Private coaching for writers

A better book
A bigger writing life

Six months of private coaching to help you write your best work, get it out into the world and keep wanting to do it all over again.

Let's talk about your writing

Six-month private coaching. Limited places for November and January intakes.

You started writing because you liked it.

At some point, though, you probably began to want something more.

Not just to finish a book, but to write something really good. And then to get it published, not just here but overseas. And then to win an award, and for it to be a bestseller…

Basically: to write book after book, each one better than the last, even though the last one was so good it couldn't possibly be topped.

And that's where things can get complicated.

Because the ambition isn't really to write one good book and call it a day.

It's to keep making work you're proud of and putting it out into the world. To find readers and to get better at what you do, even as your expectations of yourself keep rising.

And, ideally, to enjoy yourself along the way.

Here's the thing about writing: the hardest part isn't the writing.

It's wondering whether your book is any good. Whether anyone will publish it. Whether anyone will read it.

And even if you do get published, the worrying doesn't necessarily stop.

There's another book to write (quickly, before you lose momentum!). Decisions to make about what to write next, how to promote yourself and whether you're doing enough of either.

And there's always another writer. Younger, better, more exciting. Someone who started after you, whose career appears to be progressing at an alarming rate.

It's enough to make you forget that you started writing because you actually liked it.

But I think you can be ambitious about your writing without making yourself miserable.

And I'd love to help you do that.

Let's talk about your writing

Six-month private coaching. Limited places for November and January intakes.

Does any of this sound familiar?

You've been working on your manuscript for so long that you can barely see it anymore.

You're not just reading what's on the page. You're reading everything that used to be there, too. The sentences you've cut, the scenes you've moved, the seventeen different versions of chapter three.

You've received feedback, but you're struggling to work out which suggestions to follow and which would take you too far from your original vision.

You want to get published, but the path from finished manuscript to actual bookshop feels increasingly mysterious.

Or perhaps you have been published.

You thought you'd feel more confident by now. Instead, you've discovered an entirely new collection of things to worry about.

Sales, reviews, publicity. The last book. The next one.

Maybe you've had a disappointing experience with publishing. Or perhaps something exciting is happening, and you're trying to make the most of it without becoming completely overwhelmed.

You know you're capable. You just can't quite see the best way forward.

You don't have to work it all out on your own

I've spent a lot of time in the writing and publishing world, as an author, a podcast host and a coach.

And one thing I've noticed is how often writers are expected to navigate enormous creative and professional decisions largely by themselves (even when they have an agent).

  • Is this manuscript ready?
  • Should I rewrite the ending?
  • Should I approach a publisher or get an agent?
  • What if my first book didn't do what I'd hoped?
  • How much time should I spend promoting myself when what I really want to do is write?

There isn't a single correct answer to most of these questions.

But there are better ways to think them through.

Sometimes you need a careful reader who can see what's happening in your manuscript.

Sometimes you need someone who understands publishing, who can help you distinguish between a genuine opportunity and another thing you feel you should be doing.

And sometimes you need someone to remind you that one difficult week, a disappointing review or a rejection doesn't actually mean much.

That's where I come in.

What does a happy writer need?

I've come to think there are three things worth paying attention to if you want to build a satisfying writing life.

Craft Resilience Readers

Craft

You want to write better books.

That means developing your instincts, understanding what makes stories work and learning how to revise without losing everything you loved about your original idea.

It means getting feedback that's useful rather than overwhelming.

I'm not particularly interested in giving you fifty things to fix. I'm interested in finding the changes that will make the biggest difference.

Resilience

Writing and publishing involve a spectacular amount of uncertainty.

You can work incredibly hard on a book and still not know what will happen to it.

Resilience isn't about pretending rejection doesn't hurt, or convincing yourself everything will work out brilliantly.

It's about finding ways to keep writing, making decisions and enjoying your creative life even when the outcomes are uncertain.

Readers

Most writers don't just want to write, they want to be read.

That might mean finding an agent or publisher, understanding how to approach submissions, developing your author profile or finding more effective ways to connect with the people who might love your work.

It also means making choices about visibility and opportunity that suit the kind of writer, and person, you want to be.

Craft + Resilience + Readers

When one of these is out of whack, it tends to affect the others.

You might be making wonderful work but feel defeated by the publishing process.

You might have exciting opportunities coming your way but feel so overwhelmed that you can barely write.

Or you might be doing everything you're supposed to do to build a readership while quietly wondering whether you've lost the plot.

Literally or figuratively.

My coaching looks at the whole picture.

Because the goal isn't just to write one good book. It's to keep making your best work, finding people who want to read it and building a writing life you actually enjoy.

Two ways to work together

I offer two six-month private coaching options.

Both give you regular one-to-one support, space to think through your writing and publishing decisions, and someone in your corner who understands the territory.

The difference is whether you want me to read and provide editorial feedback on your manuscript.

Manuscript Coaching

For writers who want to make their book the best it can be.

You might have a completed draft you're ready to revise, a work in progress that needs a fresh perspective (and some nudging to get to The End) or a manuscript that's nearly there but not quite doing what you hoped.

We'll look closely at the work itself. I'll help you understand what's working, identify the changes that will have the greatest impact and make decisions about structure, character, pacing and revision.

We can also talk about submissions, publishing opportunities and what comes next.

The aim isn't to turn your manuscript into the book I would have written. It's to help you make it a stronger version of the book you want to write.

What's included

  • Six private Zoom sessions over six months, approximately 45–60 minutes each
  • Editorial reading and feedback on approximately 90,000 words in total
  • A reading and feedback plan tailored to your manuscript and stage of writing
  • A mid-month email check-in
  • Personalised preparation, guidance and next steps between sessions
  • Support with publishing and submission decisions where relevant

We might use the reading allowance to work through a complete manuscript and its revision, or to look at chapters as you write them. We'll agree on the most useful approach together.

$7,500AUD incl. GST

Or six monthly payments of $1,500 including GST

Let's talk about your writing

Writing & Publishing Coaching

For writers who want to feel clearer, more confident and better supported in their writing life.

Not every writing problem is a manuscript problem.

Maybe you're preparing for your first book to come out and want to make the most of the opportunity. Maybe you've already published, but the experience wasn't quite what you'd hoped. Maybe you've been writing for years and are wondering how to move forward. Or maybe things are going well, and you want to make thoughtful decisions about what comes next.

This coaching gives you space to talk about your writing practice, goals, publishing experiences, author profile, readership and career. We can discuss your manuscript in detail, but I won't be reading it between sessions. Instead, our attention goes to the decisions, habits, opportunities and challenges shaping your writing life.

It's a chance to work with someone who knows the industry, understands the emotional side of it and can help you work out what matters most.

What's included

  • Six private Zoom sessions over six months, approximately 45–60 minutes each
  • A mid-month email check-in
  • Personalised preparation, guidance and next steps
  • Support with writing goals, routines and creative decisions
  • Guidance around publishing, visibility, readership and opportunities
  • A knowledgeable, encouraging sounding board for the questions that come up along the way

$3,500AUD incl. GST

Or six monthly payments of $700 including GST

Let's talk about your writing

Not sure which option makes sense? You don't need to decide yet, we can talk it over.

What could be different six months from now?

I can't tell you exactly where your writing will be in six months.

That's partly because every writer comes to coaching with different goals, and partly because publishing is not a particularly cooperative industry when it comes to making plans.

But here are some of the things we might work towards.

A stronger manuscript

A clearer understanding of what's working, what isn't and which changes will make the biggest difference.

Less endless tinkering. More purposeful revision.

More confidence in your decisions

Not the kind of confidence that means you never doubt yourself. The kind that comes from understanding your options, trusting your judgement and knowing why you're taking your next step.

A more sustainable writing practice

A way of making progress that fits around your actual life, rather than the imaginary life in which you have unlimited time and nobody ever needs anything from you.

A clearer sense of your publishing possibilities

A better understanding of the opportunities available to you, the decisions worth making and the things you can influence.

More room to enjoy writing

Because even if you're ambitious about where your work might go, you still get to have a good time making it.

In fact, I think that's important.

What does six months of coaching actually look like?

We meet once a month on Zoom for approximately 45–60 minutes.

Before each session, we'll identify what would be most useful to focus on. That might be a specific manuscript challenge, a publishing decision, a problem with your writing routine or a bigger question about where you want your writing to go.

If you're working with me on your manuscript, I'll read the agreed material in advance so we can use our time together to talk about the things that matter.

If you're doing Writing & Publishing Coaching, we'll focus on the goals, decisions and questions you've brought to the session.

We'll finish with some clear next steps.

Halfway between sessions, we'll have an email check-in. It's a chance to tell me how things are going, raise a question or get a little help if something isn't quite working.

And because there's another session in the diary, the decisions we make don't just disappear into a notebook somewhere. You'll have someone to report back to.

Which is useful, because one of the inconvenient things about writing a book is that nobody really minds if you don't.

Except you.

Katherine Collette

A little about me

I'm Katherine Collette.

I'm the author of four books for adults and children, published in Australia and internationally, and my work has been shortlisted for literary awards.

For six years I co-hosted The First Time, a podcast about writing and publishing, where I had the enormous privilege of speaking to hundreds of authors about their books, careers, ambitions and occasional disasters.

I've also spent years working with writers on their manuscripts and the bigger questions that come with trying to build a writing life.

So I've seen a lot of different paths through this industry. I've also lived some of its ups and downs myself.

I know how much work goes into a book, how vulnerable it can feel to put that work into the world and how surprisingly little reassurance even a publishing deal can provide.

There's a psychological idea called the Pygmalion effect: the expectations other people have of us can influence what we're able to achieve.

I think about that a lot in my coaching.

I believe writers are capable of more than they sometimes realise. And I think having someone who sees that potential, and takes it seriously, can make an enormous difference.

But encouragement is only useful if it's honest.

Most writers don't need another person telling them their book is wonderful. They want to know whether it's working. What's good about it, what isn't quite there yet and what they can do to make it better.

And that's something the people who love you, lovely as they are, can't always give you.

That's what I offer: someone who can see what's possible in your work, tell you the truth about where it is now and help you close the gap.

What other writers have said

“My story is better because of our sessions — and so is my attitude towards writing.”

Two-time published author

“She reconnected me to my manuscript and I fell in love with writing all over again.”

Jacqueline Wright

“Each contact with Katherine grew my confidence, helped me discern the best direction for my stories and gave me specific and actionable goals to work on.”

Anne Farrell

“I left each meeting with Katherine feeling far clearer about where I was headed next, as well as more confident in my abilities to actually get there.”

Annelise

How we get started

It's pretty simple.

  1. 1

    Tell me a little about your writing.

    Fill in a short form about what you're working on, where you're up to and what you'd like help with.

  2. 2

    Book a conversation.

    Once you've completed the form, you can book a free 30-minute Zoom call straight away.

    We'll talk about your writing, your goals and whether coaching together would make sense. You don't need to know which package you want before we speak.

  3. 3

    Make a plan.

    If we decide to work together, we'll agree on the right coaching option, what you'd like to focus on and how to make the most of our six months.

    Then we get to work.

Let's talk about your writing

Applying doesn't commit you to anything.

Is this for you?

I work with writers at different stages.

Some are working towards their first publishing deal. Others have several books behind them. Some are feeling excited about what's ahead, while others are wondering whether things will ever work out quite the way they hoped.

What they tend to have in common is that they care about writing.

They want to get better at it and they want people to read their work. And despite the frustrations, disappointments and occasional existential crises, they still want to do it.

You don't have to be endlessly optimistic about publishing. I'm certainly not. It's a difficult, unpredictable industry, and plenty of things are outside your control.

But I think it's possible to be realistic about all that and still feel excited about what you're making and where it might lead.

If you're looking for AI to write your book for you, I'm not the right coach. I work with people who enjoy writing, or at least want to enjoy it more.

I can't promise you'll get a publishing deal, find an agent or sell more books.

What I can offer is thoughtful, experienced support to help you become a better writer with a better book, make better-informed decisions and keep moving towards the things that matter to you.

Because while there's a lot about publishing you can't control, there's also quite a lot you can do.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to have finished my manuscript?

Not at all.

Some writers come to me with a completed manuscript they want to revise. Others are still writing and want feedback and guidance along the way.

If you choose Manuscript Coaching, we'll agree on how best to use the reading allowance across our six months together.

What's the difference between the two coaching options?

Both involve six months of private coaching, with monthly Zoom sessions and a mid-month email check-in.

The main difference is whether you want me to read your manuscript.

With Manuscript Coaching, I'll read and provide feedback on approximately 90,000 words across our time together.

With Writing & Publishing Coaching, we can discuss your book, writing practice, publishing decisions and career in as much detail as you like. I just won't be reading your manuscript between sessions.

Can you help me get published?

I can help you strengthen your manuscript, understand the publishing process and make informed decisions about submissions.

What I can't do is guarantee you'll find an agent or get a publishing deal.

Unfortunately, nobody can.

Do you offer payment plans?

Yes. You can pay in full or spread the cost across six monthly payments.

Manuscript Coaching: $7,500 paid in full, or six monthly payments of $1,500.

Writing & Publishing Coaching: $3,500 paid in full, or six monthly payments of $700.

All prices are in AUD and include GST.

What if I'm not sure which option I need?

That's fine. You don't have to decide before getting in touch.

Complete the short application, book a free conversation and we'll talk about what you're working on and which option makes the most sense.

What happens after I apply?

You'll be able to book a free 30-minute Zoom call straight after completing the application.

We'll talk about your writing, what you're hoping to achieve and whether working together would be useful.

There's no obligation to go ahead.

You don't have to choose between ambition and enjoyment.

You can want to write an excellent book.

You can want to be published, find more readers and take your writing career seriously.

You can also want to enjoy your days at the desk.

In fact, I'd argue that if you're going to spend a substantial part of your life doing this, you probably should.

If you'd like some thoughtful, practical support with your writing and the life you're building around it, I'd love to hear what you're working on.

Let's talk about your writing

Limited private coaching places for November and January. Start with a short application, then book your free 30-minute conversation.