FINISH THE BOOK YOU HAVE TO WRITE!
Six Months to a “Wow Draft!”
In the early 2000s, I lived in New York and ran author events and writing workshops. It was then I noticed a trend—one that was hard to ignore once I saw it.
Everywhere I turned, a new breed of hotshot Jewish writer had emerged. Their books filled bookstore windows I walked past, lectures I attended, book reviews I came across.
Publishers seemed eager to brand each as the next Malamud, Roth, or Ozick.
Nevermind that few of them were anything like that older generation. Instead, they wrote about conflicted identities, sexual fetishes, the stifling influence of orthodoxy, and even their drive to make sense of the Holocaust.
Of course—once I noticed these themes, it was hard to let go. I saw them everywhere I looked (at least it felt that way to me).
I was sure the time was ripe for an anthology that would collect these new voices.
Do you know what kept me up at night? The feeling that if I didn’t do this now, someone else would.
Is your book idea one of those “keeps you up at night” projects?
If you’ve got a great concept for book— a soul-stirring story, an important breakthrough, a radical transformation, a major journey, an alternative pathway, or a fascinating mystery—chances are writing you are writing a book that feels urgent.
A book you must get out in the world.
Maybe you’re an expert -- such as a coach, writer, academic, journalist, social scientist, psychologist, or business leader – who knows that a book is a wonderful platform-builder and a springboard to a wider audience and greater success.
And you want to write a memoir (or memoir+), narrative nonfiction, self-help, how-to, or a trend/thought-leadership book that makes a difference. To readers, to potential clients, and of course to you.
Finishing your book can have life-changing benefits.
On a personal level, finishing your book will be a genuinely inspiring experience. It will require you to tap into sources of personal power, intuition, and creativity you may not realize you have.
You will prove to yourself you’ve got what it takes to get your story out there in a big and permanent way.
But do you realize there are even bigger benefits?
After my book Lost Tribe: Jewish Fiction from the Edge came out, I received invitations to speak at conferences and deliver university lectures. Suddenly, I was suddenly getting calls from reporters eager for my thoughts on contemporary fiction.
I even appeared on one of my favorite WNYC public radio shows!
Your book can raise your profile, widen your audience, and help you build a personal or business “brand”
Therefore before you dive in, you will want to make sure that:
Your book is a powerful and memorable expression of your ideas
Your book attracts the readers, clients and/or opportunities you want most
You have a roadmap, a working method, and the support you need to finish
“Paul Zakrzewski Saved My Book."
--John Howard Steel
author of Caged Lion: Joseph Pilates & His Legacy.
A #1 new release on Amazon (over 600 reviews)
How can I help you?
If you’ve decided that now is the time to write your book, you’ve come to the right place. I love nothing better than to help smart, focused people to get their stories and ideas down on the page.
Maybe you’ve already started your book – only to discover the writing process isn’t proving to be as easy as you anticipated. You feel stuck. Or you’ve hit up against one or more of the many common challenges that face many authors (especially first-time book writers):
Pages that go nowhere
A narrative voice that lacks unity, drive, or shifts tone awkwardly between chapters
Arguments that lack focus or repeat themselves endlessly
Personal stories that don’t land for the reader
Or you haven’t started yet. You want to get this book done, you’ve got the time to do it now…but you’re just not sure where to even begin!
Here’s where I can help the most.
As your book coach, I will be that experienced, trusted partner who will help you to understand why the world needs your book and why you are the right person for the job.
I will help you to come up a structure and plan for your book before you start—a method that will save you a lot of time and stress down the line.
And I will help you with a series of time-bound writing goals that will keep you focused and on track.
Most of all, I’ll be with you every step of the way, making sure you get from zero to a “Wow! Draft.”
Talking with my former client Carissa Woo about book coaching for her podcast, Get a Heck Yes. (Listen to the episode here).
What’s a “Wow! Draft” exactly?
A “Wow! Draft” is one that:
Feels alive and urgent -- it makes you sit up and say “This is good!”
Feels like a fully developed version of your concept, idea, or story – a great representation of the message you want to get out in the world.
Won’t require endless tinkering or revisions!
Keeps you excited about the process of finishing and publishing your book .
By the end of our work together, you can have a completed draft like this!
Sounds great! How do we work together?
Because of the intensive nature of this 6-month commitment, I work with only a handful of clients at any one time. I want to ensure I can give you the time, attention, and care your project deserves.
If you:
Have a track record of significant achievement or success in your field
Are passionate about wanting to write a good book
Are passionate about writing a platform-building book
And are capable of taking action, keeping commitments, and staying open to the coaching process
And you’re writing a work of nonfiction, especially:
Blended narrative (i.e. memoir/self-help)
History
Journalistic investigation
Literary Memoir
“Memoir+” (i.e. memoir plus a research angle)
Narrative nonfiction
Travel
Then I’d love to hear from you!
Nuts & Bolts
Through a series of discovery sessions and ongoing coach calls via Zoom, as well as manuscript review, I’ll help you go from an idea or stalled manuscript to a “Wow! Draft” in this 6-month program. This includes:
A preliminary discovery process to clarify your book’s goals and central argument(s)
A Blueprint that produces an outline before you start
Ongoing deadlines to get your draft done
Ongoing chapter review
12 intensive and powerful coaching sessions (i.e. every other week) via Zoom
Zoom recordings
Email support in between sessions
In addition I’ll also help you get clarity about how to:
Generate buzz
Get blurbs, testimonials and other endorsements from writers or experts in your field
Get your book published (and the important differences among traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing)
Pitch and land an agent – if you’re going traditional book route
Position your book to get media attention
Use your book to become a trusted/platformed expert in your field
Why work with me?
As a writing and book coach for the past 15 years, I’ve helped many clients create and refine the books they had to write. I’ve helped dozens of writing students, including business leaders, novelists, coaches , academics, health & wellness practitioners — even a ‘90s alternative rock star — dig deep and tell their most important stories.
Along with decades of experience and education in the craft of writing, I bring to the table an intuitive grasp for what writers are trying to do on the page, and proven expertise about today’s agenting and publishing process.
In addition to editing the prize-winning anthology Lost Tribe: Jewish Fiction from the Edge (Harper Perennial), my essays, features and reviews have appeared in in The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Time Out New York, The New York Post, The Jewish Daily Forward, Brevity, Essay Daily, and others. I’ve also spoken professionally at some of the country’s leading literary institutions and universities, including the 92nd Street Y and on WYNC/NPR.
A graduate of Cornell University, I have an MFA with a concentration in Creative Nonfiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts.
How do you get started?
I love nothing better than helping highly motivated, creative, and accomplished people write a draft of the book that will change their lives. For that reason, making sure we’re a great fit is a very important part of the process for me.
To get started, I invite you to fill out an application with some questions that will help me to get to know you and your project better. I also ask request a writing sample (up to 10 pages double-spaced) in the style and subject of your book.
If I think we may be a good fit as coach and client, I will invite you to 1 hour+ exploratory call, at no cost to you, in which we will do a deep dive into your book and its impact on you and your readers.
Ready to apply?
Here’s what some of my clients are saying:
“Paul Zakrzewski saved my book.
He saved it from losing the reader, deadly repetition, confusion, and many other ills that befall a writer. I had a good story, and I had the words to tell it. I didn't have the je ne sais quoi which turns that story into an interesting, attention-grabbing book.
Paul taught me to write for the reader, and to organize to preserve the flow and tension of a good story. It was on-the-job training. He was clear, strict, and comprehensive in his comments. He took the time to understand what I was trying to say, and then help me say it. I am researching another book on a complex subject. Paul will be with me when writing starts.”
--John Howard Steel
Author of Caged Lion: Joseph Pilates & His Legacy.
A #1 new release on Amazon (over 600 reviews)
"My book is changing my life, and I couldn’t have done it without you!
One time Paul looked at something I’d written and told me that I was trying to do “woo woo,” when I’m not actually “woo woo” myself (despite my last name!) Paul totally got that I wasn’t being authentic to who I was on the page. After working with me on just a few chapters, he understood me better than my own husband!
Paul’s got a lot of emotional intelligence and really knows how to motivate all different kinds of people. He brings some real genius skills to the table!"
—Carissa Woo, Author of Woo Them to HECK YES!: A Pro Wedding Photographer's Tips for Earning Six Figures and Perfecting Any Couples' Big Day (Pub date June 2023)
“Paul focuses on the inseparability of artistic depth and technical skill.
His class made me better at story and structure—and as a writer who has always worked from instinct alone, this was enormously helpful…Paul has a wonderful ability to see into a writer’s dilemma and offer just the right advice for moving through it. Most important, he offers it in the right way, clearly but with a light touch. I’ve gone back to my writing career with increased confidence.”
--Susan Piver
New York Times bestselling author of nine books,
including The Hard Questions.
“I was impressed with Paul's vast literary knowledge and insight into the craft of memoir, as well as other genres.
He is a highly knowledgeable teacher with literary sensibilities whose skills I will call upon again and again—he has a unique ability to locate the voice behind the story and help the writer to create an uncommonly powerful narrative.”
--Ilie Ruby
Novelist, The Language of Trees and The Salt God’s Daughter.
