Sell Your Story with Author Katie Simon
At the author of Tell Me What You Like: An Honest Discussion of Sex and Intimacy After Sexual Assault (Citadel, 2025) with work in the New York Times, Washington Post, Vogue, New York Magazine, Oprah Daily, Playboy, The Rumpus, Tin House, Roxane Gay’s magazine, Women’s Health, Health, Insider, and more, I’ve seen my words in print in dozens of publications.
My first piece for The Washington Post was the 9th most popular article they published that year. I became a contributer to the Post.
Oprah Daily featured my excerpt at the top of their home page and newsletter.
My piece for Insider was ranked the second most popular article on the Internet the day it came out and was translated into four languages.
It was cold pitched articles that got agents so interested to read my query letter and sign with me. In my experience, the query is as much about proving your book project is salesworthy as it is about proving you, personally, can make those sales happen. Similarly, it takes a lot more than being a talented author to sell a book off a proposal.
So, what can I do for you? I can help you pitch, persuade, and maneuver your way into actually selling what you write, short or long form, just how I’ve been doing for a decade. I can also ghostwrite your book—see the bottom of the page.
Email katiewsimon@gmail.com with a 1-2 sentence description of what you want to work on to get started.
Book Proposal SOS
For detailed and highly specific feedback on full-length book proposals for nonfiction with up to 2 sample chapters, including a 45 minute coaching call. This includes feedback on every section of the book proposal not just for the writing, but for sales/marketing/publicity strategy, a honed author bio, reworked comps, and reviewing ways to make the proposal stand out. Takes up to one month, or within 1 week for double. Must have been written by a human, not generative AI.
$1,950 up to 20,000 words; email for longer book proposals or requests outside above description.
$3,900 for 1 week turnaround
Email katiewsimon@gmail.com to get started.
Query Letters to Agents - Help!
For query letters to agents—especially nonfiction, whether narrative, commercial, literary, essays, memoir, researched, you name it—I'll give you developmental feedback, marketing-related feedback, and potentially line edits to reshape your message including 2 follow up questions over email. Takes two weeks for initial feedback, or within one week for double. Must have been written by a human, not generative AI.
Query letter feedback - $265
Make feedback tailored to multiple specific agents - extra $75 x [number of agents]
Hyper-tailored list of a half dozen suggested agents to reach out to (only for nonfiction) - $225
Email katiewsimon@gmail.com to get started.
Article/Essay Pitches that Actually Land
For pitches—especially for pieces to commercial pubs like magazines and newspapers—I'll give you 3 actionable bullet points of specific-to-you feedback to make your pitch land better. Takes up to one week, or within 72 hours for double. Must have been written by a human, not generative AI.
Pitch help at $40 x [number of pitches]
Within 72 hours $80 x [number of pitches]
Must have target pub selected—or I’ll come up with 4 suggestions for $35
Email katiewsimon@gmail.com to get started.
Re-reviews
A second round of review is cheaper than the first round, so long as we’re working with the same material. If you did a total rewrite, sign up for a first round option. Must have been written by a human, not generative AI. For a second look at a:
pitch, it's $30.
query letter, it's $125.
for book proposals, upon request.
Email katiewsimon@gmail.com to get started.
Coaching Calls and Career Strategy Sessions
A 55 minute coaching call on pitches, how to find editors’ contact info, queries, proposals, agent background research, book publicity, picking a topic (and an angle), planning tie-in pieces, and more, includes two follow up questions over email. Or, we can take a broad look at your career and identify milestones, challenges, and a strategy to achieve your new plan. I’ll follow up with a list of actionable notes on our chat. I do not give feedback on written documents during these calls unless you purchased a feedback package, too!
$165 for 55 minutes
Email katiewsimon@gmail.com to get started.
Email Feedback
For feedback on any professional email within one week. Must have been written by a human, not generative AI. Note this does not include any follow up questions by email.
Email feedback is $40 x [number of emails]
Within 48 hours $75 x [number of emails]
Email katiewsimon@gmail.com to get started.
You are welcome to gift these options, just email katiewsimon@gmail.com to coordinate.
Speeding up the timeline for double payment is conditional upon my acceptance of the project, and I will respond to accellerated requests within 24 hours.
FAQ
Why is this stuff so hard?
Well, for one thing, Big Writing Education teaches us to write only what speaks to us, and to disregard the audience (including the buyer) until much later in the game. That means we end up frustrated, unable to sell work that we’ve labored over for months, or even years. But it’s not just the verbiage of the pitch that matters; I always let clients know if I think a tweak to their actual angle will make a difference—pitches aren’t written in blood, nor are query letters or proposals for books
Is this only for professional writers? Or only for amateurs?
This is for anybody who wants their writing to stick out in the sea of submitted book proposals, pitches, and query letters. It’s for marketing/publicity/sales-minded folks who care about how their projects can better reach targets, achieve sales, and help build their career—and for folks who aren’t as experience in those things, but want to do better. It’s for folks who want to publish their work and build a writing career, whether you’re at the beginning stages or this is your third go around.
What do I send you?
In addition to the copy of your pitch/query/proposal, I’ll ask you to answer a few questions for context (who has already rejected this, who is your goal audience, how do you hope this will help your career, what’s your dream pub for this to land in). I may ask a clarifying question or two. I will also send you a mini contract to sign digitally, and you’ll pay over Venmo or Zelle. It’s that simple!
What kind of feedback will you receive?
I’ll point out some “writing issues,” and I’ll definitely point out places you could pitch your piece or yourself more effectively, with notes on how. I might ask you to include different information, make cuts, or refocus the lens on what’s important—or even the structure of your sentences. I always give examples. You will not receive a reworked, polished second draft—I’m here to give you feedback, not rewrite your work!
Do you offer ghostwriting?
I do! I enjoy it immensely and am currently looking for projects by visionary creatives and entrepreneurs with insights and stories to share (if you’re not sure what your narrative is, I can help). I have a decade of experience writing based on interviews and carefully covering other people’s personal and professional stories. Email me at katiewsimon@gmail.com for all the details.