John Malnor Book Coach

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John Malnor

Award winning self-published author and certified book coach

About This Coach

John Malnor recently added an MFA in Creative Writing to his credentials, and has a lifetime of experiences as a global business leader, startup mentor, leadership coach, award winning writer, builder, motorcyclist and musician. He is the founder of Guided Mastery LLC and Stony Lake Press LLC, author of Killers Keepers, Scars of Justice and Forced Freedom (to be published) – all crime fiction. John helps clients to design their life, their way. As a Write Practice Certified Book Coach, John partners with writers to improve their process and build the habits which lead to beginning – and finishing – great stories. He has spoken at corporate, community and university events on topics including business innovation, leading high-performance teams, designing your life, a graduate school commencement and a recent panel discussion on how design thinking impacts healthcare.

Services

One-Off Coaching Call - 30 min

Writing a book is a dream many share, but it is a difficult challenge; having someone to talk to can help to focus your efforts, create a clear direction and a reasonable plan to get there. A one-off call is best applied when you are stuck on a specific story element or are unclear about next steps.
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Book Plan Critique

A book plan can help to create an exciting vision for your book. It can save you time by providing critical pathfinding and help in celebration as you pass key milestones. We will work together, using a structure proven through years of use at the Write Practice, to create a plan for your story that will increase your odds of success to finish your first draft as the beginning of a great story. Our time together will be scheduled based upon your needs, usually taking 2-3 hours in 45 minute working sessions.
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Weekly/Monthly Book Coaching

Add this service to get an enhanced level of coaching to complete your draft or revision during the Write Practice 100 Day Book program, or separately to have regular accountability, direction and celebration of your progress. The rate will vary depending on the level of engagement which bests fit your process and needs, but I find three months is the minimum effective commitment to make real progress on your book.
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Manuscript Critique

Having someone provide an objective review of your manuscript can help you see it in a new way - uncovering new possibilities. Our manuscript review includes; key story elements, plot, point of view, key scene breakdowns, story arc, comps, and a summary of recommendations to take the story to the next level. A manuscript critique is a deep dive, including reading your manuscript multiple times and creating a working plan, helping to see the work within the story architecture to understand the strengths and identify choices to make and revisions to write to strengthen the story. Turnaround time depends upon my schedule - and is generally one to three weeks.
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Portfolio

Killers Keepers by John S Malnor

Crime Fiction

Casey Thomas was a young engineering student when he met Katie, the woman who transformed his life. Her death leaves him drifting in a current that pulls him into a confrontation with a serial rapist, whose family now wants revenge. The easy thing would be to leave. To put the conflict behind him. Katie would never back down, so he fights back. But his enemy is a crime family - not just one man. Over his head and struggling to survive, new friends step in to help. With their lives in danger, Casey discovers a dark side of himself that threatens to turn him into someone he doesn't want to be.

Scars of Justice by John S Malnor

Crime Fiction

The idyllic coastal life is disrupted when a hurricane ravages a community center, a friend is lost at sea and a local woman is taken by human traffickers. Casey Thomas begins his day helping fix the roof of a community center and ends up neck deep in the slave trade. Soon his life and the lives of others hang in the balance, while his sense of loyalty and a compelling need for justice push him to the edge.

Ghost Tears (to be published) by John S Malnor

Middle Grade Fantasy

Charlie Daniels is your average middle school boy. Then he meets a girl. A dead girl. When 11-year-old Charlie Daniels finds a treehouse in the woods with his best friend Harper, he doesn't expect a girl he meets to be an evil ghost who poisons him with a ghost tear that transforms him into a half-ghost. Ghost Tears is a Middle-Grade Fantasy about friendship, adapting to change, and finding a way to fight with courage and kindness. Set in a Chicago suburb in current times, Charlie learns the powers and limitations of being a half-ghost - including remaining almost twelve years old forever. When the ghost kidnaps Harper, Charlie must solve a decades-old murder and help two old friends reconcile, or lose Harper forever.

Reviews

Glen
Power Coaching Call
5 stars rating

Review from Glen’s Book Plan Critique,Coaching Call

Reviewed on May 5, 2025
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

I have years of technical writing experience as a software developer, but no fiction writing experience. As a new fiction writer, I am on a large learning curve – story structure, scene structure, plot development, character arc development, how to write dialog, etc. Not to mention establishing the writing habits needed to complete a long project. Most of my technical writing tasks would only take part of a day. Writing a fiction story will take months (years?). John was patient and understanding about my place in this journey. He helped me see and understand the parts of the whole and gave me a great start on putting it all together.

David
Coaching Call
5 stars rating

Review from David’s Coaching Call

Reviewed on May 3, 2025
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

John Malnor is wonderful. I have a lot of book things I want to do, and John is helping me to do them faster and better than I otherwise would have. Thanks for getting us together.

Marion
Coaching Call
5 stars rating

Review from Marion’s Coaching Call

Reviewed on May 1, 2025
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

I found John made lots of suggestions for me to consider and think about but while being respectfully mindful that it was my choice as to whether to implement those suggestions. He had also researched comparable titles and showed places where I needed to research a bit more ie about seals ability breathing so I could decide the way I wanted to use the information in the story. He had looked into websites that published authors work and he had done a lot of preparation for the session.

Gloria
Power Coaching Call
5 stars rating

Review from Gloria’s Power Coaching Call

Reviewed on March 31, 2025
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

Invaluable!! Words cannot express my gratitude. I went into the conversation at a total loss as to where my book was heading and was it even worth continuing.
I left the conversation excited and enthusiastic about proceeding with my book. Most importantly his guidance led me in the direction I needed to focus on.
How do you thank someone for the knowledge and guidance John provided.

John
Power Coaching Call
5 stars rating

Review from John’s Power Coaching Call

Reviewed on March 30, 2025
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

I was thrilled when I discovered I would have the opportunity to speak with a coach as part of the course. Having never spoken to a professional about my writing before, it was an amazing experience to connect face-to-face over Zoom. This personalized interaction added immense value to the course, far beyond what could be achieved through text and email. My coach, John Malnor, tailored our sessions to make them incredibly relevant and personal. I truly appreciated his effort in reviewing my posted stories beforehand. This allowed him to offer specific feedback on my work and create an engaging discussion about my experience with the course. His probing questions and insightful guidance, combined with personal experiences and relevant literary practices, made the coaching both practical and inspiring. This experience has been transformative, and I couldn’t be more grateful for John’s expertise. I highly recommend him to anyone looking to refine their craft and grow as a writer!

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Developmental Editing/Book Coaching
5 stars rating

Review from Shane’s Developmental Editing/Book Coaching

Reviewed on March 28, 2025
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

John is the best!

Arlene
Power Coaching Call
5 stars rating

Review from Arlene’s Power Coaching Call

Reviewed on March 28, 2025
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

John is friendly, knowledgeable, understanding and compassionate. I did not except this, so I am super pleasantly surprised. More importantly, John inspired me. I have not felt inspired in a long time. Writing is so challenging and John's understanding and acknowledgment of this fact soothed my anxious self. His advice is spot-on what I needed to hear. I feel that I have overcome a big obstacle because of our phone conversation. I highly recommend The Write Practice for help with the writing process, and I especially recommend John as a coach/mentor. Thank You!

Marion
Power Coaching Call
5 stars rating

Review from Marion’s Power Coaching Call

Reviewed on March 27, 2025
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

I found John very helpful. He was knowledgeable about the different sites that you could go to in order to find agents. He promised to email the sites addresses after the session and he was as good as his word, fulfilling his promise with reasonable promptness. He included sites and advice on finding comps and an article on how to hook an agent. The session was comfortable and conversation flowed easily. I would happily recommend John to any one looking for help and advice on the different aspects of writing. 

Anonymous
Developmental Editing/Book Coaching
5 stars rating

Review from Anonymous’s Developmental Editing/Book Coaching

Reviewed on February 26, 2025
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

John Malnor is a godsend. Kind, knowledgeable, flexible and an all around nice guy. His joy in what he's doing is always visible. Some of the many important things about writing that I didn't realize I was learning. The sessions are a lot of fun and I look forward impatiently to each one. With his help the finished book is going to be way better than it would have been without him. My only regret is that I didn't get together with John years ago.

Matthew Krecic
Book Plan Critique
5 stars rating

Review from Matthew’s Book Plan Critique

Reviewed on February 5, 2025
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

John provided firsthand knowledge about the 100 Day book program and shared what worked for him. Doing so really helped me to focus on what I needed to do to begin the program on the right foot. A plus is John's easygoing style. John is a pleasure to work with.

Dalaney
Book Plan Critique
5 stars rating

Review from Dalaney’s Book Plan Critique

Reviewed on January 30, 2025
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

It was very enjoyable and uplifting to work with John Malnor. He always made sure I understood the things I was working on, and that at the end of the day this was my idea/book and that I had the final say. He was very encouraging! I would definitely work with him again.

Rebecca
Book Plan Critique
5 stars rating

Review from Rebecca’s Book Plan Critique

Reviewed on January 29, 2025
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

John is such a boundless resource of helpful information and feedback. I truly felt so reassured in the process after having a meeting with him over my book. He brought insights to my writing I hadn't noticed and offered very effective actionable notes to help me progress to the next steps in the process. Aside from all of that, he's a very warm and lovely human who is easy to connect with and encouraging to boot.

Shane
Power Coaching Call
5 stars rating

Review from Shane’s Developmental Editing/Book Coaching,Book Plan Critique

Reviewed on January 29, 2025
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

John's a legend!

Eileen
Developmental Editing/Book Coaching
5 stars rating

Review from Eileen’s Developmental Editing/Book Coaching

Reviewed on December 23, 2024
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

John Malnor played an important role in helping me develop my book manuscript during the Fall 2024 session of the 100 Day Book program. He's provided helpful feedback on several chapters and has been an encouraging, supportive presence throughout the course. I highly recommend his services to anyone who needs a book coach. Thanks, John!

Eileen
Developmental Editing/Book Coaching
5 stars rating

Review from Eileen’s Developmental Editing/Book Coaching

Reviewed on October 30, 2024
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

John has been a big help so far, and I look forward to working with him for the next few weeks as I sort out the difficulties I’m facing in my project. I appreciate his encouragement and support.

Eileen
Developmental Editing/Book Coaching
5 stars rating

Review from Eileen’s Developmental Editing/Book Coaching

Reviewed on October 15, 2024
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

So far in the 100 Day Book program, John has provided plenty of encouragement and support and has helped me stay motivated to keep working on my project. His suggestions and feedback have been very helpful, and I'm looking forward to our continued work over the next couple of months.

Lorraine
Power Coaching Call
5 stars rating

Review from Lorraine’s Manuscript Critique

Reviewed on July 31, 2024
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

John and I had a few technology problems this morning but over the past few meetings that I have had with him I have found him to be both very encouraging as well as very, very helpful in the ideas he gives me and how to fix problems in my writing that I struggle with. So overall it has been wonderful to work with John and I really appreciate everything he is doing to help me with my writing.

Karen
Developmental Editing/Book Coaching
5 stars rating

Review from Karen’s Developmental Editing/Book Coaching

Reviewed on May 20, 2024
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

John Malnor has been a pleasure to work with. His expertise, professionalism, and support has been pivotal in helping me meet my goals. He provides respectful, knowledgeable reviews and suggestions. His guidance is invaluable and I would highly recommend John as a mentor and book coach.

Karen
Developmental Editing/Book Coaching
5 stars rating

Review from Karen’s Developmental Editing/Book Coaching

Reviewed on April 24, 2024
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

John Malnor has been a pleasure to work with. His expertise, professionalism, and support has been pivotal in helping me meet my goals. He provides respectful, knowledgeable reviews and suggestions. His guidance is invaluable and I would highly recommend John as a mentor and book coach.

Karen
Power Coaching Call
5 stars rating

Review from Karen’s Developmental Editing/Book Coaching

Reviewed on April 7, 2024
Yes, I would work with this coach again!

John Malnor is a pleasure to work with and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to TWP. He provided an in-depth, comprehensive review of my manuscript, and his support and guidance throughout the last two rounds of 100 Day Book helped me set and meet my goals.

Become an Author with the Write Coach

All of our coaches are trained and certified using our unique Write Practice methodology to give aspiring writers the knowledge, feedback, and encouragement they need to become published authors and accomplish their writing goals.

We all need a coach, someone who can point out the next step in our literary journey, and we want to help you find the right coach for you. If you’re ready to get started with John Malnor click the button below to request a quote to get started. Or if you’d like us to help you find the right coach (the write coach?) send us a note at admin [at] thewritepractice [dot] come and we’ll recommend someone. 

Good luck, and happy writing.