If you are currently getting ready to send your book or proposal out on submission, I’ve got a special coaching offer designed just for you.

My Book Proposal Review service will give you a comprehensive review of your proposal, from the cover letter to the sample chapters, and help you feel more confident that you’ve got a first-class, professional presented product ready to send out to your agent or editor of choice. Even better, its extremely affordable.

My Book Proposal Review service include:

• A review of your entire proposal package, from cover letter to sample chapters
• A written evaluation highlighting the areas that work well and those that need additional effort
• A 30 minute coaching call that answers any questions your might have about the evaluation
• Specific suggestions on how to research and approach agents and publishers

I’ve sold fourteen novels, all on proposal, so you’ll also be getting the benefit of my years of experience and knowledge focused on you and your project.

So how much does this actually cost?

The introductory price for the next few weeks is only $50.00!

I’ll be making this a regular part of my coaching repertoire in the spring and will be raising prices at that point, but for now you get a smoking deal and a complete review of your book proposal for less than the price of a night out at the local steak house.

So how do you get started?

Use the Paypal button below and include the email you want me to use to contact you. I’ll get in touch, have you send your materials, and give you a quick turnaround date for when you can expect your written evaluation. It’s that simple! Why wait?

Theme is a tough subject.  It is perhaps one of the most common reasons writers go awry in the midst of their writing.  Theme is, at its most basic, the reason you are writing the story.  It is part of our voice; your unique perspective and expression.  It is what your book is about.

Read that again – It is what your book is about.

Theme is not characters.  It is not plot.  It is not about the goal of the main character or about why the villain is in opposition to that goal.  Theme is what your readers will get out of the story.  Maybe it is a lesson.  Maybe it is a new way of looking at things.  Maybe it is just something to think about.

Theme is subtle.  You might want to think of it as the reason or feeling behind the choices you are making for your story.  You have your plot, but the choices you make while telling that plot usually convey the theme.  For me, the key to figuring out my theme is to understand what my readers will get from reading the story AND why I wrote it.

For example, one of the themes of Casablanca is the sense of escaping the past.  Rick is trying to forget about the love he felt for Ilsa while Laszlo and Ilsa are literally trying to escape to a new life somewhere else.  The props used throughout the story help convey this theme, from the airplanes to the songs sung in the café.  The theme is there throughout the story, but is doesn’t bang the reader/viewer over the head – it isn’t preachy.  Remember, a message is not the same as a moral.

Coming up with a way to express your theme can take some time and energy, as it isn’t something we often consciously think about when writing our books.  To help me get to the root of what I’ve been trying to say, I often ask myself a series of simple questions.

1) Why did I write this story?

2) What is it that I like about this story?

3) What do I want my readers to get out of the story?

4) What personal message was I trying to convey?

5) How are my story and my main character linked?

6) What scenes are crucial to ensuring that my theme gets conveyed?

Answering these simple questions not only helps to clarify my theme but makes it easier to write my synopsis when the time comes