Do you have an idea for a book but don’t know where to begin?
Did you start then get stuck in the middle?
Does the blank page scare you?
I get it. I spent eight years working on my first novel. With each draft I’d get a little further, then get stuck and go back to the start. at one point I even gave up on writing altogether and enrolled in a music production degree.
Fortunately I saw sense. I had an idea for another book, quit college and went back to writing. Six months later I wrote ‘The End’ for the first time. It was the greatest achievement of my life and still is. I’ll flash back to it on my deathbed.
Since then I’ve written and published a book almost every year. I’ve sold tens of thousands of copies, made the USA Today, moved to Thailand and even had some sniffs from Hollyywood.
More importantly, I have a head full of book ideas and I know that I have the skills and mindset required to write them.
I make most of my money from self-publishing. In this new landscape, absolutely anyone can publish their work. So if you’ve got a great book in you, I can help you finish it and I can help you sell it.
That’s Not Very Romantic…
There’s a romantic notion of the solitary writer, typing away in his lonely garrot. The picture has its charm, but it’s a lie.
Athletes get better with mentoring.
Musicians get better with mentoring.
Software engineers get better… you take my point.
Writers are no different.
You are unique. Your book is unique. But habits? Mindset? Sentence structure, pacing, dialogue, character arcs? There are rules to how these work.
That’s what I’ll help you with. If you hire me as your Gandalf, I’ll help with
the book itself
the mindset and habits you’ll need see it through
And let’s be real. Most people who start a book never finish it. Go it alone and the odds are you’ll be one of them.
Patrick’s Experience
I had no idea what to expect from a book coach other than guidance and support in an area where I needed it. Writing in a different genre seemed a daunting task at first, and I had no idea how to plot a story properly or begin to world-build in any way.
'Daniel Allison is a treasure. In the 1 hour he spent with me, I feel lightyears more prepared/motivated to tackle the hurdles popping up in my writing. Not only did he provide a plethora of knowledge and advice that was congruent with the vision of my novel, but also helped me form realistic expectations/timelines for my aspirations as a writer.
His down to earth attitude makes conversation extremely easy and enjoyable, as well as absorbing the ideas I presented and helping me to expand on them. To say he's a great listener is an understatement. Above that, the designs and suggestions he had to help flesh out my prose and scenarios were applicable to everything I was writing, not just the current sentence or chapter in question.
I cannot thank him enough for taking the time to help me and I look forward to conversing with him again should the situation arise. An absolutely fantastic coach!'
Patrick Lockamy, USA
What Makes This Different
I’m not the only book coach out there, that’s for sure.
That said, I don’t think you’ll find another coach like me.
Besides my experience with writing, traditional publishing and indie publishing, I bring to the table some other things that count for a lot:
16 years as a professional oral storyteller
20 years of meditation practice
experience in compassionate listening/non-violent communication
a background in initiatory work including vision quests and extended plant medicine fasts in the Peruvian jungle
experience of writing as a pagan devotional practice
extensive knowledge of Celtic mythology
experience as a semi-professional Muay Thai fighter
Why Does Any of That Matter?
Because you need a coach who listens deeply, and whom you feel safe opening up to.
Because if you’re a pagan writer, you need a coach who understands what your work means to you on a spiritual level.
Because writing a book is not a hobby. Not the way I approach it. It’s one of the most profoundly meaningful things we can do with our lives. It can and will change you. You need a coach who gets this; who gets that this is an initiation and knows how initiation works.
And fighting? What? Well, if writing requires anything, it requires grit. Getting up int he cold and dark, day after day, year after year. I learnt. a lot about grit from writing, the rest I learnt from fighting. It’s a hard business (especially when you start past the average retiring age, and has required very extensive study of mindset, habits, goal-setting, self-discipline.
Everything I’ve learnt, I bring to my coaching.
Sheena’s Experience
I had no idea what to expect from a book coach other than guidance and support in an area where I needed it. Writing in a different genre seemed a daunting task at first, and I had no idea how to plot a story properly or begin to world-build in any way.
What Daniel provides has been invaluable to me on many levels, and continues as I grow into the kind of writer I want to be.
Not only is he an accomplished author himself, as his own books demonstrate, but he communicates his knowledge and skills very well, creating along the way a personalised and tailor-made plan.
With Daniel's support and attention to detail, I am developing more than I imagined I could.
His feedback is always constructive and understandable, and his encouragement spurs me on.
Learning to be accountable is teaching me the discipline I need, he is a good taskmaster, and I particularly enjoy our regular phone calls which are educational and always fill me with confidence.
With Daniel's coaching, I believe my intention of writing and finishing a book to be proud of is not just a hopeful possibility, but an achievable goal.
I'm glad I found him.
Sheena Cundy, Author of The Witch Wavelength
