How to Become a Book Coach or Editor

Gina Kammer Author

Feb 04, 2025 |

How does one become an editor and/or book coach? A breakdown of a process that has no single path and resources for getting into editing or coaching.

How to Become a Book Coach or Editor

Resources for Getting into Editing or Book Coaching

How does one become an editor and/or book coach? After working in this industry for over a decade, it’s a question I get often from science fiction/fantasy writer–book lovers who not only love to write and read but absolutely love the craft, have a mind for seeing possibilities, and possess a knack for making things all come together as a tight whole. They might also have a greater-than-normal intimacy with style guides… They want to know how they can put their skills and passions together in their work like I do in my book coaching and editing business. But the answer isn’t straightforward, and almost no two editors’/book coaches’ paths look similar. However, I can share some direction based on my experience and knowledge of the industry today.

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Click HERE to download a guiding outline of the path to becoming a book coach/editor and corresponding resources to get you started!

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I’ve worked on both the corporate side as an in-house editor for an educational children’s publisher and on the freelance side, learning how (and investing in coaches/mentors) to run my own business. Around and between those more major stretches of my career, I was also contracted by the Meredith Corporation (magazines—Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Entertainment Weekly, Martha Stewart, etc.) as a full-time copy editor. I taught college writing, literature, and journalism courses for several years across multiple colleges and universities. And out of grad school (MA in English Literature), I edited a small-town newspaper (read: wore ALL the newspaper-related hats, including design and ads).

So while I didn’t have a very specific formal editing or publishing degree or certification, I had just about every related or adjacent training or experience. Yet I wasn’t satisfied. I still didn’t feel like that was enough to justify my modest success in this profession that I love (Hello, imposter syndrome!). Yeah, you might realize I may have been a bit hard on myself, and that’s probably true. My brain is an anxiety-ridden perfectionist with an ADHD tendency to hyperfocus for a winning—and also frequently disabling—productivity combination... I don’t tend to do anything the easy way! Yet I’m still a very ambitious (if quirky) professional.

Plus, I’m such a learner/researcher that I couldn’t let the “right way” of any of my superiors remain at face value or suggest changes/edits of my own just because. Basing my editorial “authority” only on what managers/publishers taught me through their expectations while I was on the job—or from my background in literary analysis and teaching—still wasn’t enough for me to feel OK with telling an author what would be better. It seemed too subjective. And, of course, this is quite a subjective industry. But the way my brain works drove me to seek answers.

In the course of my career, I had opportunities to take my graduate research on the brain science of creativity in speculative fiction further. Beyond better understanding the creative process in the brain for writers, I wanted to learn what made books “good” or “bad” for readers. That way, when I provided feedback and editorial direction for authors, I would know why on the basis of the reader experience. (Maybe this need for understanding is what makes me a good book coach. Among us coaches, relentlessly asking authors “Why?” has now become our inside joke!)

So, as the academic and story craft nerd I am, I dove deep into the research of the effects of stories. I discovered some pretty solid theories based on multiple studies from cognitive psychology on what readers desire, consciously and subconsciously, from the stories they read (or from art in general). Synthesizing the resulting conclusions is how I eventually created my own proprietary framework for all of the work I now do with authors. What was even more surprising was how my conclusions based in the science/psychology on good story craft plays out in much (though not quite all) of the writing advice that’s already out there—even if those resources don’t even know why that advice works!

What You Need to Learn to Become a Book Coach or Editor

So do you need to be a super nerd who reads scientific studies to validate your knowledge of story craft? Hardly! But does it help? Certainly! Understanding the why behind the advice you give, or knowing why, as a writer (or coach), certain pieces of well-worn writing advice work or won’t work so well for an individual project brings along a lot more confidence and the ability to justify your reasoning to authors in a more objective way than we usually experience in this industry. In an age of information overwhelm, this is especially helpful for cutting to the heart of a story’s true needs. But it’s not strictly necessary since you can still gain a solid craft foundation based on the work of all those wise industry powerhouses such as the acclaimed authors, agents, and editors. After all, they’re full of years of learning through experience, and often write about what they know (imagine that!) and publish their tried-and-true wisdom.

In essence, you may not need to know everything, but you need to know what you don’t know. That goes for any of us. We need to understand our limits to help authors with full integrity. You can learn through your own trial and error, although that takes a lot of time and may leave you still unaware of certain things. Better yet, you can work with book coaches and editors on your own novels to understand which areas you can shore up your craft. As a bonus, you’ll also learn more about what attitudes, processes, and approaches work well (or not) for you as an author when you are coached or edited to bring into your own future work with authors—with respect to the intellectual property of these fellow professionals, of course.

You can also learn formally through editor/coach training from professionals who teach it and/or offer licenses for using their processes/materials with your own clients. Colleges and universities also offer some programs and certifications I’ve heard great things about. These are all ways to find out what you don’t know, no matter how much you’ve already picked up from reading and writing.

What You DON’T Need to Become a Book Coach/Editor

What I don’t particularly recommend? Doing what I did.

Yes, all my experience and even my research obsession was invaluable for me becoming an editor/book coach in so many ways. It led to making connections in the industry that landed many of these opportunities right in my lap, which provided even more growth and experience. And you still need experience (which is its own Catch 22). So you need to start somewhere to get those experience opportunities, which might mean a degree or other job that feels mildly related, such as journalism. Many of my publishing house colleagues did have journalism backgrounds too, perhaps due to more job opportunities there and because it was the next “closest” thing to editing or some such on a resume. But, no, that’s definitely not enough on its own for real credibility as a book editor. Actually, my teaching background was more helpful for the core work of editing and providing suggestions and feedback for authors.

Still, avoid the primarily self-taught approach if you want to move faster. An English degree won’t get you there either—not that it can’t be helpful, but it’s not required. My BA in English, my minor in theater, my MA in literature… they didn’t teach me this job. They were in the right vicinity for some basic knowledge, and I gained some hands-on experience through editing the college literary magazine and things on that order (I also credit theater for my ability to do any of my marketing at all!), but none of the usual English degrees will teach you how to coach or edit for clients writing genre fiction. Often, creative writing degrees, according to my experience with many MFA authors, also won’t be particularly helpful for this side of the publishing industry (and sometimes not even for writing genre fiction since MFA programs tend to favor literary, but I digress…). Mostly, school teaches you to write academically, even within the more specialized departments, because that’s the purpose and audience.

Publishing jobs, on the other hand, have relied on the apprenticeship model. While that’s basically how I began to learn this job professionally (although it was a temporary position to start with), it’s no longer as practical in the changing publishing landscape. And who has ready access to publishing internship opportunities or entry-level positions these days? They’re rather rare or exclusive openings that don’t offer sustainable pay, which bars entry for many who don’t already have a certain level of security. However, indie and smaller publishers, if they have the means, may be different. If you do have an opportunity to follow this more traditional route, it might be worth it as long as it doesn’t impose undue hardship on you in too many other crucial ways. But it’s no longer the only way.

How You Can Gain Professional Credibility As a Book Coach or Editor

Now there are more niched, specialized programs and trainings (and made more accessible with many being online) by professional organizations, conferences, etc. than ever before that can make your path to professional much more efficient. However, I certainly don’t mean you should just sign up for a free one-hour workshop about coaching or editing and then set up a website or freelancer profile on a marketplace and open up shop. I’ve been the second editor on far too many manuscripts after the author tried such an “editor’s” services and was sorely disappointed and regretful (with good reason!). Authors have been taken advantage of so much that this behavior—or frankly just the unintentional ignorance about what good editing actually looks like by either party—has soured the reputation for the span of those professionals offering author services. So true professionalism in all integrity must be your commitment before taking this career path.

Becoming a book coach/editor is definitely a path that needs to be earned. You wouldn’t want to give your book baby—and money—to someone who sells services as an editor because she was “always good at English” and “catches everyone’s typos” would you? (real quotes, unfortunately…). I once ignorantly thought that my own story-writing skills, English degrees, years of academic literary analysis, and that same knack for grammar would mean I’d naturally know what to do when I was assigned my first manuscript to edit. I knew good stories when I read them and analyzed them, but there’s a bigger learning curve up to knowing what a story needs to make it that good, and how to reconcile those needs with what also works in the market—and meets the publisher’s demands and expectations.

Literary analysis and writing skills are a great start, but they really only get you on the start of the path to book coaching/editing professional. And it's a meandering path. And a rather uphill one as is the nature of this industry. But it's totally doable, and you don’t have to do it without support. Online opportunities help a lot too now, and the whole industry has gotten so much bigger with indie publishing. But that also means there are a lot of resources and differing opinions out there from amateurs and professionals alike.

So in this document, I have outlined the path to editing or book coaching that I would recommend in a general sense to make sure you can cover all your bases. Then I've listed some specific resources to get you started in taking action on those points along the path. While there is no one right way to get to professional editing or book coaching status, there are more efficient routes you can take! Ones that I wish I'd known long ago myself. And certainly more responsible paths than some bad actors have tried. Therefore, I'm confident that these recommendations will help to get you well on your way to becoming a confident, respected book coach or editor — and with more clarity and focus!

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If you're committed to starting an ethical editing or book coaching business, I want you to have the support you need! Get started with my outline and linked resources in this document.

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Categories: : book coaching, business, editing