Ep. 158 | Do You Need a Book Coach? How a Christian Book Coach Can Help Christian Authors

In today's episode, I explain exactly what a book coach is and how you can know when you need one as a Christian writer. 

I have worked in a variety of levels within the publishing industry: First as an editor, then as the founder of Lasting Legacy's Publishing and then, when God called me to specifically call his writers, I became a book coach.

Today I share my passion for helping you get your God-given messages out into the world and explain the benefits of using a book coach. 

Click here to learn more about my coaching.

Connect with Dalene:

Contact - > info@inkandimpact.com

Podcast -＞Ink and Impact

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Work with Dalene:

Get personalized support through 1:1 book coaching at www.dalenebickel.com/bookworthy-coaching 

Join my new free Publish with Purpose Substack community for industry updates, live Q&A sessions, and to connect with fellow Christian writers!

Transcript

Welcome back to another episode of the Ink and Impact podcast. I'm your host, Dalene Bickel, and it is a privilege and a pleasure to be back with you here on the podcast. Today I am going to be explaining exactly what a book coach is and how you can know when you need one.

I have been working as a self-proclaimed book coach for gosh.

At least five years. Before that, I have worked in a variety of levels within the publishing industry. First as an editor, then as the founder of Lasting Legacy's Publishing and then when God called me to specifically call his writers, I became a book coach.

And over the years, I have discovered that my definition of a book coach isn't always what others think that it entails. And so I want to share just kind of off the cuff, this is an unrehearsed, unscripted. I do have notes, but today I just want to just be more myself and share my heart with you and share my passion for helping you get your God-given messages out into the world. How I can best do that is by serving as a book coach. 

All right, let's dive in. What I have discovered when speaking with authors and writers is that they come to me with wanting help with the writing aspect. Like 90% of authors come to me when they're still in that initial. Uh, writing process of their first draft, that messy first draft, and they're wanting me to help them write their book. 

Now I can only serve a very limited number of aspiring authors as a ghost writer or collaborative author, right? Because it does take time, it does take effort, and especially as an outsider coming in to help tell your story, but my goal is to help even more Christian writers get their books out there. 

And I want to come alongside of you. Guide you step by step through the entire publishing process. I'm here as a book coach through every part of the book creation and publishing and marketing process. 

It's all encompassing. You can't just write a book and expect to make an impact and serve others well if you don't get it into their hands through marketing and promotion. Not self promotion, but promoting the message, promoting the goodness of God; promoting the gospel. All of those things that can really make a true eternal kingdom impact on the lives of your readers. 

And that's what you wanted to do when you very first set out to write your book, right? When God called you to be a writer, you knew you had a purpose. You knew you had an powerful, important message to share, but along the way, things get muddied in our minds. We get distracted, by our own insecurities, sometimes our fears by the enemy who doesn't want our important messages to get out into the world by all kinds of factors that can get in the way. 

That's why we need to be laser focused on our calling and laser focused on Christ. We can do nothing apart from him. We can do nothing apart from the power of the Holy Spirit through us. We need to really be centered on Christ not centered in a woo woo way or anything like that. 

I'm just saying we need to really concentrate our efforts and remind ourselves that it's not about us. It's not about our works, but it's about Christ work through us, right? Allowing him to move mightily in our writing lives so that his message can move mightily in the lives of our readers, who I believe He has waiting for us. 

As a book coach, I come alongside and I help you see big picture. You are in the weeds. You are focused on your message and the words that you're using, and I'm coming alongside you to, help you get it polished. 

Make sure that it is saying what you want it to say, that it is landing with the readers in the way that you intend it to, because sometimes we think what we're saying is making total sense and that everyone's following along and they understand completely when reality, they have no clue what you're talking about. 

But I can help you in so many other ways. Okay. My goal is to help you not only with your message, but also help with your mindset to help keep you focused on Christ 

and bring scripture and bring prayer into the entire process. Because you aren't the only one who needs it. I need it too. And we work together and we it's just such a blessing for both parties. When we work together for Christ and with a plan and with a purpose, it isn't like we're just sitting back and saying, well, this is God's message and I'm just going to let God handle the everything on his own. 

He wants to partner with us. He has given us strengths and he has given us weaknesses for a reason and for a purpose. And those weaknesses are so that we can allow him to work through us. And our strengths are so that we can glorify him because he has given us good gifts and he has given us those skills. 

He has given us those experiences. He has given us those stories for a reason. That's not just to keep them for ourselves, but to bless others with them. To encourage others to inform and educate. To empower as the case may be. And so as a book coach, I'm here to help you take that messy draft. Maybe it's the second draft, make sure it's polished. 

I help you find the right editor and I help you find the right book designer and then I guide you through the self-publishing process. 

I am here to serve self-published indie authors. I'm here to help you reach your goal and help you retain 100% of your copyright. I help you retain the royalties that are due you. As a self-published author, you get to keep 

all of your profits, right? There are expenses, but after those expenses are taken out, you get to keep the rest as a self-published author. But there are nuances and every author has different goals, and every author's book serves different reader. There are nuances. No two authors are gonna have the exact same journey. 

They don't have the same personality. One way of promoting their book for one author isn't going to necessarily work the same for another author. So I get you through the self-publishing process, while also all along the way helping you grow your platform, develop a marketing plan that works for you to help you achieve your goals. 

Those are ways that I, as a book coach, work with my clients. I am very hands-on. I am very in the weeds with you. And when challenges arise, we work through them together and we celebrate the wins together. I don't just leave you alone. It's not just this big program.

Thousands of other people, nor is it just an online evergreen course that you just watch a few videos here and there. It's actual live coaching. And so how to know when you need a book coach is when you are at a standstill when doubt is really, um, preventing you from moving forward, or confusion and overwhelm have stalled your project. 

There's nothing more heartbreaking to me than having seen writers so on fire for the Lord and just excited about the purpose of their book and how they're gonna help people and how God's message can work in the lives of their readers. Then they hit a wall or two or three because there are a lot of walls in the publishing process, or at least there can be, right? 

And doubts set in and the enemy starts to speak lies. And you might start believing some of those lies. Like you're not a good enough writer or a lie like, who is going to read this book anyway? Who do you think you are thinking that anyone's going to benefit from this message? All of these things are lies, right? 

This is when we need to, get the help we need. Am I for everyone? No. But am I for someone? Yes. And if that's someone is you, I would love to speak with you. I would love to learn about your project. Determine if we're a good fit for each other. 

I have a very limited number of coaching spots available in May and June, so if this is something that you are serious about, if you really want to complete your book this year, I encourage you to reach out and let's start a conversation and see if this is right for you because as your coach, I am committed to helping you through to the finish line and help you reach your author goals. I will help you create a book that makes an impact, serves a purpose, is of high quality and aligns with your values and your author goals. And throughout it all, we are gonna make sure that we glorify God and allow Christ to work through us. 

I'm going to also let you know what is coming down the pike. So I have behind the scenes, over the past number of weeks, been interviewing some incredible authors, and as I've been editing the recordings and creating podcast episodes I'm just getting even more excited to share with you because I want to start interspersing these interviews to give you an idea of what you can accomplish as well to show you how God is at work in major ways with ordinary people who had never written anything before. Some have self-published, some have hybrid published, a couple of them have traditionally published or work in the traditional publishing realm. 

Although my focus here in the Income Impact Podcast is to help you self-publish, I also understand that if given the opportunity, you might like to traditionally publish at least one of your books one day just to compare or see what the process is like, right? So I am bringing on an expert in to help you understand that process as well. 

Lots of different conversations coming that you won't want to miss and. Like I said, if you would like to work with me, be sure to click the link in the show notes and let's start a conversation. So with that, God bless and I will see you next time.