Erin Reel | The Lit Coach

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After graduating with a degree in English from Iowa State Erin Reel moved to Los Angeles with her sights set on becoming a literary agent. She was able to obtain an internship at an agency right away and eventually worked as an agent at one of the top Los Angeles literary agencies. After a while Erin decided to break out on her own and start her own agency. She was successful and had a good size roster, but she decided to close her agency and start a consulting and creative coaching firm after a brief move back to Iowa. She is back in Los Angeles now and her company, The Lit Coach, is thriving.

“I was noticing that so many writers definitely had talent, but were submitting work that was nowhere near ready for publishing. My heart has always been in editorial –I just love editing- and I realized that I have the knowledge and the ability to help writers develop their craft and become agent ready.”

Erin’s coaching and consulting services include both fiction and non-fiction creativity and writing workshops, and reads and critiques of full manuscripts to offer editorial direction as to how a writer can strengthen his or her work and make it ready for submissions. Erin offers her services in person, via phone, or via Skype.

“What I was seeing was too many writers reading something like Twilight or whatever the hot book was and trying to write a book like that that isn’t true to their heart. And even more often what I’m broached with is people mid-draft and stuck or who are finished with their book and not getting good feedback. I’ve found the problem with most people’s work is finding a clarity in their characters – what drives them, what are their motivations, what do they want, what are the obstacles standing in the way of what they want, and what’s at stake if they get what they want or if they don’t. A lot of writers come to me with a feeling or a philosophy they want to convey in a book, but not solid character or plot crafting.”

Through Erin’s coaching her clients are able to find the creativity –and the clarity- that is often lacking from their writing.

Erin also offers advice to aspiring writers on her website through a weekly blog –often with guest posts from editors, agents, and authors- and on other sites such as LitReactor and Pitch University.

“I’m so invested in my writers and I really love their work and I want other people to read their work and love it as well. What I love about my job is having the freedom to guide writers on the path that is right for them so that more people can hear their voice.”