Coaching

I know what you’re going through. Whether you’re trying to pinpoint your niche within the competitive publishing industry, struggling to find a creative outlet outside of your full-time job, or are considering going-full-time freelance, I’ve been there, too.

You want a job that pays the bills, while also providing career fulfillment. You want autonomy, and the ability to pick and choose your own projects and clients. You want flexibility. You want work/life balance. You want to succeed in a creative career that won’t cause burnout.

You want all of this, but you don’t know how to get it. Or, at the very least, you don’t know how to begin.

I can help you draw up your own, personalized, word nerd action plan. Why me?

I’ve job-hopped all over the publishing industry, doing editorial and marketing work for several book publishers, copy editing and writing for both daily and weekly newspapers, and creating content for print and web publications. I’ve also worked with professional organizations and individuals, collaborating on ebooks, articles, academic papers, and more. I’ve published a book. These days, I divide my time between journalism, content marketing, and my own passion projects. I’ve done a lot of wandering but, for now at least, I’m in a sweet spot.

It took me 20 years to find that… 20 years to learn what I wanted, what I didn’t want, and how to generally rock the house.

It took me 20 years to get to the point where the work sometimes even comes to me. I can get you there in only a few hours. Or at least well on your way.

Your publishing career does not have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. If you’re worried that you’re not ready to make the leap — either because of a dearth of clients, a dearth of savings, or a dearth of time — I can show you how to work toward your new and improved career using smaller blocks of time, and smaller, more manageable goals.

I can also show you how to prove experience… even if you don’t feel you have any. Lacking the necessary clips, or the necessary contacts? You have more to offer than you know.

Perhaps most importantly, I can provide you with some much-needed accountability. I know that it’s hard to resist the allure of a Schitt’s Creek marathon. I know that dusting your coffee table can sometimes seem a more attractive proposition than building your network or putting pen to paper.

But I won’t let you falter. I am wildly terrifying, and I will kick your punk ass into shape.

Career Coaching for Word Nerds was created to help those trying to find their way through the publishing industry.

If you don’t know how to write a query letter, I can help. If you’re unfamiliar with the pitch-to-publish process, I can help. If you don’t know if you should be writing or editing… creating books or laying out newspaper pages… marketing web content, launching your own blog, or proofreading typeset pages… I can help.

If you’d like some one-on-one time with me in order to map out a path to publishing success, reach out to me through my contact page and we can set up a free, 15-minute discovery call so you can determine whether I’m the right person for you. Then, we can move forward with one of the coaching or consulting packages laid out below. If you land just one or two assignments, you’ll make your money back, and more.

20 years’ worth of knowledge distilled into just a couple of hours? What are you waiting for!?

One-On-One Coaching.

Coaching packages are available in three different tiers, depending upon whether you’d like to commit to 1 month (Budget Package), 3 months (Intermediate Package), or 6 months (Top-Shelf Package). During the course of the coaching relationship, we would meet for regularly scheduled, half-hour sessions, conducted via the phone, or via Zoom. In addition to these one-on-one calls, pricing includes:

  • any relevant assessment testing or authentic vocation worksheets, and
  • the Your Word Nerd Action Plan, a typed-up personalized summary of ground covered during the coaching relationship, in addition to a personalized resource list that you can use for future reference.
  • Budget: $400
  • Intermediate: $1,000
  • Top-Shelf: $2,000

Cover Letters: Quick, Easy & Awesome.

For $150, you’ll receive a four-page packet containing how-to content and sample cover letters, and I’ll help you with cover letter development (one round of edits on up to three cover letters).

So You Think You Can Market.

For $200, you get a single, one-hour session with moi, in which I help you map out the perfect marketing platform using social media, web sites, online portfolios, mantras, and more. Within one week of this session, you will then receive a personalized marketing plan, containing the plans we discussed, in addition to worksheets to help facilitate future, marketing-related brainstorms.

One Hour to a Word Nerd Action Plan.

For $200, you get a single, one-hour session with moi, in which I help you lay out your plans for the coming year. Within one week of this session, you will then receive a personalized action plan, containing the action steps we discussed, in addition to a list of relevant resources.

Contact me here if you’d like to learn more.