For established experts ready to write a nonfiction book
Before you spend a year writing a book, make sure it’s the right one.
Work one-to-one with an editor to get clear on your book’s reader, message, and purpose before you start writing.
Investment: $695
- 90-minute private session
- Personalized editorial feedback
- 30-minute follow-up
- Written Book Alignment Brief
With Amber Parr Burdett, an editor with 15+ years of experience, 6M+ words edited, and 250+ clients across 11+ countries.
You’ve spent years developing your expertise. You know you have something worth sharing.
But a good idea doesn’t automatically make the right book.
Before committing months to writing and thousands to publishing, make sure your book has the right reader, a clear message, and a purpose that fits the business you’ve worked so hard to build.
The Book Alignment Intensive is a private strategy and editorial experience designed to help you make those decisions before you begin writing.
You’ve had the book idea for a while.
Maybe it started with a client telling you, “You really need to write a book.”
Or maybe you’ve spent years teaching, speaking, coaching, or consulting and realized how much of what you know could help people beyond your current clients.
You’ve probably thought about what you would call it. Maybe you’ve opened a document and started outlining chapters.
You can picture the finished book.
What you’re less certain about is everything that has to happen between now and then.
- Is this the right idea?
- Am I writing for the right audience?
- Will this book actually support the work I’ve already built?
And perhaps the biggest question of all:
What if I spend a year writing it and realize I should have written a different book?
These are the questions worth answering now.
Because your time matters. Your professional reputation matters. And the book you’re preparing to write deserves more than an interesting idea and a willingness to work hard.
The question
You have enough expertise to write several books. Which one should you write first?
When you’ve spent years working in your field, narrowing your knowledge into one book can be surprisingly difficult.
Everything feels connected. Every client story brings up another lesson. Every chapter idea leads to three more.
You know the material.
But your future reader doesn’t need everything you know.
They need the right part of your expertise, presented in a way that helps them understand something, accomplish something, or see their situation differently.
And if this book is going to become part of your professional work, you also need to understand how it fits.
That’s the work we do together.
The experience
Introducing the Book Alignment Intensive
A private book strategy and editorial experience for established experts.
We’ll look at the book you’re considering through the lens of your reader, your message, your values, and the business you’ve built.
I’ll bring my experience as an editor and book strategist to help you examine the idea, identify its strengths, and address the questions that need answers before you start drafting.
Then you’ll have the opportunity to put those decisions on paper, receive written editorial feedback, and return for a final conversation to refine your direction.
The goal is for you to leave with a book concept you understand more clearly—and a better sense of what it will take to bring it to life.
What you’ll walk away with
“I know I want to write a book, but I’m struggling to decide what it should focus on and whether it will support my business.”
“I have a clearer reader, a defined message, editorial feedback on my direction, and a practical next step toward writing.”
A clearer picture of your ideal reader.
Understand who your book is intended to serve and what that person needs from your expertise.
A more focused book message.
Identify the central idea your book needs to communicate and begin separating essential content from everything that can wait.
A stronger connection to your existing business.
Explore how the book supports your professional vision, the work you do, and the people you want to reach.
Personalized editorial feedback.
Receive an experienced editor’s perspective on your developing concept, including areas that need greater clarity or further thought.
Your Book Alignment Brief.
Have a written reference point for your intended reader, message, purpose, content direction, and next steps.
And perhaps most importantly, you’ll be able to approach the writing process with a much clearer understanding of the book you’re trying to create.
One payment of $695. You’ll then receive a short intake questionnaire and schedule your 90-minute session.
Here’s how we’ll work together.
A guided process, with an editor’s perspective.
We start with your vision.
Before we meet, you’ll complete a short intake that helps me understand your professional background, book idea, intended audience, and what you want this book to accomplish.
I’ll review your responses so our time together can focus on the decisions that matter.
- Pre-session intake and preparation
We spend 90 minutes getting aligned.
In our private Alignment Session, we’ll work through your Avatar, Vision, Why, and Values.
We’ll connect that work to the reader you’re hoping to reach, the message you want to share, and the bigger purpose your book will serve.
I’ll ask questions that challenge your assumptions, help you narrow your focus, and bring an editorial perspective to your ideas.
- 90-minute Book Alignment Session
- Session recording and summary
You put your book direction on paper—and I review it.
After our session, you’ll complete your Book Clarity Worksheet.
I’ll review your developing concept and provide personalized written editorial feedback on areas such as reader alignment, message clarity, scope, and potential gaps in the direction.
You’ll have an editor’s perspective on what appears promising and what deserves more attention before you begin drafting.
- Guided Book Clarity Worksheet
- Personalized written editorial feedback
We come back together for a final 30 minutes.
Once you’ve had time to consider the feedback, we’ll meet again to discuss your revisions, resolve remaining questions, and identify your next priorities.
You’ll also receive a refined Book Alignment Brief that captures the direction you’ve developed and the decisions that will guide your writing.
- 30-minute follow-up session
- Refined Book Alignment Brief
One payment of $695. You’ll then receive a short intake questionnaire and schedule your 90-minute session.
What clients say
This experience was created for someone who’s already built something worth writing about.
You’ve established yourself in your field. People come to you for your knowledge, your perspective, or the results you help them achieve.
Now you want to take that work beyond your current reach.
- Maybe you’re a consultant developing a methodology into a book.
- A business owner with an approach that deserves a wider audience.
- A coach whose clients keep asking for the same guidance.
- Or a professional who wants to share lessons from years of meaningful work.
You may be working from a single idea, several competing concepts, or an early outline.
What matters is that you’re ready to take your book seriously.
You understand that writing and publishing will require an investment, and you want to make thoughtful decisions about that investment.
That’s who I created this experience for.
When something else is a better fit
- You have a finished manuscript and want to know what editing it needs. Start with a free Manuscript Snapshot.
- You’re looking for a full manuscript edit. The Intensive focuses on your book’s direction and doesn’t include one.
- You need a complete chapter-by-chapter outline. That’s a separate stage of book development.
Not sure which describes you? Email me a few lines about your book and I’ll tell you whether this is the right next step.
Hi, I’m Amber.
I’m Amber Parr Burdett, an editor and book strategist.
Over the years, I’ve worked with authors to develop their ideas, strengthen their writing, and prepare manuscripts for publication.
- 15+
- years experience
- 6M+
- words edited
- 250+
- clients served
- 11+
- countries
And I’ve seen how much of the editing process comes back to decisions that could have been made before the writing began.
- Who is this book actually for?
- What is the author trying to communicate?
- How does everything in the manuscript support that purpose?
Those questions have become some of my favorite parts of editorial work.
I love helping people who have already built expertise figure out which parts of that experience belong in a book—and how to make those ideas meaningful for the people who will read it.
That’s what we’ll work on together.
One payment of $695. You’ll then receive a short intake questionnaire and schedule your 90-minute session.
Private book strategy
Your investment
Book Alignment Intensive
$695
Two conversations, personalized editorial feedback, and a clearer book direction.
Your private experience includes:
- Pre-session intake and preparation
- 90-minute Book Alignment Session
- Session recording and summary
- Guided Book Clarity Worksheet
- Personalized written editorial feedback on your developing book concept
- 30-minute follow-up session
- Refined Book Alignment Brief with your direction and next priorities
One payment. A focused experience built around your book.
Reserve My Book Alignment IntensiveQuestions first? Email Amber.
A few questions you might have
What if I have more than one book idea?
That’s one of the reasons this experience exists. We’ll examine your ideas in relation to the people you want to reach, the message you want to communicate, and what makes sense for your professional goals.
What if I haven’t written anything yet?
That’s completely fine. This experience is designed primarily for authors in the idea, planning, or early drafting stages.
Is this a course or a group program?
No. It’s private and one-to-one: a 90-minute session and a 30-minute follow-up with me, with written editorial feedback on your book concept in between.
How is this different from book coaching or developmental editing?
Book coaching usually supports you while you write, and developmental editing works on a manuscript you’ve already drafted. The Intensive comes before both. It’s a short, focused experience for deciding which book to write, who it’s for, and what it needs to say.
What kind of editorial feedback will I receive?
I’ll review the book concept and planning materials developed through our work together. My feedback will focus on your reader, message, content direction, scope, and potential concerns that should be addressed before drafting. It does not include a full manuscript edit.
Will I receive a completed chapter-by-chapter outline?
You’ll leave with clearer direction and recommendations for your book’s content and structure. A complete, detailed outline is a separate stage of book development.
What if I already have a completed manuscript?
If you’re primarily trying to determine what editing your finished manuscript needs, a Manuscript Snapshot may be a better fit. The Intensive is most valuable when major decisions about the book’s direction are still being made.
Can you help me write or edit the book afterward?
Yes, depending on your project and availability. If you need developmental editing, manuscript assessment, or additional support, we can discuss the next appropriate stage after your Intensive.
You’ve already done the work of becoming an expert.
Now it’s time to decide how to turn that expertise into the right book.
A book can become one of the most meaningful things you create for your audience and your professional work.
It’s worth taking the time to get the direction right.
The Book Alignment Intensive — $695
Reserve My Book Alignment IntensiveQuestions first? Email Amber.