Iā€™m Katie, book coach and editor at Craft Better Books.
I love stories, words, and grammar (yes, really!).Ā After a decade of working with authors as a freelance editor, I learned that book coaching existed and immediately enrolled in the Author AcceleratorĀ book coach certification program, became a certified coach, and we launched Craft Better Books.
In my book coaching practice, I am dedicated to:
- Giving honest and constructive feedbackā€”I care deeply about you and your story. My feedback reflects this.
- Building confidence in writersā€”I will help you grow as a writer in general while we work together to make your current manuscript stronger.
- Genuinely listening to you about your writing dreams and your storyā€”in our conversations, I will reflect what I hear and help you dig deep to find the core of why you write and what the heart of your story is.
I most enjoy working with contemporary fiction, romance, fantasy, soft sci-fi, and historical fiction for YA or adults. Why? Because those are the genres I love to read!
As a kid I devoured books. I remember going to the library a couple times a month and checking out stacks of books. That library saw me through a lot of phases: Little House on the Prairie, Nancy Drew and Boxcar Children, Goosebumps and Animorphs, Dragonriders of Pern, Clive Cussler books, and inspirational romance/Amish romances.
In high school I began writing a fantasy novel as a way of processing certain events in my life (and while writing is therapy, actual therapy is helpful too). I also co-wrote a sci-fi romance novella with a close friend and began giving developmental-level and copy edit feedback to several friends who were also exploring storytelling.
In college, one of my first jobs was at my university's writing center, and it was there that I fell in love with supporting writers as they clarify their points, improve their craft, and revise their material to be the best it can be. I began my freelance editing career with a publishing company while earning my BA in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing.
It is such a privilege to help writers hone their craft, get to the heart of their story, and work toward achieving their goals. I can’t wait to see how I can support you as you work toward your goals!
Hi there, I’m Andrew—book coach and world-building consultant at Craft Better Books.
Not sure what that title even means? Well, let me ask you this. . .
Have you ever had that moment when you were completely engrossed in a book and suddenly a glaring inconsistency drop-kicked you back into reality? It feels as disorienting as being yanked out of sleep mid REM-cycle. You’re dazed and confused. And worse? You’ve totally lost faith in the story’s credibility.
Well, my job is to make sure this NEVER happens in your book.
As a book coach who specializes in story planning, series planning, and world-building, I go through your material with a fine-toothed comb to make sure the logical consistency of your book is airtight. My expertise in this area originates from a lifetime of consuming stories and my professional training in developing story structure. (As a bonus, I’m formally trained in philosophy, theology, history, anthropology, and education. . . which certainly helps when it comes to world-building!)
While Katie—my coaching partner and life partner—is likely to come down hard on your grammar like Thor’s hammer Mjölnir, I focus on big-picture concepts. She swoons over syntax and semantics and I fall for complex fantasies and sci-fi.
We are yin and yang. Fire and ice. The perfect coaching team.
A big part of why I love this work is because writers like you are super creative. You live in the world of ideas and come up with jaw-dropping story arcs. Nothing is more satisfying to me than diving into your world with you.
With my kind of experience and formal training, I am able to easily parse out the details of a developing story and find the common thread that links all of your ideas together. When collaborating we will work through all of your uncertainties and bring your key elements into focus so you can craft the best book possible.
My goal is to work with you—the writer—to take your story to its highest potential. I’m a sounding board and an open book (get it?). My biggest wins are when my clients leave our sessions feeling confident in their trajectory and excited about their stories. I pride myself on being a safe space for you and your ideas. Because let’s be honest, getting feedback on your story from a trained coach is vulnerable AF!
So whether your story takes place in a galaxy far far away, or on a flat planet balanced on the backs of four elephants standing on the back of a giant turtle—I’m here to help and cannot wait to dive in with you!
Still curious about our backgrounds, skills, and expertise?
Check out our podcast interviews or schedule a free consultation!
Book nowAuxiliary Team Members
Lianne
Lianne is our Administrative Wizard. Her clients have all been in the book writing/coaching world so she gets this industry. An obsessive reader (anything, all the time), she also makes things (knitted things, jewellery* things). She was a dog in a former life, and is proudly owned by two dogs in this life, and completely digs crows (they are awesomeā€”really!).
*Not a typo, the British/Canadian spelling! Did we mention Lianne is based in Canada?
Rachel
Rachel is a bird watching enthusiast and copy writer (in that order). She works with small businesses like us to build our content, post socials, and share about everything we have to offer. In her free time she drinks tea and goes on slow jogs with the goal of stopping to pet as many dogs as possible.
https://www.copywritercollab.com/
Rachel is our copywriter extraordinaire! We've been able to help so many more writers because of the amazing work Rachel does for/with us to get the word out about what we offer.
Honorary Team Members
Our kiddos
They keep us on our toes and often get "in the way" of us being productive, but seeing them develop into little storytellers and book lovers is so rewarding.
Our oldest loves reading the same books over and over, and her attention to detail is truly amazing.
Our youngest loves books too, but he's even more excited to play pretend—and his imagination is so fun!
Kitten
Her real name is Kaylee (yes, like Kaylee from Firefly!), but she only responds to "Kitten" because we had two older cats when we got her and we talked about her too much as "the kitten."
She often appears in the background on Katie's coaching calls and sometimes insists on perching on Katie's lap (or desk!) for pets.
