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I believe writing is a team sport.
Writing a book is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do. Like all hard things, it’s easier (and more enjoyable) when you have others on the journey with you — especially an experienced guide to show you the way.
Even the greats need a hand.
Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, credits editor Tay Hohoff with the book’s success and its recognition as a modern American classic. In fact, Ms. Hohoff was so impactful that Lee re-wrote the entire book and renamed it (the original, lightly edited version of Mockingbird was later released as its own novel).
James Clear worked with Peter Guzzardi in the early stages of writing Atomic Habits. Guzzardi helped Clear make the transition from blogger to author and gave him a kick in the pants when he needed it.
Ryan Holiday credits no fewer than nine people with editorial support for his bestselling book on Stoicism, The Obstacle is the Way.
Every person’s writing journey is different, but we all want some version of the same thing: to tell our story and to connect with others.
Books are uniquely qualified as a medium to accomplish this. The quality of time readers spend with your words is second only to knowing you personally—and sometimes, books reveal more about you than conversations ever could.
But for some reason, you’re not making the type of progress you hoped for.
Maybe you’re not happy with the result so far. Maybe you’re stuck entirely. The story in your head is not translating to the page. In the midst of a busy and urgent life, the important work of writing is pushed to the side.
There are numerous reasons why books are postponed, delayed, and abandoned. Yet the fact that you’re considering an book coach means you refuse to let those excuses stand in the way.
It’s time to write the damn book.
I wrote my first book as a class project in the 6th grade. Little did I know it would spark a lifelong interest in reading and storytelling.
Today I’m the founder of Damn Gravity Media. Our mission is to inspire people to become their best selves and give them the tools to succeed.
We do this by helping authors, entrepreneurs, and experts share their big ideas with the world—specifically in the fields of business, creative work, and personal growth. I’ve helped dozens of entrepreneurs become better, more consistent writers through coaching and my writing cohort.
I’m also the author of Great Founders Write: Principles for Clear Thinking, Confident Writing, and Startup Success.
I believe there are four core principles of great non-fiction writing:
Damn Gravity has developed a methodology to help you achieve these principles and, if we’re lucky, create something that truly matters.
Whether you’re a book coaching client or signed author, every book goes through the same editorial process:
Begin with the end in mind.
We’ll start our relationship with understanding what you want to accomplish with your book.
For many authors, the act of publishing a book is a reward in itself, but we also want more. We want our books to reach a wide audience, start a conversation, and maybe grow our businesses or careers.
Next, we’ll examine who your book is for and why they should care. Every successful author is crystal clear on their ideal reader, the challenges they face, and what they need to overcome them.
This important, foundational exploration culminates into a positioning document. We use the model of the PR/FAQ (made famous by Amazon) to describe your book as if you’re announcing it to the public. This exercises forces you to think about your book from the reader’s perspective.
Writing is not a single activity. It’s actually 4 separate stages, and each one requires a different mindset:
If writing feels like a slog and it takes you forever to clarify your ideas, it’s likely because you’re trying to take on multiple steps at a time. The context switching between tasks will slow you down and burn you out.
Before writing, I always recommend collecting your research and creating an outline first. Then when it’s time to write, all you have to do is put words on a page.
Together, we’ll figure out a writing schedule that also sets aside time to research and outline separately.
Writing a book is like running a marathon. You have to put in the miles on a regular basis if you want to finish.
We’ll work together to ensure that your weekly writing stays on track with your purpose and positioning.
We’ll also dissect elements of writing like tone, style, persuasion, storytelling, and creating momentum from chapter to chapter.
Like writing, editing is a multi-stage process.
As your coach, I will help you with the first stage of editing: the developmental edit.
This is the step where we analyze the substance of your first draft and figure out how we can get it to more closely align with your purpose and positioning. I’ll help you clarify your thinking and develop ways to bring your ideas to life with stories and examples.
Writing a book is never a completely linear process, but following these steps will help you stay on track and ultimately produce better work.
Damn Gravity offers more than just coaching. As a publisher, we have an entire system for writing, editing, publishing, and promoting your book.
As a coaching client, you will have access to our writing system to help you stay organized and keep your entire book project on track.
Below is an overview of the Damn Gravity Book System.
Learn how we…
You’ll also get access to our library of resources for writers and authors, including our 8-part Strategic Writing video course.
So what would the day-to-day look like if we worked together?
Our authors operate in 1 or 2 week sprints.
At the beginning of the sprint, we’ll have a 60-minute meeting to review your latest writing, discuss how to make improvements, and set a goal for the next sprint.
Before our next call, I will set aside time to review your latest batch of writing (up to 5000 words) so we can dig into the nitty gritty during our call.
Costs:
No contracts, no obligations. And if you’re not happy with your first month of coaching, you will get a full refund.
Interested in publishing with Damn Gravity? Any money spent on coaching will be deducted from the cost of your publishing plan (up to $10,000)
It’s time to write the damn book.
If you’re ready to experience the pride and impact of publishing great work, let’s talk.