Write your own book, with a coach who has finished the trip

You have the expertise and the drive. What you need is someone who has been through the process enough times to steer you around the problems you cannot see yet, so you finish a book instead of stalling in the middle.

54+ books ghostwritten, 113+ authored under my own name, dozens of novels. I know where manuscripts break because I have fixed those breaks.

Tell me honestly if a book makes sense

No pitch. A straight conversation about your book and where you are stuck.

Just want the rate? Jump to pricing ↓

Who book coaching is for

You have the expertise and the motivation to write your own book. What you need is someone who has been through the process enough times to steer you around the problems you cannot see yet: structure that falls apart in the middle, chapters that repeat each other, an opening that buries the best material, a manuscript that drifts from the audience it is supposed to serve.

I have ghostwritten 54+ books and published 113+ under my own name, most of my novels drafted in concentrated sessions of 2,000 to 12,000 words a day. I know where manuscripts break because I have fixed those breaks in my own work and in client projects across every genre. That experience is what you get in coaching.

Coaching pricing

Book coaching is sold in ten-hour blocks. You bring your book and your goals; I bring the structure, the craft, and the feedback that gets it finished.

Hourly rate
$200 to $300
Structure
10-hour blocks
Format
Zoom, flexible
Volume
Lower rate on later blocks

Engagements start at one 10-hour block ($2,000 to $3,000 depending on rate) and extend across multiple blocks as needed. The lower per-hour rate applies to subsequent blocks. We start with your book, your goals, and where you are right now.

Tell me honestly if a book makes sense

Coaching or ghostwriting? The honest difference

Coaching: you write it

I guide the process, solve structural problems, give feedback on drafts, and keep the project moving. Your voice, your effort, your manuscript. Coaching serves the author who wants the point to be that they wrote it.

Ghostwriting: I write it

I write the book from interviews with you. You provide the thinking; I provide the writing. The manuscript is yours, the drafting is mine. Ghostwriting serves the author who needs the book to exist.

See ghostwriting services →

Some clients start with coaching and move to ghostwriting. Some go the other way. Either direction works, and the first conversation figures out which fits your situation. I offer both, so I have no reason to steer you wrong.

What coaching covers

Every engagement is different because every book is different. But the problems writers run into are predictable. Here is what we typically work on.

1

Concept and audience

Before you write a word, we define who the book is for and what it needs to accomplish. A book that tries to reach everyone reaches no one. We get specific about your audience, your positioning, and how the book serves your larger goals.

2

Structure and outline

Most manuscripts that stall have a structure problem, not a motivation problem. We build an outline that gives you a clear path from chapter one to the end, with your strongest material placed where it has the most impact.

3

Drafting and feedback

You write. I review chapters as you produce them and give specific, actionable feedback on what is working, what is not, and how to fix it. No vague encouragement. Concrete direction on structure, pacing, voice, and clarity.

4

Revision strategy

First drafts are supposed to be rough. I help you see the difference between problems that need rewriting and problems that need cutting. Revision is where a manuscript becomes a book, and knowing what to do with a messy first draft is half the skill.

5

Publishing path

When the manuscript is ready, we discuss your options: traditional, self-publishing, hybrid. Each has trade-offs. I help you evaluate which path serves your goals and avoid the mistakes that cost authors time and money.

Your coach

Richard Lowe has ghostwritten 54+ books for executives, entrepreneurs, and public figures and authored 113+ under his own name, including dozens of novels and a 40+ handbook reference library on writing craft covering character, dialogue, world building, point of view, pacing, and revision. His clients’ books have helped raise over $30 million in venture capital and generated a TEDx invitation and keynote fees of $5,000 to $20,000. His own book, How to Manage a Consulting Project, was adopted at Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management.

He spent 20 years as Director of Computer Operations at Trader Joe’s, managing technology for one of the largest privately held national grocery chains. That background in systematic problem-solving shapes how he coaches: structured, specific, and focused on getting the work done instead of talking about getting the work done.

More: Full Professional Background · Testimonials · Code of Ethics · Fiction

Not sure your book is ready to start?

The Book Feasibility Intensive is $5,000 for the strategy, the plan, and a sample chapter, credited toward a larger engagement within sixty days. It is a low-commitment way to find out what you are really writing before you commit to coaching.

See what the Intensive includes

What clients say

View the case studies →

The honest hesitations

The doubts coaching prospects bring, answered straight.

Why do I keep starting my book and never finishing?
False starts are the debris of motivated people hitting structural obstacles, not discipline failures. Books stall from outlines that could not carry the material, perfectionism, or hours lost to the day job, and every cause is process-solvable. Read: I’ve started my book three times »
Shouldn’t I be able to write a book without a coach?
The writers you admire mostly did not. Editors, writing groups, MFA workshops, and yes, coaches have always been the invisible scaffolding of finished books. Structure and accountability are not remedial; they are how books get done. Read: coaching vs ghostwriting vs DIY »
Is my story worth a book?
The doubt measures against the wrong scale. The real criteria: experience specific enough that a stranger could not research it, a findable reader whose situation the book changes, and enough transformation to sustain an arc. Fame is not on the list. Read: is my story worth a book? »
Is book coaching worth the money?
Coaching runs $2,000 to $3,000 per ten-hour block, a fraction of full ghostwriting, and you keep authorship of every word. The 2024 Business Book ROI study found most business books return the investment many times over through clients, speaking, and authority pricing. If the finished book is a business asset, the coaching that gets it done is cheap by comparison. Read: the business book ROI study »
Would I be better off just hiring a ghostwriter?
Sometimes you would, and I will tell you so on the first call, because I offer both and have no incentive to steer you wrong. The dividing question: is the point that you wrote it, or that it exists? Coaching serves the first, ghostwriting the second. See: ghostwriting services »
How do I know you’re not one of the scams?
You should not take my word for it; verify what cannot be faked. I have 113+ books under my own name you can read tonight, 100+ podcast appearances you can listen to, named case studies including a book adopted at Purdue, and reviews attached to a checkable identity. The mills cannot produce any of that. Read: how to vet a ghostwriter »

The practical questions

Cost, format, and who it is for.

What is book coaching?
Book coaching helps you write your own book with expert guidance. You do the writing. The coach provides structure, feedback, accountability, and craft help so you finish a book you are proud of instead of stalling partway through.
How is book coaching different from ghostwriting?
In coaching, you write the book and the coach guides you. In ghostwriting, the writer produces the manuscript for you. Coaching costs less and keeps you as the writer. The right choice depends on whether you want to write it yourself or have it written for you.
How much does book coaching cost?
Book coaching is sold in ten-hour blocks at $200 to $300 per hour, which is $2,000 to $3,000 per block, with a lower rate on later blocks. Sessions run over Zoom with flexible scheduling.
Who is book coaching right for?
Coaching suits people who want to write their own book and have the time to write but need structure, feedback, and accountability to finish. If you would rather not write it yourself, ghostwriting is the better fit.
What happens in a book coaching session?
Sessions run over Zoom. You bring what you are working on, the coach reviews it, gives direct feedback, and helps you solve whatever is blocking progress. Between sessions you write, and the next session builds on it.
Can a book coach help a first-time author?
Yes. Coaching is built for first-time authors as much as experienced ones. The structure and feedback are there precisely because writing a first book is hard and most people stall without guidance.

Go deeper

Start with a conversation

Tell me about your book and where you are stuck. I will tell you honestly whether coaching is the right fit, whether ghostwriting would serve you better, and what to expect. No pitch.

Book the conversation