Book Coach Success Spotlight: Lidija Hilje
Celebrating a book coach’s success
We’d like to introduce you to Lidija Hilje, who recently became a certified book coach. We invited her to sit down for a little interview to talk about her experience. So without further ado, here is Lidija!
Q: Okay, Lidija, how did you come to book coaching? Were you a writer looking for a way to dive deeper into the craft? A coach hoping to expand or enhance your services? Were you entering book coaching totally fresh?
Lidija: Before I heard about this course, I had done a major pivot in my life, leaving a career in law I’d been building for over ten years. Even before leaving law, I had been flirting with writing, and so I wanted my pivot to be related to books, but I didn’t have a clue how to achieve that, especially from where I lived (Croatia) and in my second language. It’s safe to say I jumped head-first into this world, hoping I’d come up for air. By the time I came across this course (which was 9 months into the 18-month deadline I’d given myself before I’d have to go back to law), I discovered I had a knack for editing my CP’s pages, so this course seemed like a step in the right direction. I didn’t know what to expect, though, and whether for me — a person who came to writing relatively late and in her second language — this would be a viable solution. I’m happy to report it turned out to be both financially viable as well as extremely satisfying. I can honestly say that, in book coaching, I found my true passion.
Q: What was your experience in the Advanced Training and Certification course? What did you find most satisfying? What did you find most challenging?
Lidija: To say my experience was great would be a massive understatement. This course gave me the structure I needed to approach book coaching from the perspective of building a business. It fortified what I already knew about the craft and expanded my knowledge immensely. It also gave me the confidence to go out into the world and claim my book-coaching identity, something I would never have the courage to do by myself. And most of all, it gave me access to the community of like-minded, positive, enthusiastic people who are as passionate about this work as I am — people who’ve since become my tribe.
Q: What is the most valuable piece of advice you’re taking away from the training?
Lidija: It’s like being asked what’s my favorite book, how can I choose only one? There were so many nuggets of wisdom throughout this course that picking one single piece of advice feels impossible. Maybe the one that, ultimately, had the biggest impact on me in the long run (because it made me enroll in the course in the first place) was that I didn’t need a published book, or MFA, or professional editing experience to start on this journey. After working with a dozen of writers before I even got certified, I can attest this to be 100% true. None of them had ever asked me about my qualifications. All they wanted to know is if I can help them write a better book and draw their story out into the light.
Q: Do you plan to coach writers in your own business?
Lidija: Yes. I’d love to work with writers of Accessible Literary, women’s, Upmarket, Contemporary, and Historical fiction, as well as YA writers in the same space. Over time (within next year), I hope to include workshops and group coaching in the list of my services. I’m very interested in helping writers craft emotionally resonant, well-told stories, so expanding my knowledge and coaching experience in that space is one of my top priorities.
Q: What are you going to do to celebrate your certification achievement?!
Lidija: I wish I could say I went out and treated my family to a nice dinner, but in these Covid times and with a partial lockdown in place, this wasn’t a possibility. So I made a small feast at home by preparing a traditional Croatian dish my family loves. They deserve the celebration as much as I do, for all the time they had to endure my absence!
Q: What are the next steps in your career?
Lidija: Coaching and further educating myself in areas of writing craft and entrepreneurship. Also, continuing my work in my Writers’ Book Club, which is a small but very engaged group of writers of the genres I coach.
Start your own journey by watching our free All About Book Coaching video series.
