FAQ
Last updated: November 2026
Here are plain answers to 47 common questions professionals ask about book coaching services, writing a nonfiction book, and publishing with Defining Moments Press. Each answer starts with the direct answer and names its source where a figure comes from outside the business.
A book coach is a professional who guides you through planning, writing, and finishing a book while you remain the author. At Defining Moments Press, book coaching pairs a structured 8-week writing course with ongoing support, so professionals can turn their expertise or life lesson into a finished nonfiction book they can publish and use to grow a business.
A book coach keeps your book moving from idea to finished manuscript. Typical work includes clarifying the idea, defining the ideal reader, building an outline, giving feedback on drafts, and holding you accountable. Bestseller Publishing's 2026 guide says accountability typically makes up 30 to 40 percent of a coach's fee and manuscript feedback typically 40 to 50 percent.
Book coaching services are paid programs that help an author write and finish a book with expert guidance. Defining Moments Press offers several levels, from the self-paced Author Blueprint course to Author Training, a done-with-you package that includes book coaching for 1 year plus formatting, book design, book marketing, and a full book launch.
A nonfiction book coach specializes in books built on real expertise, experience, or a true story rather than an invented plot. Defining Moments Press focuses on nonfiction for entrepreneurs, professionals, coaches, healers, and people with powerful stories, helping them write books that build authority, open doors to paid speaking, and support a business.
No. An editor works on a manuscript that already exists, while a book coach works with you before and during the writing so the manuscript gets finished. Many coaching programs include editorial guidance along the way. If you already have a finished draft, Defining Moments Press offers Author Launch, which covers formatting, design, and launch instead of coaching.
For many professionals it is, because a coach shortens the path to a finished book. Bestseller Publishing's 2026 guide says a book that would take 18 months alone might be compressed to 6 to 9 months with a coach. Defining Moments Press structures its writing course around 8 weeks. Results still depend on the work you put in.
A writing coach helps most when your problem is direction, structure, or follow-through rather than raw writing skill. Before paying anyone, check what is included, how long support lasts, and who owns the finished work. With Defining Moments Press, authors keep all rights and royalties, and the business states there are no hidden fees.
Book writing coaches commonly charge between $80 and $250 or more per one-hour video call, according to Reedsy. Monthly retainers are also common: Bestseller Publishing's 2026 guide uses a 6-month retainer at $1,000 per month, a $6,000 total, as its example. Defining Moments Press lists its Author Blueprint 8 Week Challenge at one payment of $1,997.
A writing coach typically costs $80 to $250 or more per hour, based on Reedsy's figures for its marketplace of vetted coaches. Package pricing varies widely with what is included. For example, Defining Moments Press lists the Author Blueprint 8 Week Challenge at $1,997 as one payment and discusses pricing for its other packages on a discovery call.
The Defining Moments Press checkout page lists the Author Blueprint 8 Week Challenge at one payment of $1,997. The Author Blueprint is the do-it-yourself level, with an 8-week course, audio and video tutorials, templates and tools, a free Facebook group, and unlimited email support. Confirm current pricing and payment options on a discovery call.
Defining Moments Press does not publish a fixed price for Author Training, its done-with-you package with book coaching for 1 year. Pricing is discussed on a complimentary discovery call with an Acquisition Editor, who first checks whether your book is a good fit for the program. The business states there are no hidden fees.
Publishing costs depend on how much help you buy. Doing everything yourself costs the least, hiring help for formatting, cover design, and launch adds fees, and a ghostwriter costs the most, commonly $20,000 to $150,000 or more for a business book according to Million Dollar Author. Defining Moments Press is paid a fee for its service, and authors keep all royalties.
Defining Moments Press lists financing options on its website, including personal loans, credit cards, and business loans through outside providers, and says you can apply for prequalification with no impact to your credit score. The best place to ask which options fit your situation is the complimentary discovery call.
It can, but no one can promise it. Defining Moments Press reports a client who sold over 10,000 books and built an 8-figure business from her book, and it also states that results are not guaranteed or typical. For context on coaching returns generally, Leaders ADAPT notes that the widely cited 788 percent figure comes from a single 2001 case study.
With Defining Moments Press, the writing course runs 8 weeks, and the business says people can write, market, and publish a first book in as little as 8 weeks. The Author Blueprint describes about 2 to 5 hours of work a week. Outside benchmarks are longer: Bestseller Publishing estimates 6 to 9 months with a coach versus 18 months alone.
The 8 weeks move a book from idea to publishable manuscript using a step-by-step process, audio and video tutorials, and templates. The Defining Moments Press free course covers defining your expertise, knowing your reader, and building an outline, which it calls the number one reason most people never finish: lack of clarity.
The Author Blueprint is described as taking about 2 to 5 hours a week to edit, self-publish in ebook and print, and launch. Actual time depends on how much material you already have and how quickly you write. Professionals who block regular time on the calendar usually find the schedule easiest to keep.
On the complimentary call you speak with a Defining Moments Press Acquisition Editor who helps you explore your book idea, get clear on your ideal reader, discuss your business goals, create a clear plan, and uncover profit opportunities before you write a word. At the end, they tell you whether your book is a good fit.
Defining Moments Press says all applicants receive an email reply within 2 business days. If you do not see a response, check your spam or promotional folder, since the business notes its emails sometimes land there. Not every applicant is accepted, because it works with authors it believes it can help succeed.
Both options exist. In the coaching packages, you write the book with structure and support. In Author Premium, the done-for-you package, Defining Moments Press ghostwriters write the book for you, and the package also includes cover design, book design, formatting, a full launch, and book media appearances.
Defining Moments Press is a US-based company that works with authors all over the world, and its core program is an online course with audio and video tutorials, a Facebook group, and email support. It has also hosted in-person author and speaker events in California. Ask on the discovery call which format fits your package.
It is built first for professionals with a nonfiction story: experts, entrepreneurs, coaches, and healers who want a book that builds authority and grows a business. It also serves people with a life lesson that can help others, and aspiring children’s book authors. Authors are accepted from around the world.
Yes. The Defining Moments Press homepage offers help to write a bestselling book in 8 weeks or less and make a profit, even if no one has ever heard of you. Having an audience helps a launch, but the done-with-you program includes book marketing and a full launch for first-time authors without one.
No. A coach helps you organize what you know and say it clearly, and editorial guidance covers structure and clarity. If writing itself is the obstacle, Defining Moments Press offers a done-for-you option in which its ghostwriters write the book from your expertise, so your knowledge still reaches readers.
There is no single age when writers peak, and nonfiction especially rewards experience. Many business and expertise books are written mid-career or later, once the author has years of results, stories, and lessons to share. That is why Defining Moments Press focuses on professionals: the expertise you already have is the raw material of the book.
Yes. The Defining Moments Press homepage invites aspiring children’s book authors to get started alongside professionals and nonfiction storytellers. This site focuses on professionals writing nonfiction business books, so for children’s book questions, book a discovery call and ask how the process works for your project.
Defining Moments Press says nothing builds a brand faster than a bestselling book, and it designs its programs for authors, coaches, speakers, and business owners. Its stated goal is a book that opens the door to paid speaking opportunities and new clients, and it also runs a speaker certification program.
Hire a book coach if you want to write the book in your own words and keep costs lower. Hire a ghostwriter if you have no time to write at all. Million Dollar Author puts ghostwriting for a business book commonly at $20,000 to $150,000 or more. Defining Moments Press offers both coaching packages and a ghostwriting package.
Defining Moments Press believes self-publishing is the best option for most nonfiction authors, because you keep creative control, all rights, and all royalties, and avoid losing about two years to the traditional process. Traditional publishing can suit authors who want an advance and a publisher handling bookstore distribution. Weigh control and speed against those benefits.
A course is enough if you are self-motivated and mainly need a process. Coaching helps if you need feedback and accountability. Defining Moments Press offers both: the Author Blueprint course with unlimited email support, and Author Training, which adds book coaching for 1 year, ongoing training, and a full launch to bestseller.
For finishing one nonfiction book, usually yes. Reedsy notes that an MFA in the US can cost well over $25,000, the equivalent of 200 hours with a coach at $125 an hour, and that most writers do not need 200 hours to get past their roadblock. A degree suits people who want broad literary training.
The best book writing coach for you depends on whether you need writing help alone or writing plus publishing and launch. Our guide, published by Defining Moments Press, lists Defining Moments Press first as the publisher’s own pick, then Author Accelerator, Reedsy, Gilliam Writers Group, and BookBaby, described on the same criteria.
The best fit for a new nonfiction author is a company that lets you keep your rights and royalties and helps with marketing. Defining Moments Press publishes in 87 countries using major publishers, lets authors keep all rights and royalties, and includes launch support. Compare any company on rights, royalties, fees, and marketing help.
To publish a book you need a finished, edited manuscript, interior formatting, a cover, retailer listings, and a launch plan. Defining Moments Press handles formatting, book design, cover design, book marketing, and launch in its Author Launch package for authors who already have a manuscript, and it publishes in 87 countries.
Defining Moments Press says books can be published in 87 countries using major publishers, in both ebook and print. Exact retailers and formats are confirmed during your project. Because you keep all rights, you also decide how and where you sell copies yourself, such as at speaking events.
Yes. Defining Moments Press states that authors keep all rights and royalties, and the business is paid a fee for its service. You can also order copies of your book at cost directly from the provider, which is useful for speaking events, workshops, and client gifts.
Launch to bestseller is a launch service included in several Defining Moments Press packages. It is listed alongside book marketing, a media and podcast list to promote your book, and access to an author community. Ask on the discovery call how the launch is run for your book category and what it involves from you.
Divide $100,000 by what you earn per copy. At $5 a copy you would need 20,000 sales, and at $10 a copy, 10,000. Defining Moments Press teaches professionals to earn mainly from what a book leads to, such as clients, speaking, and programs, rather than from book sales alone.
An author earns what is left of the $25 list price after the retailer’s share and printing costs, under the royalty terms of the deal. With a traditional publisher you receive a percentage set in your contract. When you self-publish with Defining Moments Press, you keep all royalties, so you receive whatever remains after those costs.
Yes. Defining Moments Press offers a free one-hour course on how to write, publish, market, and monetize a book, which it lists at a retail price of $997. It covers defining your expertise, knowing your reader, self-publishing myths, monetizing your book, getting more clients, and creating your outline.
Book a complimentary discovery call. You will talk through your book idea, ideal reader, and business goals with a Defining Moments Press Acquisition Editor and leave with a clear next step, whether or not you work together. You can book through the Defining Moments Press booking page.
That is the most common problem a book coach solves. Defining Moments Press says 80 percent of people say they want to write a book but only 1 percent actually do. Its process starts with clarity on your expertise and reader and a finished outline, then adds a weekly structure and support.
Then you may not need coaching. Defining Moments Press offers Author Launch for authors who already wrote a book and need help publishing and launching it. It includes formatting, book design, cover design, book marketing, a launch to bestseller, and access to the author Facebook group.
You have two routes. The coaching programs are designed around a few hours a week, and the Author Blueprint describes about 2 to 5 hours weekly. If even that is too much, the Author Premium package uses Defining Moments Press ghostwriters to write the book for you from your expertise.
No. Defining Moments Press states that its programs give actionable steps but results are not guaranteed or typical, and a lot of hard work is involved. The case studies it shares, such as a client who sold over 10,000 books, show what is possible rather than what is typical.
A book works as an authority asset: it positions you as the expert, opens doors to speaking and media, and leads readers to your services. Defining Moments Press puts it this way: it is not about the book, it is about what the book does for you. Its discovery call covers business goals before writing begins.
Want the full picture? Read the guide to book coaching services for professionals.
Ask it on a complimentary discovery call with a Defining Moments Press Acquisition Editor.
