 deadlines to submit proposal pages for inline feedback

    • 7 coaching calls to discuss feedback, brainstorm ideas and bust through obstacles

    Timeline: 2-4 Months

  • When you’re ready to start pitching to agents, I can help you:

    • Draft a killer query letter (via creative writing assignments and revisions)

    • Research and prioritize a list of at least 20 agents

    • Create a strategic plan for pitching your book to them

    Timeline: 4-6 weeks (2 deliverables + 2 coaching calls).

    If you need extra support while fielding offers from agents and negotiating contracts, I can refer you to an Author Accelerator who specializes in that service.

  • Once you’ve got a book proposal, you can write toward a more powerful, efficient, and propulsive first draft. I’ll be your expert guide, project manager, champion, and tough-love teacher as you write a draft of the book you were born to write.

    In this monthly coaching package, you receive:

    • Writing and/or revision assignments

    • Invitation to submit up to 30 pages every two weeks

    • In-line feedback on your pages

    • 2 hours of phone coaching sessions per month

    Timeline: 3-month minimum

    Note: It may take 6 months or longer to write a full manuscript draft.

    VIP Level: Write your book faster by submitting more pages on a tighter timeline, with more intensive feedback.

Revise Your Manuscript
(Better, Faster)

Already have a manuscript? Here’s how I can help you take it to the next level.

Option #1: Full Manuscript Analysis

We’ll start with a First 50 Pages Evaluation. If I don’t see any major flaws, I’ll do a deep-level analysis of your full manuscript and send you an editorial letter and in-line feedback to tell you what’s working, what’s not working, and the next steps you need to take to take your manuscript from good to great.

Timeline: 1 month

Option #2: Revision Coaching
Once I’ve analyzed your First 50 Pages, I’ll coach you through a series of strategic frameworks that will help chart a map to a laser-focused, passion-driven revision. The Author Accelerator frameworks I use include:

  • A Mini-Blueprint (a one-page snapshot of your book)

  • Blueprint For a Book methods

  • Frameworks for Book Outlining

  • 3 Tools to Help You Prioritize Your Revisions

    • The Hierarchy of Editorial Concerns

    • The Good to Great Chapter Checklist

    • The Stoplight Strategy

      Timeline: Monthly coaching, tailored to your needs

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes! I started out as a writing coach for students at Hiram College’s Writing Center over 25 years ago. Then I worked with a wide variety of authors and journalists as a national magazine editor, ranging from literary writers like Pico Iyer and Brenda Miller to health and wellness experts like Kelly McGonigal and Seane Corn and spiritual teachers like Sally Kempton and Pandit Rajmani Tigunait.

    I started working as a book coach & editor in 2021. Most of my clients (who hail from the US, UK, Finland, Spain and India) are writing or revising their manuscripts—although my first pitch strategy client, Tamiko Nimura, landed an agent in August 2022 and Anita Vallabh, my first Blueprint client (who worked with me in 2021) is publishing her book in India later this year.

  • A book coach wears many hats: compassionate mentor, industry-savvy editor, cheerleader. I often work with writers for months (or years!) to keep them focused and inspired through every step of their book writing journey.

  • So many writers who find their way to me have spent years toiling away on their manuscripts—and thousands of dollars on editors and coaches that haven’t managed to get them to the finish line. Even though I’m a career editor, I spent 300 hours studying Author Accelerator CEO Jennie Nash’s proven book coaching frameworks for memoir and nonfiction—and I use them to help you write, pitch and revise your best book with more focus and ease.

  • My clients use words like warm, nurturing, approachable, kind, compassionate, empathetic, wisdom, deep expertise, gentle accountability. I like to laugh with the writers I work with—a lot!—but I also encourage them to dig deeper into their stories and their wisdom, write smarter, and always keep the marketplace in mind.

  • I work with writers who are kind, coachable, creative and brave. They are deep thinkers, deep feelers. Maybe spiritual. They are often drawn to embodiment practices. And they are often powerful—even if their power comes across in quiet ways.

I’d love to hear from you.