Book Development Services
From Your Vision to a Book That Makes an Impact
Is There a Book Inside You
Waiting To Be Written?
Are you someone who has been thinking about writing a book
but just can’t seem to get started?
What would having that book mean to you?
Whether your idea for a book is fiction or non-fiction, maybe you know exactly what you want to write but don’t know where to begin. Maybe you have pages or chapters already written and need help shaping them. Or perhaps you have a lifetime of stories you want preserved as a memoir but need someone to help you tell them.
“That’s where I come in.”
Whether you need book development coaching, help creating your memoir, or a ghostwriter to turn your story and ideas into a finished manuscript, we start with what you have and work from there.
I have spent years working with authors as a Book Development Coach, developmental editor, Book Shepherd, and ghostwriter. I’m also an author myself, so I understand the writing journey from both sides of the page.
Your Book Building Road Map
Her work focuses on the human dynamics beneath leadership performance - the internal patterns that influence executive presence, organizational trust, resilience, communication, and sustainable growth.
My job is to help you find the path
that works for you
as you develop your book.
When you work with Donna, she focuses on you and the internal dynamics
beneath your leadership performance - the patterns that influence your executive presence.
She takes into account trust, resilience, communication, and growth.
Every author is different, and so is every book.
Together we develop a collaborative process.
We begin by looking at what you want your book to accomplish,
what you already have to work with, and
what you want to accomplish.
Every book is different, and so is every author.
We begin by looking at what you want your book to accomplish,
what you already have to work with, and
what is standing between you and moving forward.
From there, we create your Book Building Road Map
based on your goals, your available time, and
your own talents and skills.
For some authors, that means moving from STUCK to START™.
For others, it means developing or strengthening a manuscript already underway.
Book Shepherd Client Portfolio
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of helping authors bring a wide variety of books to life.
Here are some of the books and authors I’ve worked with.
Here are a few more books I've had the pleasure of shepherding and editing.
Memoir Writing & Ghostwriting
Your Life. Your Legacy. Your Story.
Your memoir is more than a collection of memories. It is your opportunity to preserve the experiences, people, lessons and moments that have shaped your life.
You may want to write your memoir yourself but need help finding its structure and developing your story. I can work with you as your Book Development Coach, helping you determine what belongs in the book and guiding you as you write it.
Or you may know you want your story preserved but have no desire to sit down and write the manuscript yourself.
That’s where ghostwriting comes in.
As your ghostwriter, I do much more than take your memories and put them into sentences. I need to get to know you.
Through a series of in-depth conversations, I listen to your stories and learn how you naturally communicate—your expressions, humour, perspective and voice. From those conversations, I begin organizing and developing your story into a manuscript that sounds like you telling your story.
You remain involved throughout the process. You review the manuscript as it develops and let me know where something needs clarification, adjustment or further exploration.
Personal and sensitive experiences are always treated with confidentiality, empathy and respect.
Once you are satisfied with the manuscript, it receives a final edit and can move into production. Depending on what you want your memoir to do, that may include interior formatting, cover design, and preparing the files for self-publishing or just doing a private printing for family and friends.
Even with a ghostwriter, it is your name that appears on the cover as the author. Whether you choose to acknowledge the involvement of a ghostwriter is entirely up to you.
Editing
Editing may well be the most important step in the whole process of developing a book. And it may well be the step that writers choose to ignore.
Think of the editing of your book as the step that tests and strengthens its foundation.
What Others Say
“Donna has a knack for developmental editing. She helped me to align story content with tone and to make sure the overall theme was advanced. She has an astute sense of word choice, which is key to ensuring that vocabulary is sufficiently varied as well as apropos.”
Brandon Royal
Award-winning writer and author of The Little Red Writing Book
“The difference between the right word
and the almost right word is
the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.”
— Mark Twain
What Others Say
About Working With Donna
“Donna coached me through the many steps it takes to turn a manuscript into a published book. In the first book, I had written the draft manuscript many years ago, and it needed lots of polishing.
With Donna’s eye for detail and expertise in continuity of content, dialogue, and uncanny ability to break the story into readable chapters, my manuscript went from being weak to being a book of which I could be proud.
Donna is currently guiding me through the writing process of a book intended to complement a speech about a specific subject. From idea to forming a book to creating chapter titles, her process has made it easy for me to see a completed book in the near future.
Donna has a way of drawing out the best in a person. I highly recommend her.”
Lauretta Stevens, Author
“If you are preparing to set out on seas of which you have never sailed or to cross mountain ranges, you have never climbed, then you want to choose your guide carefully.
‘Whom we flock with can determine how we reach our destination.’
The gift of a journey to sea became a catalyst for me to want to share my experience with others. The challenge was mustering the fear, bringing the gift to the surface. Trusting I had something of value that could influence another human.
Donna Dahl, Author Coach, was that woman for me. She guided me into uncharted waters, a place where I may not have gone on my own. Donna has the ability to gracefully take you into the very depths of what needs to surface from within. She teaches you to trust yourself, your thoughts, your word, and your truth. Donna coached and mentored me through the writing of my first book, Your Emergence From Leadership to Humanship. She taught me how to navigate many of my internal storms and at times she even pushed me into the deep end.
She taught me about ebb and flow, to pull carrots only when their ready. That it is ok to breath and just allow. Her wisdom, knowledge and insight helped me to embrace my voice and my personal creativity through the use of words. Writing a book in itself is a journey and often challenging. Donna’s patience and compassion not only helped me achieve my goal, she also helped me to become an even better version of myself.
For that I am eternally grateful.”
Betty Carew, Author of Your Emergence from Leadership to Heartship
Bringing Your Book To Life
Every book is a uniquely designed work that combines stories with art. I work with experienced professionals who can support the different stages involved in bringing your book to life.
Depending on your project, you may need:
• Book Development Coaching
• Developmental Editing
• Manuscript Review
• Ghostwriting
• Cover Design
• Interior Design
• Formatting
• Training in Self-Publishing
• Print-Ready Files for Publishing
• Print Broker Services
• PUB Files for Digital Publishing
Let's Talk About
Your Book
Whether you are developing
a book of your own
or looking for someone to help
capture your life story,
a conversation is the simplest
place to begin.
