I’ve written books for financial gurus, attorneys, performers, politicos, and real estate moguls, but some of my most rewarding collaborations have been with coaches: life coaches, executive coaches, spiritual coaches, relationship coaches, etc. (I’ve yet to write for an athletic coach, but Bill Belichick, if you’re reading this, let’s talk.) And, I can say with confidence, those projects were equally satisfying for the author, since coaching is one profession for which hiring a ghostwriter to write your book is especially useful.
Coaching is different fro most other vocations in that it’s 1) obviously people-oriented, and 2) revolves around helping people eliminate personal roadblocks and achieve their full potential. These elements translate well into a compelling read replete with memorable stories and actionable wisdom.
Why is a book is helpful for coaches:
1. Share stories: Client confidentiality notwithstanding, books by coaches tend to be especially compelling when they draw on stories and anecdotes from experiences with clients (or from the life of the coach him/herself, and coaches tend to have pretty colorful lives.)
- Build authority: Authority, thought leadership, personal branding: these are common motivations for writing a book, which becomes your calling card as well as a source of prestige. For coaches, establishing yourself as an authority in your niche is particularly important, because people must recognize you as someone who has an elite level of skill. They don’t just want ‘competent,’ they want an expert. An books have, basically since the time of Gutenberg, been the best means for conveying expertise and authority.
3. Reveal your personality: For readers, the author of a book is as important as the contents. We respond not only to what is being said, but who is saying it. Readers like to “get to know” the person behind the words, the author. And clients gravitate toward coaches whom they like and trust. Your book presents an opportunity to give prospective clients a sense of who you are and signal that you’re empathetic, knowledgeable, and pleasant to talk to (or to convey whichever personality traits define you). It’s an opportunity to win people over before they’ve even spoken to you on the phone, to start building that all-important coach-client relationship from the get-go.
4. Distinguish yourself among colleagues (and competitors): My last client who was a coach complained to me that the explosion in popularity of coaching has been a double-edged sword: it’s a boon to working coaches but it has also diluted the field, making it harder for qualified coaches to stand out. A book is one of the best ways of separating yourself from the pack and showing that you know your stuff and are excellent at what you do.
5. An opportunity to be prescriptive, not merely descriptive: I’m generalizing, but for the most part, coaches do not dictate. They help clients devise and implement new strategies (in relationships, spiritual practice, business, etc.) and to look at things in a new light. They hold a mirror up to the client, but they do not tell the client how things are and certainly not what to do. They lead the horse to water but they don’t make him drink. It’s a descriptive, rather than a prescriptive approach, for the most part.
As an author, however, you have a lot more leeway with your book to tell it as you see it, to integrate the wealth of your personal and professionals experiences into a compendium of wisdom and expertise, and talk about how things ought to be. Coaches do a lot of listening in their work. The book allows them to take a more active role and speak. And the reading public wants to know what it is you have to say.
6.Do some good in the world. Inspire!: Coaching is the business of helping people become better versions of themselves. But generally, coaches work one on one with clients, improving the world one individual at a time. This is great, but it also means your capacity for reaching a mass audience is limited. With a book, however, you can inform and inspire thousands of people. I wouldn’t go so far as to say you can “coach” someone with a book, but you can of course impart via the written word some of the knowledge, empowerment, and capacity for positive change you do during client sessions.
In 2022, I’m offering a 10% discount for ghostwriting projects for coaching clients. Get in touch or check out the Services page for more information.
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