Write your beautiful book

DITCH THE OVERWHELM

Tailored 1:1 mentorship for aspiring nonfiction authors

 

Welcome, fellow book lover

I’m thrilled you’re here, however mentorships are currently (2024) unavailable. Please read this page to see if this is what you’re looking for and if so, sign up to receive Notes from the Studio, as the next session times will be sent to those folks first. Thanks!

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I'm a writer and author who's honed a suite of tools as a creative professional for the past 20 years.

Melding enquiry, story craft and self-leadership is my sweet spot — and I love helping others make what matters to them.

I offer personalised 1:1 mentorship online for professionals writing their first nonfiction book. Values-led people who want to be proud of what they create, for readers they care about.

You have something important to say and a deep reason to say it now.

 
 

What is author mentorship?

THE OVERVIEW

Broadly, I work with folks writing text-based nonfiction books in English, for a general adult readership, across memoir, travel, creative industries, design, healthcare, business and work.

My mentorship style blends coaching and consulting, so you’ve a sense of self-inspired and supported direction.

On Zoom, we talk about writing itself and the self that’s writing. Wherever you are with your book between ‘dream’ and ‘maybe almost done?’ is fine.

We begin with a 70-minute Story Intensive.

After that, if we’re a good fit and you’d like more support, further 1-hour pay-as-you-go author mentorship sessions are available.

We’re a good fit if you:

  • are open to self-examination and reflection

  • appreciate writing a nonfiction book requires time, dedication and imagination

  • ultimately want your name on work that’s well crafted, true to you and delivers on its promise to the reader. (That’s what I mean by ‘beautiful book’.)

Whatever your starting — or continuing — point, mentorship always includes:

  • inclusive, judgement-free, imaginative real talk about your book and the circumstances in which you’re writing => to enable us to take a context-specific approach

  • concrete, manageable actions => to keep you moving towards your vision.

Note: Story Intensives and subsequent author mentorship sessions are not an editorial service.

I intentionally do not hold any commercial affiliations, so you can be sure that if I recommend any people or resources, they are only for your benefit.

Working together also means gifting a book to a child in need. I'm a proud supporter of the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

 

 WE KEEP THE PROCESS SIMPLE, TOO

(YOU'RE ALREADY WORKING HARD ENOUGH ON YOUR BOOK)

  1. Start or continue your author mentorship by scheduling a session and paying via debit or credit card.

  2. Complete a brief welcome or book-update questionnaire so we can make the most of our time together.

  3. Show up at your scheduled time on Zoom with headphones on, and we talk. We co-create insights and you return to your writing practice renewed. (If it’s our first session, you also receive personalised recommendations 1 week after call completion.)

 
 

Kind words from a happy client

“Most of my time is focused on ticking off lengthy to-do lists and managing progress towards a clearly defined destination, however, this mindset was crippling my creative process. In the time I worked with Sara I evolved from having no idea where to start and feeling overwhelmed (but compelled to write), to feeling calmer, guided and more peaceful about the process overall. I now see my time set aside for writing as a tranquil blessing to my day, and that is all due to Sara’s guidance.”

— SONYA, AUSTRALIA

 

 
 

“Sara’s mentorship has been invaluable to my writing project. Her experience and knowledge provided insight and targeted guidance that allowed me to progress my work from a conceptual draft to a refined concept with commercial potential.”

— LYDIA, AUSTRALIA

 

 Story Intensive

THE DETAILS

All mentorships start with a 70-minute Story Intensive.

When you schedule your Story Intensive, you'll receive a brief welcome questionnaire.

During our call we'll further explore what you’re seeking and may also need.

Topic examples for this first session include working together to:

  • discover your goals and understand where you are in the book creation landscape

  • (re)articulate what you’re writing, who it’s for and why it matters

  • honour your commitment to your book-to-be in a way that’s sustainable

  • brainstorm or plan the next steps of your concept creation, manuscript development/refinement.

During the following week, I'll reflect upon what's arisen from our conversation, gather further materials and research as required to create your:

Author Report
Author Plan

These personalised documents will be emailed to you 1 week after your Story Intensive. They include recommended resources and actions to further you in the process of book creation, and reflect potential challenges and opportunities to consider.

To make the most of a Story Intensive, you'll need a minimum of 2–3 hours for participation and reflection.

INVESTMENT: AU $575

Includes GST for residents of Australia
Subject to exchange, approx. = USD 390; GBP 310; EUR 360
Billed in Australian dollars

 
 

Kind words from a happy client

“The author reports were extremely helpful. They were personally tailored to support me in exactly the areas I needed help. I have the blueprint now to undertake my author journey through to completion. Sara’s sensitivity and love for the work I also found deeply encouraging.”

— Daniel, AUSTRALIA

 

 
 
 
 

Continuing author mentorship

If we’re a good fit, after a Story Intensive, you can follow-up with as few or as many 1-hour author mentorship sessions as you like, at a cadence that suits you and your book development.

These follow-up mentorship sessions can support you in enacting — or adapting and evolving — the plan made during our Story Intensive.

We may call upon inspiration, ideation and strategy as required, or consider the publishing professionals you’ll need along the way.

Sometimes these sessions have a ‘wildcard’ feel to them. We might continue to brainstorm ideas; find a fresh perspective on what you’re thinking; focus on re-starting your book; or even look at how to make an inviting space in which to write. It’s up to you!

INVESTMENT: AU $300

Includes GST for residents of Australia
Subject to exchange,
approx. = USD 200; GBP 160; EUR 185
Billed in Australian dollars

 

“The more I’ve thought about this title, the more I’ve seen it becoming the book idea we discussed. So, I’m going to start pulling things together as you’ve outlined. Thanks again for the conversation, Sara.”

— AMY, USA

“The session with Sara was such a pleasure and really useful. What I could really connect to was the notion that I need to keep in mind what works for the reader. And that books need to fulfil certain expectations to be good reads.”

— CLAUDIA, GERMANY

Further mentorship FAQs

  • Curiosity, courage, wisdom, beauty and kindness.

    This looks like: seeking knowledge and lessons from the world and within; knowing vulnerability is required when brave; deeply appreciating all elements of beauty; and acting in a way that’s good for people and our planet.

  • It’s not so much about what stage you’re at, more that you’re committed to bringing your book dream to life — and you recognise that will take time, energy and, if not seeking a traditional publishing route, money. How much of each will depend on where you are in the process, what you want and why you’re stuck.

  • Exploring that may be relevant to our work together — it’s a broad landscape out there and I’m informed by multiple perspectives, which I’m happy to share. It’s not a prerequisite to have made that decision, particularly not if that’s why you’re not sure what to do next!

  • When it’s clear from conversation that’s really where you’re at in the book creation process, I can recommend others, but there’s often a lot more to be done before finding an editor than most people realise. Work the debut author can do to make the most of an editorial investment.

  • I’m based in Queensland, Australia (AEST) and mentorship consultations are held via Zoom. You can check availability specifics, in your time zone, via my calendar here. (There’s a drop-down below the relevant calendar at that link to change the time zone if needed but it should be automatic.) Note: Queensland does not observe daylight saving/summer time.

    If you’re in the UK, and you love the sound of working together, don’t despair! Email me and we’ll work it out. 

  • I understand life gets unpredictable sometimes. Ideally, I’d recommend re-scheduling with 48 hours’ notice rather than cancelling. If that doesn’t suit, you should know: cancellation within 72 hours of our scheduled session is non-refundable. Check the terms of service in the footer of this site, for further details.

  • Please complete the brief welcome or book update questionnaire before a Story Intensive or author mentorship session. You can either do this at the time of booking (via the link on the confirmation page), or after booking (via the link emailed to you).

    Also, please bring and wear headphones, silence notifications where possible, and aim to join from a place in which you won’t be interrupted. A pen and paper is always handy, too.