For professionals with a story worth telling
A nonfiction writing coach for the story only you can tell
A nonfiction writing coach helps you turn your experience into a finished, published book, and Defining Moments Press pairs that coaching with publishing so your book reaches readers.
Defining Moments Press works with professionals around the world who have a nonfiction story or life lesson to share. Its programs are built to help you write and publish your book in 8 weeks or less, in about 2 to 5 hours a week, with publishing in 87 countries and every royalty and right staying with you.
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Your book outline
8 weeks"The year I almost quit, and what it taught me"
- 1BeforeWho you were and what you believed
- 2The momentThe day everything changed
- 3What it costThe hard middle, told honestly
- 4What you learnedThe lesson only you can teach
- 5How the reader uses itSteps for someone facing the same thing
What does a nonfiction writing coach do?
A nonfiction writing coach helps you choose the story, define the reader, outline the chapters, and keep writing until the manuscript is finished. With Defining Moments Press, that coaching continues into formatting, book design, publishing, and a launch, so the work ends with a book in readers' hands.
When a coach is the right fit: you want the book in your own words and can give a few hours a week. When something else fits better: if time is the real barrier, a ghostwriter makes more sense, and if the book is only for your family, a keepsake service is simpler and cheaper. Our comparison of life story book options lays out each path.
What is a nonfiction book coach?
A nonfiction book coach is a guide who helps you plan, write, and finish a true book: a memoir, a lesson-driven story, or an expertise book built on your experience. Unlike an editor, who works on pages you already have, a coach works with you before and during the writing.
At Defining Moments Press, a nonfiction book coach works inside a structured program. You start with your reader and your outline, write against a weekly plan, and move into formatting, design, and launch. Founder Melanie Warner, a #1 international bestselling author, built the method after turning her own loss into her first book.
Defining Moments Press by the numbers
- 8 weeks or less: the program length for writing and publishing your book.
- 2 to 5 hours a week: the time the Author Blueprint is designed around.
- 87 countries: where books can be published using major publishers.
- 1 year: of book coaching included in Author Training.
- 2 business days: the reply time for every application.
- $1,997: one payment for the 8-week Author Blueprint, as listed on its payment page.
- 100% of royalties and rights: kept by the author.
Who this is for first
This site is written for professionals with a nonfiction story: coaches, healers, business owners, and experts whose own experience shaped the work they do now.
If you have lived through a defining moment, such as a loss, a comeback, or a career turn, and you know the lesson could help someone else, a story-led book can carry that lesson further than any talk or post. It also gives readers a reason to trust your expertise, because they see how you earned it.
Defining Moments Press also works with entrepreneurs and aspiring authors, including children's book authors. See its main website for every path.
How to turn your life story into a book
To turn your life story into a book, build it around one defining moment and one reader, not your entire life. That focus is what separates a published nonfiction book from a family scrapbook, and it is the approach Defining Moments Press teaches.
Pick the moment
Choose the single turning point that taught you something worth passing on.
Name the reader
Write for one person facing what you faced. Everything else gets easier once you know who that is.
Outline the chapters
Build a table of contents before writing. The free one-hour course ends with exactly this outline.
Write, publish, launch
Write weekly, then move to formatting, design, publishing, and a launch plan.
Which Defining Moments Press program fits you?
Each level is built for a different amount of time and help. All details below come from the Defining Moments Press services page; prices other than the Author Blueprint are shared on the discovery call.
| Author Blueprint (DIY) | Author Training (done with you) | Author Premium (done for you) | Author Launch (done for you) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who writes | You | You, with a coach | Defining Moments Press ghostwriters | You already have |
| Coaching | Unlimited email support | Book coaching for 1 year | Not listed | Not listed |
| 8-week course | Included | Included | Not listed | Not listed |
| Formatting and book design | Taught with templates and tools | Included | Included | Included |
| Cover design | Not listed | Not listed | Included | Included |
| Launch | You launch with the course | Full launch to bestseller | Full launch to bestseller | Launch to bestseller |
| Extras | Free Facebook group | Media and podcast list, book marketing | Media appearances, marketing accounts, 1-page funnel | Book marketing, author group |
| Best for | Self-starters on a budget | Professionals who want guidance | Experts short on time | Finished manuscripts |
Who leads the coaching?
Defining Moments Press was founded by Melanie Warner, a #1 international bestselling author and self-publishing expert who has published magazines, newspapers, and books for over 25 years.
Warner is a grieving mother turned bestselling author. Losing her son inspired her first book, Defining Moments: Coping With the Loss of a Child, and the Defining Moments book series that followed shares stories of hope from people who have overcome extreme challenges in life and business. She now teaches business owners how to grow their authority with books and speaking.
Case study: from a pandemic shutdown to a bestseller
Goal: A client whose industry was shut down during the pandemic wanted to write a book to earn extra income. She had written a book before, but it did not sell many copies.
Result, as reported by Defining Moments Press: more than 10,000 books sold, an international #1 bestseller, a TED Talk, paid corporate speaking, a TV booking, 7 streams of income from the book, and an 8-figure business.
Defining Moments Press states that results are not guaranteed or typical and that a lot of hard work is involved.
Start with the question you have today
- How much does a book writing coach cost?Published hourly rates, program prices, and an estimator.
- How do I publish my book?Self-publishing services, rights, royalties, and 87 countries.
- Storyworth, ghostwriter, or coach?A ranked comparison on price and outcome.
- What happens in story coaching?Coaching vs editing vs ghostwriting, explained.
- What do the numbers say?Sourced statistics on coaching and memoir services.
- Want to try before you commit?The free one-hour course ends with your book outline.
Common questions
See all 46 questionsWhat does a nonfiction writing coach do?
A nonfiction writing coach helps you decide what your book is about, who it is for, and how to structure it, then keeps you writing until the manuscript is done. At Defining Moments Press, coaching is paired with an 8-week course, templates, and support for formatting, design, publishing, and launch, so the coaching leads to a published book rather than a draft sitting in a folder.
Open in the FAQHow much does a book writing coach cost?
Published market rates for a nonfiction writing coach typically range from $100 to $300 an hour, according to Scribe Media. Defining Moments Press lists its 8-week Author Blueprint program at one payment of $1,997 on its payment page. Pricing for done-with-you and done-for-you packages is discussed on a free discovery call.
Open in the FAQHow do I turn my life story into a book?
Start by choosing one defining moment or lesson, not your whole life, and decide who the book is for. Then outline chapters around that moment, write in short weekly sessions, edit, and publish. Defining Moments Press teaches this sequence in its 8-week Author Blueprint, which takes about 2 to 5 hours a week.
Open in the FAQDo I keep my royalties with Defining Moments Press?
Yes. Defining Moments Press states that authors keep all royalties and rights. The company is paid a fee for its service rather than a share of your book income. You can also order copies of your book at cost direct from the provider, which matters if you plan to sell or give books at talks and events.
Open in the FAQWill a nonfiction book coach write the book for me?
A coach guides you while you write; a ghostwriter writes for you. Defining Moments Press offers both paths. Its Author Training program includes book coaching for one year while you write, and its Author Premium service uses ghostwriters to write the book for you, followed by cover design, formatting, and a full launch.
Open in the FAQHow do I get started?
Book a free discovery call at mydefiningmoments.com/book-a-call. You will talk through your idea, your reader, and your goals with an Acquisition Editor and leave with a clear next step. If you prefer to learn first, start with the free one-hour course that ends with an outline for your table of contents.
Open in the FAQ