I help writers get from The Idea to The End
Coaching your book is my strength.
Editing your book is my joy.
Hello! I'm Ruth.
Good to meet you.
I coach writers whose deep, practical knowledge encourages people to live their best lives. If their books bring a sense of optimism, all the better!
Find out if I am the right book coach and editor for your book.
Tell me about your book plans and let’s see if I can help you.
So you want to write a book?
I will support you with coaching and editorial skill so you write a book worth reading.
Book Coaching
Takes you from your Idea to a full Proposal. I hold you accountable as you write your draft manuscript.
Copyediting
When your manuscript is as ‘done’ as it ever will be, the copyedit polishes it before publication.
Pitching
If you seek traditional publication, we make a prioritised plan to publish.
For my coaching clients.
Writing a book is hard
If, like all of my clients—who tend to work in the law, or in banks, or as doctors, or university professors—you don’t write books for a living, writing a book is worrying.
You’re used to knowing what to do. You’ve been trained in specialist subjects to a high level, and it’s usually you who leads the way through new projects.
This time is different.
You know you need help.
No-one writes a book alone
Writing a masterpiece in a draughty attic, alone in the world and never talking your ideas through with anyone is a myth.
If you’ve tried it, you’ve probably run into the sand.
Ok. You probably had a snug study or spare room to write in but you still tried to battle on alone.
Take a look at the Acknowledgements page of any book and see how many people were involved.
I support my clients every step of the way
I am your guide to writing a book.
Your expert in the book industry.
Your accountability partner who will gently, but firmly, push you to do the work.
I am your editor and your strategic adviser.
You have a great idea for a book
You want to share valuable knowledge. You know it will inspire people to live the best version of their lives.
But you don’t know where to start.
You suspect there is a process for writing a book. Maybe you even found a book about writing books and read it from cover to cover.
But you ran out of steam a third of the way in.
You’re stuck.
Your book proposal’s been rejected by agents or publishers.
You are in danger of giving up altogether.
I'm trained to coach you
I help writers to frame their ideas and express them clearly so they write a marketable book.
I get you from your great Idea to The End.
Would you like to find out if I can help you?
These are the ways I help writers like you
ONE CYCLE of preparatory coaching to get clear on what works and what needs work.
ONE MONTH of weekly coaching to work out what you are going to write, why, and who for.
UP TO FOUR MONTHS OF fortnightly coaching cycles to a personalised schedule.
Meet your book coach
How to start working with me
Step 1
Decide if I offer what you need to move your book project forward.
Check out my indicative charges.
Move to Step 2.
Step 2
Ready to get down to business?
Read my legal terms. You will find them interesting. Honestly.
Click on the ‘Get Started’ button and tell me about your book plans.
About your book coach
I’ve supported over sixty writers in their book aspirations since 2020, and seven more writers have reached their readers with their books through traditional, hybrid or independent publishing.
Ruth Bullivant
Lawyer with 35 years experience: large corporates in the City of London
Dual-certified Book Coach since 2020. Certification with Author Accelerator on 18 months practical training and examination in fiction and nonfiction coaching
Certified project manager
Member of the Chartered Institute of Editorial Professionals
Author of Blind Chance; short-listed in the UK’s Farnham Festival of Writing and in the Segora Short Story Competition.
What people say
My non-fiction book idea had gone nowhere in five years – and then I began working with Ruth. With her insightful guidance, I transformed my vague ideas into a tight and compelling concept. Ruth gave me the confidence I need to write the book I want to write. And it got published by MIT and Penguin! Professor Susan Handy, UC Davis
I think that you have magical powers because this is so intimidating for me and you’re managing to make it really doable. And that’s exactly what I need you for. Current client: name held in confidence until her book is published
Ruth managed to challenge and encourage me in equal measure – making sure I did the hard things, but also ensuring that I didn’t get disheartened. She has a deep knowledge of the book publishing industry and provided expert advice and guidance through the process. Walter Coxon, Operating Executive, Board Director
I sought Ruth’s help as the final set of expert eyes for a copyedit. She found things that needed adjusting, and her suggestions for a more well-rounded, on-point manuscript were implemented.
Ruth was generous with her communication, encouraging, prompt and engaged with the book she worked on. Bev Ryan, Smart Women Publish
The data in 2024
7 books published
60+ writers helped
3 contintents
Shifting Gears – Toward a New Way of Thinking About Transportation by Susan Handy
Ready-Made Investing – Taking the Worry out of Managing Your Money by Walter Coxon
*Soft Skills Basics in a Flash (Soul Boss Series Book 4) by Michelle Mains. Published in e-book format. That’s why you can’t see it in the picture.
Blind Eye by Anna Holmes
Illumination by Richard Lazaroff
Confessions of a Woman in Real Estate by Hannah Schuhmann
A Letter I Hope You Never Have To Read by Andy McFerren
Just talking about your book usually helps to move it on.
Even better when you are talking to a trained professional who studies and understands the book market.
Writing groups are wonderful for encouraging you to turn up to write. They can be terrible places to seek objective and well-informed, judicious feedback, leaving you feeling hurt and discouraged.
Writers are writers (and usually a lot of other things as well) but they aren’t usually book experts.
When you want to write and publish a book, you need to know facts and you need a professional to help you articulate exactly what you want your book to be and to do.
I’ve served writers in:
Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver, Canada
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, USA
I suppose I could have said, pretty much all over the States.
London, Yorkshire… heck, all over England
Holland, France, Italy, Switzerland.
Sydney and Queensland, Australia
Five different currencies
Eighteen time zones
Free Readiness Assessment
Find out how ready you are for book coaching
You want to write your nonfiction book through to the end.
But you fear that you might never write your book.
Take this free assessment.
Your answers may reveal more than you think, and I will be able to tell you whether your book is ready for coaching.
9 questions (bring your sense of humour!) that you submit to me direct.
The challenges in writing a book
Too many ideas
You can be brimming with ideas but can’t decide where to start or what to include.
Getting stuck
You started full of enthusiasm but something changed and you found yourself endlessly rewriting.
Confused by publishing
The publishing world is full of jargon and a worrying place to find your way around.
Pathways to a publishable book
To show you how strenuous the various stages of your journey are likely to be.
Your Book on a Page
Visualise your book all in one go. You will have a clearer idea of what you want to write and which areas are going to need further work. That level of clarity is incredibly motivating to get your book underway.
Build your Book's Foundations
An affordable way to start book coaching. Move your book forward by establishing the four cornerstones of any good book. When you have finished, you will be able to articulate what your book is about (and what it is not about), why you are writing it and who will want to read it.
Write your Book Proposal
Once you have laid your book's foundations, I guide you through the process of making a business case for your book. We work hard on all the elements that all publishers want to know about your book. The proposal is your path to writing the strongest version of your book and you should write one even if you don't seek traditional publication.
Write to the End
Now you are raring to write. I create a tailored writing plan for you. I hold you accountable to it, so you write to the end. You get feedback as you write. Your effort level is "gentle" because you have determined what you are going to write in your Book Proposal.
Copyedit
Your manuscript is now as good as you can make it. But no manuscript is ready to publish until it is overhauled by a professional copyeditor. You are on the last leg of the journey before the publishing stage. Enjoy the view while I work.
I want to thank you
…for getting so far down the page.
One of the ways I coach writers is to encourage them to get really clear about who they want to read their book.
Download Let’s Meet Your Reader with my compliments.
Selected Media
Am I the right coach for your book?
If you are writing a knowledgeable book that will bring readers a deeper understanding of the world around us, then I may be.
Book coaching
I am a good coach for books that speak to the reader’s heart and mind.
If you are a writer of such books, you are most likely writing nonfiction.
You could be writing a book to support your business.
Perhaps you are showcasing your life-long experience in a specialist subject.
Or perhaps you show people how to grow, in a self-development book.
You may be planning a work of history, or popular science or be making an argument for future change.
The important thing is, you understand and value the importance of rational thought, scientific knowledge and historical fact.
You want to inspire your reader by casting light on the world around them.
Copyediting
As a trained copyeditor, I can copyedit your book. I copyedit these types of writing:
⬛ Book proposals
⬛ Manuscripts (nonfiction and fiction)
So, if you have written one of these and want the grammar, spelling, and punctuation polished before putting it out in the world, get in touch.
Use the Get Started button to see if we are a match.
I'm not the coach for...
Autobiography; political or ad hominem polemic; young adult, or children’s books; books dealing with spiritual, occult or any type of religious themes; or short stories, essays, poetry, or screenplays.
Do we sound like a good fit?
If you think I may be able to help you, get started by clicking on the pink button.
You will pull up a form so you can tell me about your book.
Your answers come straight to my personal inbox, and when I see them I will review them and email you back with my advice for your best next steps. Everything you tell me I’ll hold in strict confidence.
My advice might be to hop on a fact finding call with me, so you can ask questions about how book coaching or editing might benefit your book.
Or I might point you in the direction of another resource, book coach or editor who can serve you better.
Pull up your form on the pink button
I love to help writers like you
