Katie Wall
Professional Book Coach
Connect with Katie:
What Do Her Clients Say?
After our radio talk Katie shared answers to some questions I asked. I think you will enjoy them.
Question 1:
My editing experience before I became a book coach gave me a head start on some of the skills a book coach really needs to have. Some of those skills are using clear communication with clients (and making sure things are in writing!), understanding the need to give thorough feedback without overwhelming the client with too much feedback, phrasing feedback in kind and supportive ways while not sugarcoating, and keeping the core of the story (the “thesis”) in mind at all times while working on a story.
Question 2:
When I was working my way through the Author Accelerator certification program I was most surprised by the idea that sometimes book coaching can toe the line with therapy. Obviously I am not a therapist and I don’t pretend to be, but when you’re coaching a writer who is writing out of their own personal experiences—whether a fictionalized account of something from their own life or a story where the protagonist is wrestling with something on the emotional level that the writer has wrestled with or is currently wrestling with—the conversations I have with them can be pretty deep and emotional.
Likewise, the very act of writing is vulnerable! And as a coach I don’t just help writers with their story, but I also coach them through mindset blocks. For example, a writer who is a perfectionist will have a very hard time with writing a “shitty first draft” (as Anne Lamott refers to them). It’s part of my job to help them figure out what’s getting in the way of their writing and to encourage them toward letting go of that perfectionism.
So it’s not therapy, but vulnerability and deep emotions are part of the process—and so one of the things I learned in my training was how to hold healthy boundaries around book coaching not being therapy while also supporting the writer in a healthy (for everyone) capacity.
Question 3:
I offer support in the querying process for writers who have already worked with me in my revision services. I offer assistance with honing their query materials (query letter, synopsis, and first pages). I also help with the process of querying itself, which can include guiding the writer in defining what their criteria is for an agent, researching a list of agents and ranking them according to the writer’s criteria, and coaching the writer regarding their query strategy and through the responses they receive to their queries.
Question 4:
My journey as a mom has made me more empathetic, for sure. Additionally, trying to see things from my kids’ points of view has strengthened my ability to put myself in other peoples’ shoes—whether that’s the writer, an agent, or a reader—which helps me analyze stories in a new way and give more comprehensive feedback.
On a more intellectual level, I also have needed to learn a lot about various aspects of life—such as neurodiversity, mental health, and child development—that I didn’t know about before. This knowledge has allowed me to be a better coach for writers whose lives and/or stories overlap with these aspects of life.
Question 5:
There are a number of ways us both being part of Craft Better Books benefits our clients.
First, we are each naturally gifted with skill sets that are at different stages of the process, which enables us to support our clients from the very beginning through the end of the process.
Andrew is very creative and can quickly see how ideas are connected and how adjusting one piece affects other pieces—this makes him naturally gifted at helping writers with world-building, story planning, and series planning.
I am super detail-oriented and easily see the potential in both people and stories, which makes me a great fit for coaching writers through story planning, revision and editing, and querying.
Another huge—and unseen—benefit that us both being book coaches brings to our clients is that we often pick each other’s brain about our clients’ worlds, characters, and stories. Sometimes one of us is uncertain about how to deliver a certain piece of feedback and the other will have an amazing idea about that. Or if there’s a tricky part of a story that’s causing a roadblock for the writer to move forward, the one of us who isn’t directly coaching that writer may bring a fresh perspective that pinpoints the missing piece. Our clients often have no idea that we do this, but it definitely is a huge value!
And finally, because we are both invested in the writers we serve, we’re able to support our clients long-term through our virtual writing community, the Sodality of Storytellers. I know that if I was a book coach in business by myself, I wouldn’t have the bandwidth to run the community solo while also working with my coaching and editing clients. But as a team, it works really well for us and for our writers!
Question 6:
Yes! We offer it annually.
The retreat includes:
- Virtual guest Speakers
- One on one Coaching
- Workshops
- Writing Time
- Plus! A variety of ways to fill up your creative cups.
Information and registration are at Writers Retreat
Note: Once this year’s retreat is filled, there will be a “First Dibs” form on the same webpage where you can put in your name and email address to get information on the next retreat.
Join Our Newsletter
Sign up for our newsletter to follow our latest author and book-focused interviews, and stay updated on Pacific Northwest books, events and literary insights.