How to Make a Living With Your Writing: Consulting or coaching

If you’re an expert in a niche and you regularly produce content that educates, inspires or entertains, you will attract people who want to pay for your expertise.

One of the easiest ways to make income online is to offer your services and with the explosion of online video calling during the pandemic, people are now used to working over the internet. It’s easier than ever to reach a global audience.

Add a page on your website with Hire me, Book me, or Work with me, include what you offer and a button to Buy Now. You can use PayPal or Stripe or even a service like Teachable which includes a Coaching option, to process payments.

Here are some tips for coaching and consulting services.

Be clear on what you offer and your ideal client

Your sales page should include details of how the session works and options for payment. Is this a one-off session or monthly calls for a minimum amount of time? How long will the session last? Is it recorded? Are there extra components? What is the rate?

You also want to make it clear who the service is for, as you only want to attract your ideal client.

Include testimonials

Work for free with a few initial clients and ask for testimonials from happy customers as social proof that you know what you’re talking about. If you offer great value, you’ll also get word-of-mouth referrals over time.

If you’re overwhelmed with too much work, put your rates up

I started out consulting on self-publishing back in 2009 for US$99 per hour but the amount of work grew with my profile and the popularity of the industry, so I put my rates up until they reached US$250 per hour.

I no longer consult, preferring to focus on scalable income streams, but this principle of raising rates is a good way to manage your workload and value your time.

Use a questionnaire so the client can articulate what they want before the session

It’s important to find out what your client wants, determine their expectations, and figure out how you can provide value. A questionnaire can help you to prepare the session so it works well for both parties.

Don’t be afraid to turn down a client if they don’t match your services. Recommend others in the niche who might serve them better instead.

Record the call for a value-added experience

You can use Zoom or Skype or other online platforms to conduct your coaching or consulting sessions. You can also record the call and send that to the client afterward with any extra notes.

Model successful coaches and consultants

Find people in your niche to model in terms of their sales page and customer experience. Don’t be afraid to start small and grow over time.

Coaching can be specific by genre. Four bestselling UK crime writers offer coaching as well as editing services at CrimeFictionCoach.com.

It can also work in groups or as part of a Mastermind. Author and editor, J. Thorn, offers small group coaching as part of The Author Success Mastermind.

Creative coach Mark McGuinness only works with successful creatives and uses a series of questions to make it clear who his service is for at LateralAction.com/coaching.

While Mark makes most of his business income through coaching, books play a critical part. He says, “If you are a coach, speaker, or consultant, then the value of a book to your business extends way beyond the royalties you earn on sales. My books have brought me many coaching clients as well as other opportunities, such as speaking at international conferences and offers from big publishers.

The act of writing a book forces you to clarify your thinking and lay your ideas out in an engaging and useful way. So writing deepens your expertise, even as it demonstrates it.

The act of reading the book requires your reader to engage deeply with your ideas and spend time in your world. So it’s a powerful way to establish credibility and build a connection with potential clients and collaborators.

The back matter is key to leveraging the book for your business: include a professional biography, details of your services and other books, and invitations to engage with your ideas on your website or other platforms. For example, my back matter includes my podcast and the free course available at my website.”

Questions:

•   What are the pros and cons of offering consulting or coaching services?

•   What could you help people with?

•   Who are the successful coaches and consultants in your niche? What can you learn from them and model in order to set up and grow your own service?

Resources

•   Teachable Coaching platform: TheCreativePenn.com/teachable