Jessica on working with Paula:
Paula’s an amazing writer, one of the hardest workers I have ever come across (she makes me look totes lazy) and was in my very first Authorpreneurial Coaching session ever. And, oh yeah… she happens to live in Australia.
We found each other through YA4YA. Paula was my mentee and I asked her, “Hey, would you mind participating in this pilot program I’m working on?” Paula generously agreed, and we started working together in November of 2018.
I had a great time doing a comprehensive edit on Finding Snow, her YA historical fantasy retelling of Snow White. (Did you know Snow White is based on a real person? Yeah, me neither–until I met Paula!) And over the next four months we worked through the group sessions together on things like: building author websites, revisions, and the agent/author relationship.
After class formally came to an end, Paula & I kept working together. We did a few one-on-one coaching sessions when she got her first agent offer. That session led to her eliciting a competing agent offer, and then we walked through the contract process.
Here’s Paula celebrating right after she signed her agency contract.
Paula worked her tail off the whole time I’ve known her, and I am continually astounded by her work ethic, creativity, and ability to put a smile on my face. I am so proud of and happy for her, and I was lucky enough to meet Paula face-to-face when I went to Australia in August of 2019!
My favorite part about working with Paula is she inspires me to dream bigger and work harder.
Paula on working with Jessica:
“Jessica is such an incredible mentor and coach. Her feedback on all aspects of my manuscript was concise and constructive and made it so much stronger. I am so grateful for Jessica’s professional guidance, both on and off the page, in helping me get me this far in my career. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to not only strengthen their writing but also for those trying to navigate this, often times, frustrating career path.”
Official Bio:
Paula is an Australian journalist, YA writer, and award-winning filmmaker.
Her young adult manuscript, Finding Snow, was selected for the mentor program YA4YA. It is Outlander meets Snow White and tells the story of an isolated Australian country girl who is thrust back in time where she meets the real-life inspiration for the Brother’s Grimm tale: Snow White.
Her Olympic documentary A Sporting Chance won the highest honour at the Federation Internationale Cinema Television Sportifs (FICTS) Festival in Milan. Beyond this, she has written articles for both print and online publications. Her controversial article for national magazine Inside Sport was nominated for an Australian Sporting Commission journalist award for best print coverage by an individual.
Where to find Paula online:
Website: https://paulagleeson.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulaGleeson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulagleesonauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulagleesonauthor/
Client services Paula utilized:
- Comprehensive full manuscript critique: annotated manuscript pages, 5-10 page developmental edit letter, one hour phone consult.
- Authorpreneurial Group Coaching: four-month online coaching session. Jessica partnered Paula with other authors seeking traditional publication. Jessica provided weekly homework and guidance tailored to the needs of the small group. Paula revised her manuscript with the assistance of beta reads & feedback from her classmates. Some of the topics covered in this group included: author websites, querying best-practices, the agent/author relationship, Critique Partner & Beta Reader best practices, social media strategy, author events, and more.
- One-on-one coaching: phone coaching through initial agent offer, eliciting additional agent offers, choosing the best agent from multiple offers, through signature contract.