Booksmithing
Three-Stage Process for Developing Your Book
You can already see it:
the book with your name on the cover.
You can see it on your shelf. You can see it on your website. You can practically feel it in your hands.
And it’s a damn good book!
Readers are talking about it. People you don’t even know are saying how it really helped them.
Your colleagues are recommending it to their people. They’re even citing it in their own writings.
It’s a book you’re proud to have your name on—a book that speaks to your unique expertise, experience, message, and mission.
The question is, how do you get to that book from where you are now?
My three-stage booksmithing process is designed to guide you through the first part: developing and writing your book.
It will also set you up for the second part: publishing your book.
The Booksmithing Process is a clear, practical path for developing your book, from initial idea to finished manuscript, with the professional support you need to make it publisher grade.
My professional experience tells me that you just can’t quick-and-easy your way to a publisher-grade book.
None of the books I’ve contracted and edited for trade publishers were written in three weeks or three months or whatever super-short timeframe the book farmers’ internet ads claim.
But experience also tells me that working on your manuscript for years doesn’t necessarily yield a publisher-grade, marketable book either.
I’ve seen too many authors “just start writing” only to find themselves years later with a manuscript only an author could love.
Writing in a vacuum is also a recipe for overwhelm and mission fatigue—even for mission-driven self-starters who don’t usually need a lot of coaching to get things done.
The three booksmithing stages give you the right kind of help at the right times.
What happens in each stage is based on the hundreds of manuscripts I’ve seen in my career—from raw, incomplete first drafts to ready-to-publish final drafts.
I know what’s needed to turn the former into the latter—and how to do it efficiently.
The booksmithing stages are also based on my work with authors like you, the thoughtful, high-achieving write-it-yourselfer.
I’ve seen these authors’ writing take off with:
Professional input, insights, and guidance as you start, to help you formulate your idea and dive in with confidence;
Strategic big-picture feedback and thought partnership as you’re writing, so you can keep moving, avoid pitfalls, and make more progress from draft to draft;
Hands-on, deeply engaged, collaborative revising in the home stretch, to help you reset your perspective and address the details you’re usually too close and too tired to see on your own.
The Booksmithing Process assumes you’re working on your book while still doing the work that made you a trusted expert in the first place.
To help you balance book writing with your other work (and the rest of what’s going on your life):
Each stage is priced individually and can be done on its own.
You can go immediately from one stage to the next or take breaks between stages.
Each stage is designed to reduce the time and work needed in the next stage(s).
Booksmithing Process Overview
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Stage 1
Book Visioning
Clarify Your Goals
and Chart Your Course
Set yourself up to finish your book by establishing a strong foundation.
Make strategic decisions up front, so you’ll have a map and compass as you draft your manuscript.
Define your book’s mission and point of view, so you can purposely craft a book that speaks to readers.
Investment: $1,800 (US)
Stage 2
Book Building
Write Your Best Book More Efficiently
Move “finish my book” to the top of your priority list with a commitment to action, a clear plan, and incentive to follow through.
Stay oriented toward your Book Vision and commitment to quality by getting pro feedback and suggestions while you’re writing and shaping your manuscript.
Spend less time figuring out what to do next and improve your book in bigger strides.
Investment: $4,725 (US)
Stage 3
Book Finishing
The Difference Between Almost Done
and Amazing
Ensure your work will connect with readers and be understood the way you want.
Refine your information and your writing for optimal clarity, readability, and impact.
My collaborative revision process makes these critical late-stage manuscript refinements a lighter lift for you.
Investment: starts at $10,200 (US)
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Stage 1
Book Visioning
Two-Day VIP Intensive
The first step to a finished book is knowing precisely what book you want to have at the end—and why.
That picture of your best book is the first component of your Book Vision and where your two-day VIP intensive starts.
From there, we’ll dig into essential details too many authors don’t address early enough or define specifically enough, including the book’s purpose, audience, and selling points, plus your ideal publishing strategy.
By establishing these details and more, your Book Vision will keep your oriented to your book’s promise as you write and develop it.
You’ll also know that you’re not spending time and energy on a book that, in the end, may not get traction with publishers, make an impact with readers, or do justice to your brilliance.
Your Book Vision is the difference between writing a book from ambition and crafting your book with intention.
If you’ve already begun writing, Book Visioning will bring your book into even sharper focus. And you’ll know exactly what you need to do next.
If you haven’t started or written much yet, Book Visioning will be your kick-in-the-pants kickstart.
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We’ll work together in multiple video sessions over two days to complete your Book Vision.
Each 1- or 1.5-hour session will be a mix of
interactive Q&A, where I ask you very detailed questions;
co-working, with each of us doing a specific task at the same time;
co-planning, we come back together and put our respective pieces together;
and even some co-writing.
By the end of the second day, you’ll have a clear picture of your book and what’s needed to make it a reality.
You’ll leave knowing your top priorities and specific next steps. So when you start writing, you won’t need to spend time figuring out what to do, but can dive right in and do it.
Fair warning: These two days of Book Visioning are called “an intensive” for a reason.
We’ll be moving fast and tackling important details lots of authors don’t even realize they need to think about.
Expect to be challenged. This is where any “I don’t knows” need to be replaced with concrete information.
Because this is where you take the big step from “I want to write a book” to “This is the book I am writing.”
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One or more book development consultations
Or pre-approval from me.
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$1,800 (US)
Paid upon scheduling.
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Stage 2
Book Building
Great books don’t just flow out of an author’s head, fully formed and perfect.
They’re developed through a rich, iterative drafting process.
Book Building gives you a framework for developing three full manuscript drafts in one year.
For each draft, you’ll get my professional input on what’s working so far, what’s not working well yet, and what’s still needed.
Getting this high-level feedback while you’re shaping your book, you will:
waste less time figuring out what changes to make
make smarter revisions
stay on course—and course correct faster when needed
prevent big problems that would require a lot of time, effort, and money to fix later
Between drafts, we’ll keep you writing forward with 1:1 book development consultations.
These consults will help you regain traction quickly when you get stuck and keep your book growing in the direction of your Book Vision.
Book Building also gives you—
Motivation: Knowing you’re responsible for completing three drafts in just one year will keep the fire lit under your butt when your energy flags.
Tactical and moral support: Having me providing practical help and cheering you on will keep your project from turning into a lonely, frustrating slog.
Quality Assurance: Like you, I have a low tolerance for sloppy or fluffy books. And after so long in publishing, I’m jaded and not easily impressed. I’ll be pushing and empowering you to do your best work. When you’re done Book Building, you’ll know for sure your book is better than “good enough.”
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You commit to developing 3 full drafts of your book manuscript within one year.
This timeframe is long enough for you to work at your own pace and fit writing into your busy life. Yet because there’s a hard end date, you also can’t afford to waste time.
During your Book Building window, I support your work with
3 full-draft manuscript reviews
6 one-hour book development consultations
You decide at the outset what dates you’ll deliver each manuscript draft to me for review.
When you deliver your draft, I take three weeks to review it. Then I will send you my analysis in a 3–5-page letter.
I’ll alert you to big-picture concerns it’s tough for most authors to see, because:
you know your material so well that you can’t always think like a reader
it’s easy to get absorbed in the details when you’re writing
without firsthand publishing experience, you can’t know what book-industry quality standards and best practices are
You’ll know what changes are most urgent and what improvements will make the biggest difference. Armed with this feedback, you’ll know what to focus on in your next draft.
You also decide when and how to use your 6 one-hour book-development consultations.
These consults can be scheduled as regular check-ins or as needed for brainstorming, problem-solving, talking through ideas and decisions, and addressing the inevitable quandaries that arise as a book develops.
You can develop your book with more confidence, knowing you have an experienced publishing and bookcraft pro tracking your progress and ready to back you up with empowering support.
Agreeing to Book Building’s parameters underscores your commitment to finish your book:
Your draft delivery dates and manuscript reviews cannot be rescheduled without significant notice.
Your Book Building end date cannot be extended.
The Book Building fee is nonrefundable.
When you’re ready—really ready—to move “finish my book” off your someday list and onto your NOW list, Book Building gives you the incentive you need.
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Your Book Vision, developed in Stage 1, Book Visioning.
Or pre-approval from me.
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$4,725 (US)
This price assumes your manuscript is 40,000 to 60,000 words. Longer manuscripts require an additional fee.
Books that include artwork (e.g., illustrations, diagrams, photos) may also require an additional fee.
Pre-payment plans available.
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Contact me and request a “Book Building Fact Sheet” (PDF) with all the nitty-gritty details.
I’ll answer your questions about Book Building via email or phone, so we can both see if it’s the best next step for you and your book.
If Book Building is indeed a good fit for you, I’ll send you an agreement to review and sign, plus instructions for making your payment.
Then we’ll get your draft delivery dates on our calendars!
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Stage 3
Book Finishing
Book Finishing is about the details that make a difference—the finer-level improvements that allow readers to fully understand and appreciate your work.
This last stage of book writing and development is often challenging for authors—not because you don’t know your stuff, but because you know it so well.
Even when you’re a master of your material and a solid writer, it can be tough to
spot gaps in your information, because you’re mentally filling in the blanks;
notice where important points zip by too fast, because you’ve already seen them a hundred times;
know where readers could get puzzled or confused, because you can’t see them responding in real time;
articulate your ideas even more clearly, because you already know what you mean;
trim and tighten for greater impact, because there’s so much you want to say and so much you want readers to know.
And none of this gets easier when you’ve already been rewriting, rethinking, revising, reorganizing, and rejiggering your manuscript over multiple drafts.
Book Finishing makes this part of the work easier and more efficient for you with a collaborative revision process.
As we comb through your chapters, I channel your future undiscovered readers. I’ll tell you how I perceive what you’re saying, what I need to understand you better, and exactly where it’s needed. Then we’ll revise, rewrite, and add text accordingly.
The process is straightforward, but don’t be fooled: this is intensive, detailed, hella thorough user-experience testing, quality control, and product optimization.
It’s also the closest, most in-depth, most attentive reading your manuscript can receive.
By the time we’re done, you will have the publisher-grade book you’re looking for.
Equally important, you’ll know your book does justice to your work, serves readers as you intend, and will stand out in a crowded marketplace.
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We start with your latest, most-well-developed draft manuscript, and work through it chapter by chapter.
We will scrutinize both what you’re saying and how you’re saying it, looking at multiple aspects at once, such as:
the flow of the text and continuity of the information,
the cohesiveness of ideas and arguments,
where more or less detail would serve readers,
how the chapter titles and section heads guide readers through the book,
what each and every paragraph and sentence says.
Book Finishing is highly detailed, but our goal is not perfection.
Our goal is connection: what revisions would make it as easy as possible for readers to connect with what you’re saying?
Because a book that connects with your readers is a book that will serve you well.
Along the way, we’ll dig in to any other book materials—such as photos, illustrations, graphs and charts, and material incorporated from outside sources.
I’ll assess how these pieces fit with your written content and make sure they’re up to trade publishing standards.
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Your Book Vision + a solid, well-developed manuscript created via Book Building.
Or pre-approval from me.
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Starts at $10,200 (US).
This price assumes your manuscript is 40,000 to 60,000 words. Longer manuscripts require an additional fee.
Books that include artwork (e.g., illustrations, diagrams, photos) also require an additional fee.
Your final cost will depend on:
The length and complexity of your book
How developed your manuscript is when we start
Your book’s unique needs
Your pace and capacity—how fast you can review files, answer questions, and respond to information requests
Your publishing plans
Note: Stages 1 and 2, Book Visioning and Book Building, are designed to minimize the time, work, and cost of Book Finishing.
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I can share more details about Book Finishing during your initial book development consultation, Book Visioning, and/or Book Building.
We’ll discuss whether Book Finishing with me will serve you and your book well.
If you would like more information on Book Finishing before then, please contact me to schedule a free, 20-minute Bookcrafting Q&A call.
Booksmithing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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If the booksmithing stages are done with no breaks, the whole process takes a minimum of 16 months.
Stage 1, Book Visioning, is a two-day intensive.
Stage 2, Book Building, is a one-year term.
Stage 3, Book Finishing, takes at least three months.
Whether or not your manuscript can be finished in that time depends on:
how much, if anything, you’ve already written when we start
whether you want to self-publish or seek a traditional publisher
the length and complexity of your book
your pace and schedule
if/how the book develops
Longer or especially complex books typically take longer to complete.
Books that include artwork, photos, diagrams, tables, charts, or material requiring reprint permission from outside sources also typically take more time than text-only books.
In general, expect it to take longer than you think!
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Your initial book-development consultation is $375 (US). Some authors choose to have more than one consultation before embarking on booksmithing.
Stage 1, Book Visioning is $1,800 (US).
Stage 2, Book Building, is $4,725 (US).
Stage 3, Book Finishing, starts at $10,200 (US).
Your total cost for Stage 3 will depend on:
your unique book, including how long and complex it is
how much you do in Stage 2
how quickly you can respond to revised drafts
whether you’re self-publishing or seeking a traditional publisher
Books that include artwork, photos, diagrams, tables, and charts typically take more time, and thus cost more to complete, than text-only books.
Tip: Most authors I’ve worked with have been able to deduct my fees as a business expense. Check with your accountant or tax preparer for details.
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Book Visioning Two-Day VIP Intensives can usually be scheduled four to six weeks after your initial book development consultation.
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I want to help you write your best book as efficiently as possible.
I’ve designed each booksmithing stage to prevent common problems that can bog down or derail books in the next stages.
Without the Book Vision developed in stage 1, the second stage, Book Building, becomes a journey without a destination or a map for getting there.
Sure, you’ll have a third draft at the end, but there’s no way to tell how close to to finished manuscript that third draft is.
Skipping both stages 1 and 2 means stage 3, Book Finishing, will take much more time—and thus cost you much more.
That’s because we will likely have to double back and address problems that would normally have been solved in stages 1 and 2.
It’s rare that a book can start in stage 3 and sail through it without headaches.
The only times that’s happened, the authors were very experienced writers, and it wasn’t their first book.
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Send me your questions via my contact page or email me at questions[at]amyrost.com.
If I can answer your questions via email, I will. If I can’t, I will invite you to schedule a free, no-obligation, 20-minute Booksmithing Q&A call.
