I’m a writer and book proposal expert with an eye toward integrated business strategy.
Ever wish you could share your hard-won wisdom with the world?
I get it!
I'll never forget the day I sat across from the woman who was in charge of PR for my first book Strange Situation: A Mother's Journey Into the Science of Attachment. She asked me about topics I'd like to discuss with journalists and readers.
At the top of my list was how I went from nearly flunking out of high school to getting the book deal of my dreams. I told her that more than anything else, I wanted to help other women do the same.
She blinked. And we moved on.
Which makes sense. After just one book I was hardly an authority in writing and publishing.
Cut to four years and many client book deals later, and I’m proud to call myself a bestselling book coach.
The truth is that I’ve devoted my life to studying what it means to be a bookish human being—on the page, in the world, in my own mind and heart, and in my relationships.
My first book Strange Situation: A Mother’s Journey Into the Science of Attachment was published in April, 2020 by Random House. It’s inspired by the birth of my daughter in 2006, who I loved dearly, but feared I was failing. Why? Because I still felt like me, and not the kind of mother I’d hoped to become. So I spent ten years teaching myself the science of attachment, traveling to labs, trainings, and archives, trying to discover what kind of mother I really was. What I learned changed everything about how I thought of myself, my childhood, and the nature of love.
I’m incredibly proud that, among other incredible reviews and accolades, New Scientist called Strange Situation One of the Best Science Books of 2020.
As an essayist and researcher my work can be seen in magazines like the New York Magazine, New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Parents, and many others. My poetry has been published widely in many national journals.
I’m also an authority coach, working with female founders, visionaries, entrepreneurs and creatives on soulful business strategy, thought-partnership, and building their inner + outer authority in the world.
I received a B.A. from Antioch College, where I was one of the architects of the nation’s first Affirmative Consent Policy. I went on to receive my M.F.A in poetry from Brooklyn College, where I studied with Allen Ginsberg. I’m honored that Antioch awarded me their 2020 Rebecca Rice Award for Achievement in Profession.
I spent over a decade as a college professor teaching writing and literature to undergraduates and graduate-level teachers.
I’m a trained + certified leadership coach from Brown University’s Leadership and Performance Coach Certification Training.
A longtime Zen student and committed Jungian analysand, I’m devoted to the fine art and game-changing effects of paying attention.
I live in a small town in the Catskills with my husband, daughter, and two dogs, where I’m currently working on a novel.
Ok, so that’s my story.
Your turn!
“Bethany Saltman will be your guide and your companion, your confidante and your inspiration. Welcome to making sense of our lives from the inside out.”
—DR. DAN SIEGEL, MD
Bestselling author and clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine
I’m obsessed with nonfiction book proposals. Here’s why…
First of all, I’m a little weird.
I get up at 4:15 am. I’m a big fan of hot, sticky humid days (yes, even in the city!). And I love nonfiction book proposals.
What exactly is a book proposal, you ask?
It’s that deeply misunderstood, much maligned document that sells your book to agents and editors. Unlike in the world of fiction, where writers write and then try to sell their manuscript, in nonfiction, writers sell an idea, then they write their book. Think of your proposal like a business plan for your book.
Because nonfiction book proposals interrupt some romantic mythology around the writer as the cloistered artiste, and bring the business of books front and center, writers love to hate them.
But I’m here to change all that.
Book proposals vary in length and style, but generally speaking, a proposal is a 30-100 page narrative pitch deck. Included is the idea of your book (your hook), your table of contents, your marketing plan, your sample chapters and your author platform—that highly charged section where you have to describe all of your accomplishments, your followers, your publications, your network, aka, a your author-ity.
And don’t worry if you don’t yet feel like you have much of a platform! That’s why you’re here. We’ll go through this platform business in great detail—what it means, how to build one, and how you relate to your authority. And then, we’ll work together to train you on how to leverage every little bit of your well-earned platform.
Writing itself is often a private, in your prayer-closet affair. But selling is very public, and can feel pretty scary if you’re not used to putting yourself out there.
But you can take solace in the fact that pretty much every nonfiction book published by a “traditional publisher” —memoir, self-help, biographies, cook-books, you name it—comes into the world as a proposal.
Think of it like this: you’re asking publishers to invest in the start-up that is you and your book. Your proposal is your pitch. The reason I work primarily with women seeking traditional publishing deals is because most hybrid or self publishing outfits don’t require proposals. And so, where’s the fun in that?
Check out this easy guide on
The difference between traditional, self-publishing and hybrid publishing
What this all means is that even you—emotional, brilliant, messy, creative, but maybe not-business-minded (yet!), or just-shy-to-market yourself—you will have to write a proposal if you want to sell a book to a publisher.
I know it’s daunting.
But the path is clear, and you’re not alone.
What are the 7 Myths of Female Authority?
Stick with me and I’ll help you debunk them all.
Testimonial
“Bethany Saltman helps us see ourselves—and our relationships—in an entirely new way.”
—LORI GOTTLIEB, Author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
Things I’m proud of
(aka scenes from the life of a serious multi-hyphenate):
Architect of the nation’s first Affirmative consent policy at Antioch College in 1990 where I received my BA. In 2021, Antioch awarded me their Rebecca Rice Lifetime Achievement Award.
MFA in poetry with Allen Ginsberg as my advisor + published in many national journals in my 20s.
PHD Coursework in linguistics/teaching writing.
College professor of writing, literature, and action research for public school teachers.
Professional researcher for NYT bestselling authors.
Essayist for New York Magazine, Goop, Tricycle, The Sun, Parents Magazine, LitHub, etc.
Decades of Zen training including many (many!) week long silent meditation retreats; a resident of Zen Mountain monastery.
My book Strange Situation: A Mother’s Journey Into the Science of Attachment was published by Random House in 2020. The book was named one of the best science books of 2020 by New Scientist, was translated around the world, is still taught in grad-level psych classes, and is a proud member of the Random House backlist. Not bad for a girl who barely graduated high school!
In 2020, I started my book coaching business. My clients have gotten agents, deals and are now bestsellers.
I’m a Brown University/ICF-trained leadership coach with years of experience studying the inner and outer modern workplace.
These days I’m hard at work on a novel based on a Chinese folk tale turned Zen koan, as well as a few stories and essays. Next stop: a book of poems called “The Life we Chose and the One we Didn’t” (you can read the title poem here.)
What’s the little voice you hear? It just might be your book calling.
Writing a book takes time, deep listening, and trust in the creative process. Learn more about how I can help you unpack your big idea and organize it into a book that will sell.
