Nonfiction Book & Proposal Coaching

Nonfiction books are sold to publishers based on the book proposal, not the completed manuscript — which means you need to write a proposal before you write the book.

If you are writing a nonfiction book that:

  • Teaches readers how to do something, whether it’s how to see themselves or the world in new ways,

  • Provides a framework or method or tools to accomplish goals,

  • Includes elements such as interviews with other people, research, analysis, or workbook-type features or prompts,

You need to write a book proposal before you write your book.

The book proposal is the business plan for your book. It is a required document that agents and traditional publishers of all sizes, including independent, university, and hybrid publishers, use to determine whether there is a business case and market proof for publishing your book. 

In some ways, your book proposal is like a job application to be their author. Agents and publishers are looking for very specific things:

  • How clearly you explain your book’s concept

  • How well you execute your intention

  • How well you understand your reader’s motivations and needs

  • How well you understand how to reach your readers

  • How well you understand the market

Don’t worry! This is exactly what we do in nonfiction book proposal coaching:

  1. You write according to guidelines.

  2. You get clear feedback from an expert on what you did right, what needs to be improved and how, and what to do next.

  3. Repeat.

Nonfiction books are sold to publishers based on the proposal, not the completed manuscript!

Agents and publishers don’t expect a full manuscript first. They want to see your concept and how you plan to execute it, and they will have some ideas and input on your books’s form and content, but first they want to see your idea laid out in the terms they use.

The upside of writing the book proposal first is that it makes the writing of the book easier for you, because you will have done all of the hardest planning and decision-making already.

Here’s what agents and publishers look for in a nonfiction book proposal to demonstrate the solidity of your concept, the market interest in it, and your knowledge of how your book serves your readers.

I call it your book’s “aboutness”:

Here’s the not-so-secret ingredients to achieving your goal of writing and publishing a book: Clear and consistent feedback.

You get those through coaching.

You may have some questions, such as:

How long does creating a book proposal take?

In my coaching experience, it takes about four months for an aspiring nonfiction author to go from idea to pitching their book to agents and publishers.

It takes about that long to build and/or clarify the foundations of your book and craft a pitch-ready proposal, sample chapters, and query letter.

What if it doesn’t take four months/what happens after four months?

It can take more or less than four months to get to a pitch-ready proposal, but I will be transparent with you so you always know what to expect. It’s in both our best interests to be as efficient as possible while making your proposal the best it can be.

In some cases, after preparing the proposal and sample chapters, a writer may want to continue to work on the manuscript while pitching agents and publishers and awaiting feedback. We can discuss whether and how this works for your goals.

What does it cost?

Your investment is $1000/mo for:

  • Weekly live meetings via Zoom

  • Weekly feedback on your documents

  • Weekly assignments and due dates

Great! What do I need to do?

Use the contact form or click the button below to indicate your interest and provide the relevant information.

How does it work?

  • A Personalized Plan​
    I will provide a personalized work plan for you based on your goals and needs.

  • Custom Weekly Assignments​
    Every week, you will have a customized writing assignment so we put your time and effort towards what needs focus. You always know what you’re working on and how it fits into the overall goal.

  • Weekly Assignment Review​
    Every week, I will review your writing assignment and give direct, actionable feedback based on what you did right, what needs to be improved and how, and what to do next, including examples.

  • 1-on-1 Calls​
    Every week, we meet via Zoom 1-on-1 to receive feedback, discuss your progress, ask questions, brainstorm solutions, and commit to next steps.

We move at the pace and in the order you need for your specific project, but in general, it looks like this:

  • Weeks 1-4: Define and develop concept, define readers, research comp titles and marketplace, outline topics; discuss publishing landscape and goals

  • Weeks 5-8: Organization, structure, and summaries of contents; bio

  • Weeks 9-12: Sample chapters, marketing plan, audience analysis

  • Weeks 13-16: Polish proposal, develop query letter, pitch list, and pitch strategy… and start pitching!

Together, we will work on:

  • What one solid and clear central idea encapsulates what you want to say with this project (and which ideas can be saved for later).

  • Who will be best served by reading it.

  • What content best serves – and delights – your readers.

  • Which structure and organization best serves your work.

  • What is the best route among the options in the publishing landscape so you can choose what’s best for your unique goals and needs.

  • How to talk about your book to readers, agents, and publishers in the ways they need to hear it.

What you get when we work together:

  • Know exactly what you need to work on and when – no guessing or overwhelm!

  • Learn the relevant skills and techniques you need to be successful along the way,

  • Get email support from me in between calls if you have questions on the process or your progress – you are not alone as you do this work! 

  • Receive relevant resources from my vast collection so you don’t have to search for what you need when you need it,

  • Acquire a deep understanding of the process so you can leverage it for future projects,

  • Feel accomplishment, confidence, motivation, direction, and clarity.

For Memoir Writers:

Memoir is a special category nonfiction. In most cases, memoir requires both a proposal and a completed, revised, edited, and polished manuscript to pitch agents or publishers.

My specialty is coaching nonfiction that teaches readers how to do something, whether it’s how to see themselves or the world in new ways, or provide a framework or method or tools to accomplish goals. I also coach nonfiction books that include elements such as interviews with other people, research, analysis, or workbook-type features or prompts.

If you are writing memoir without any of the above goals or features, I may not be the best coach for you, but use the Contact form if you’d like to explore further.

But! If you have a written, revised, and polished memoir and are seeking traditional publication, I’d love to coach you to a pitch-ready proposal.

Don’t just take my word for it!

  • I'm accustomed to writing short forms. Writing a book is a different story! Amy created the accountability and guidance to do something I'd always wanted to do but had been too intimidated to attempt.

    — Kate Evans, Ditch Your Sh*t!: Decluttering Your Mindset to Declutter Your Home, Turner Publishing, Oct. 2025

  • A huge step up in confidence. Which came from working with you, through the coaching sessions and the homework assigned, but more importantly also offline.

    — Nirupa Umapathy, Memoir/Essay Writer

  • I have a completed proposaI I feel proud of! I’m proud of the fact I did this and it’s done! Now it’s to be bought, written, and received so it can help people. This is a way of sharing thoughts at scale.

    — Petrushka Bazin Larsen, Prescriptive Nonfiction Writer, seeking agent representation

  • If I didn't have some accountability and structure for writing this book, I would likely put it off inevitably. The structured approach is so helpful!!

    — Tosca Fasso, Prescriptive Nonfiction Writer