A lot of people are drawn to writing a novel because it’s one of the last creative pursuits that feels like a solo journey akin to a marathon. It’s just you and the blank page. Well, that is until you get an editor, an agent, a publisher and a marketing team.

The truth is that there are extremely few books that are truly independently published start to finish. So, there’s no shame in deciding you want that help earlier in that process. Honestly, it could save you a lot of time and heartache. We’ve got six signs that it’s time for you to consider getting help from a book coach. Here’s why:

You Can’t Find Time or the Will to Write

Writer’s block is probably the first reason why writers consider working with a book coach. Having someone to owe pages to that will be disappointed when they don’t get them can help you stay on track. But book coaches do a lot more than assign homework. They can help you break out of a corner you’ve written yourself into, or they can help you create space and routine that help you find the time and the mood to write consistently. They’re basically a therapist who knows a lot about narrative structure. Sounds like something every writer could use to me.

You Have a Scene that Just Isn’t Working

There’s a scene you’ve been putting off. It’s an important one. It must be, or otherwise you could just write it. When you finally sit down to bust it out, something about it just isn’t right. No matter how many times you try tweaking things, the changes don’t quite add up to the scene as you imagined it. Having someone to bounce your ideas off of can be a great help, but a book coach can help you diagnose the problem, too. They have a lot of experience finding new ways to fix a flat scene, and sometimes it pays to have someone like that on your side.

Your Query Isn’t Making It Out of the Slush Pile

If you’ve queried more than 25 times and have never received a partial request or given several partials but never received a full, it’s likely that a book coach can help. A coaching session is a great place to open up a dialogue and have a real conversation about your query letter or opening pages. It’s likely you’ve considered getting a query letter edit, but what’s advantageous about a coaching session instead is you can immediately brainstorm ideas as a team and get immediate feedback rather than paying for a second session. Together, you and your book coach can do what amounts to a developmental edit of your manuscript sample in less than an hour.

You Want a Second Set of Eyes on Your Outline

I am a nerd who loves to have a plan. I get a big kick out of outlining at least the broad strokes of my story before ever writing a word. If you’re like me, you probably feel better knowing you have a balanced story early on too. But it may be that your outline doesn’t quite look the way you wanted and you’re already left with questions. While it’s important to balance our outlining and pantsing tendencies, fixing narrative problems before you take the time to write 50,000+ words takes a lot less time. Enter your book coach. They’re a great resource for narrative structure at every point in your writing process, and that goes for planning too.

You’re Needing Help Revising Your Own Work

Self-editing your novel is a great way to take total control of your narrative. But if you haven’t done it before, you may want someone to show you the ropes. Book coaches are great at building skills of all kinds, and they can help you create a personalized self-editing checklist with information on how to complete each step along the way. This is a great way to get specialized help for your big picture edit without the expense of a developmental editor.

You Know the Problem but Not the Solution

A book coach can help you solve many narrative complications, but in order to get the most out of your experience, you have to already come to them with a question. If you’re looking for someone to help diagnose your manuscript and find its weak points, it’s more likely that a beta reader or developmental editor is who you should be talking to.