Our Services.
Our clients come to us with brilliant ideas and stories to tell. They want to build their credibility, share their legacy, or maximize their influence, but usually don’t have the bandwidth or work better alongside a skilled editorial partner.
We excel at working with authors on their schedule, with the tools and processes that best suit how they think and work. CEOs and founders with ADHD (I’m one of you), creatives and visionaries who don’t want to slow down long enough to write, and leaders and healers of all types rely on us to deliver.
Our authors are often new to the publishing world when we first meet. Knowing that, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of services and their definitions for you.
Already know your way around the industry? Email us at hello@goodcoterie.com, and we’ll get back to you asap!
Strategic Book Planning
Co-writing
What it is: A comprehensive roadmap for your book that clarifies your vision, structures your content, and guides the writing process from concept to completion. This includes chapter-by-chapter breakdowns, target audience analysis, guiding principles for your narrative arc, and writing style recommendations—all designed around your expertise and goals.
How it works: We start with in-depth discovery conversations where you share your ideas, goals, and what you want readers to gain from the book. We’ll synthesize everything into a detailed Book Plan that serves as your (or your ghostwriter's) strategic foundation. You'll receive a polished document that maps out the entire book, explains the reasoning behind structural decisions, and provides clear direction for execution.
Best for:
Authors who know they want to write a book but aren't sure how to organize their ideas
Leaders preparing to work with a ghostwriter and need a clear roadmap first
Writers who need strategic guidance before committing to a full manuscript
Anyone who wants to validate their book concept before investing significant time or resources
What it is: A collaborative process in which you are the author and we write the manuscript on your behalf, in your voice, based on your ideas, interviews, existing materials, and strategic goals.
How it works: We start with in-depth interviews where you talk through your concepts, stories, frameworks, and key messages. We record, transcribe, and transform those sessions into structured chapters. You review drafts, provide feedback, and approve the final manuscript. Your name goes on the cover.
Best for:
Leaders who know exactly what they want to say but don't have time (or interest) in doing the writing themselves
Experts whose ideas are better spoken than written
Authors who need a complete manuscript, start to finish
Ghostwriting
What it is: We write the book together. You do some of the writing; we do some of the writing, provide structure, editorial guidance, and drafting support. We collaborate on structure, narrative, and voice until we land on something that feels right. The work may move back and forth between us, with sections written by one or the other, depending on the needs of the project.
How it works: This is a true partnership. You might draft sections based on your expertise or raw ideas, and we’ll shape, expand, and refine them. Or we might draft chapters as needed based on our conversations, and you'll add your stories, examples, and nuance. We build the book iteratively, in real time, with both of us contributing to the final product.
Best for:
Authors who want to be actively involved in the writing process but benefit from strategic shaping, structural, and stylistic support
Leaders who write well but need a thinking partner to help organize and sharpen their ideas
Projects where your voice is critical, and you want hands-on control—but you also want professional-level craft from an experienced editorial partner
What it is: Ongoing guidance, accountability, and strategic feedback for authors who want to write their own book but need someone in their corner. We’ll help you clarify your concept, develop a structure that works, stay on track through the writing process, and make smart decisions about what belongs in the book and what doesn't. You do the writing. We’re the thinking partner who keeps you moving forward.
How it works: We start with a discovery session to clarify your book concept, identify your target audience, and map out a realistic timeline. Then we set up a regular meeting cadence—typically every two weeks or monthly, depending on your writing pace. Between sessions, you write. During sessions, we troubleshoot what's not working, talk through structural decisions, review pages you've drafted, and plan your next steps. I provide written feedback on chapters as you complete them, so you're never writing in a vacuum. This continues until your manuscript is complete.
Best for:
Authors who want to write their own book but need structure, accountability, and a sounding board
Leaders with limited writing time who need to make steady progress without spinning their wheels
First-time authors who need guidance on what a book actually requires—and someone to help them avoid common pitfalls
Writers who work best with regular check-ins and external accountability
What it is: You've already written a draft (or multiple drafts), but it's not working yet. We take what you have and rebuild it by restructuring, clarifying, tightening, and transforming your rough material into a polished, publishable manuscript.
How it works: You send us your existing draft. We’ll read it with an editor's eye and a writer's hand, then rewrite it from the ground up: reorganizing chapters, sharpening your argument, cutting what doesn't serve the book, and making sure every sentence does its job. You'll still recognize your ideas and voice—but the execution will be stronger, clearer, and more resonating.
Best for:
Authors who've written a full draft but know it's not ready for publication
Manuscripts that have powerful material on the page, but it may be buried under an unclear structure or uneven writing that doesn’t provide the impact the author envisions
Books that need more than editing—they need a rebuild
Think of it as: You know it needs surgery. You just need the surgeon.
What it is: Developmental editing is the big-picture structural work on your manuscript. We assess the overall architecture, such as whether your argument holds together, if chapters are in the right order, where you're missing critical content, and where you're repeating yourself or losing focus. You get a detailed editorial memo with specific recommendations for how to strengthen the book’s structure, content, voice, tone, and writing style, plus margin notes throughout the manuscript. You do the rewriting. *Our editors are available to implement the edits should you choose to spend your time elsewhere.
Line Editing is sentence-level refinement focused on clarity, flow, and style. We work through your manuscript line by line, tightening prose, eliminating awkward phrasing, improving rhythm and readability, and making sure your voice comes through consistently. While we'll fix glaring issues, the focus here is about making every sentence as strong and clear as it can be.
What is it: Copy editing is a technical cleanup of your manuscript. We correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and syntax. We flag inconsistencies in tone, terminology, or facts and ensure style conventions are applied consistently throughout. This is the polish that happens after the content and structure are solid.
Proofreading is the final quality-control pass before publication. We’ll catch typos, formatting errors, missed punctuation, and any last-minute mistakes that slipped through earlier rounds of editing. Structural changes or rewrites will no longer be made at this stage. The focus is purely on making sure the manuscript is clean and error-free.
Book Coaching
Rewriting
Developmental
and Line Editing
Copy Editing
and Proofreading
What it is: A thorough evaluation of your completed manuscript with written feedback on what's working, what's not, and what needs to change before publication. We’ll read your full draft and provide a detailed editorial memo covering structure, clarity, pacing, voice, argument strength, and marketability. You also get annotated margin notes throughout the manuscript, highlighting specific issues and opportunities. This is diagnostic work, meaning we’ll tell you what to fix, but we don't fix it for you.
How it works: You send us your complete manuscript. We’ll read it cover to cover as both editor and reader, then deliver a comprehensive editorial memo (typically 8-15 pages) that addresses big-picture strengths and weaknesses, plus a marked-up manuscript with in-line comments. We can schedule a follow-up call to discuss the feedback and prioritize next steps. After that, you take the assessment and decide whether to revise on your own, hire us for additional services, or work with another editor.
Best for:
Authors who've completed a draft and want professional feedback before moving forward
Writers who need to know if their manuscript is publication-ready or how far off it is
Self-publishing authors who want an expert second opinion before investing in design and distribution
Authors shopping for agents or publishers who want to make sure their manuscript is as strong as possible first
Anyone who wants clear, actionable feedback without committing to a full editing or rewriting engagement