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Testimonials

What are Clients Saying?

Brad has helped hundreds of people just like you accomplish their goal of becoming a published author.

Working with Brad was one of the most important decisions I made as an author. While he certainly helped lay out a tangible, step by step blueprint for my project, what I found most valuable was his ability to see the big picture. Brad has a very unique way of getting to know his clients, understanding where they shine, and ensuring that they elevate themselves where it matters most. I anticipate I will be leveraging his guidance and expertise long into the future.

Eddie Pinero

Inspirational Speaker and YouTube Influencer

Brad Wetzler has helped me focus and structure my narrative nonfiction writing in very insightful ways. He has worked with me in propelling my writing, and improving my craft in practical and applicable ways that make a writer thoughtfully consider the many aspects of clear and effective writing. I highly recommend his workshops, writing coaching, and consulting for anyone serious about improving, learning, and growing as a writer.

Mark Werkema

Airline Pilot, Historian, and Nonfiction Writer

Mimi Hayes Author of "I'll Be OK, It's Just a Hole In My Head"

A few years ago I was referred to Brad when I started editing my memoir and I had no idea what I was doing. Brad took the mystery out of book writing and broke things down for me step by step and tailored his mentorship to my writing needs. He challenged me to get to the root of my emotions so that I could engage my readers authentically. He made me do the emotional work! He consistently asked me the right questions at the right time so that I could unclutter my narrative. It was like book therapy! I'm happy to tell you that Brad's work with me paid off! Just a few months into moving to New York City to option my book I picked up a book deal! If it weren't for Brad I would've been stuck on my storyline, unable to break my story free! Pick it up this fall and check for Brad's name in the acknowledgments! He's the real deal!

Scott Carney Author of "The Wedge" and "What Doesn't Kill Us"

I was in a tough spot before I found Brad Wetzler. I'd been working on a manuscript for a Big Five publisher for two years and rewritten the entire text two times over. It was the sequel to a New York Times bestseller I had put out a couple years prior. However, the editor assigned to me by my publisher couldn't offer me any useful advice for how to fix it. With deadlines looming, I needed to get the book done. So I called up Brad and over the course of a month he helped me work the kinks out. He could see the forest for the trees, and gave me actionable advice that turned the book around. I'd highly recommend Brad to anyone looking for a structural or developmental edit. I'll definitely be using him again
in the future.
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Brad's broad knowledge, technical guidance
and confidence building advice gave me a sense of what I could do.

- V.W.

Brad Wetzler is a gifted writing coach who uses a spirited approach to mentorship. The writer’s journey combined with Brad’s knowledge make for a  powerful journey. A spirited and earthy guy, Brad will get you where you want to go with your writing. I savor every moment I spent with coach Brad!

Diane Morrison

Author of Seven Lives: A Diva's Story

Captain Paul A. Jones Author of "From Farm to Ocean"

For years I've wanted to tell the story of my life. I have lots of bits and pieces, have started many times but became distracted and failed to progress. Brad Wetzler has helped me outline my project, encouraged me when I felt discouraged, motivated me when I was lacking focus, and pushed me to tell interesting stories rather than just list boring details. If you too want to write but can't seem to get started or have started but aren't making progress, I would urge you to hire Mr. Wetzler to assist you. You will not regret it.

Alicia Patterson Author of "The Secret to Female Vitality: Demystify Your Body, Boost Energy, and Gain Mental Clarity Through Pelvic Health"

Working with Brad has been a transformative experience as he has been the catalyst for turning a solid and potent idea (but lacking structure and cohesiveness) into a real live book proposal. His ability to bring focus to something expansive without losing the heart of the content is one of my biggest appreciations. Brad helped me add sophistication and availability to my writing without changing the intention and message of my ideas. He has helped me put a vision into grounded reality and for that gift I am eternally grateful.

Brad's feedback was so clear, concise, and insightful that I found that
I had no trouble incorporating his advice into my own writing.

- T.J.

Brad Wetzler. This guy. He straight-up told me to drink a whiskey and loosen my academic tie. He taught me how to say it straight without losing elegance. Not only did this shift my writing, it changed how I talk about what I do when I am in conversation with other therapists, my clients, and my family. In return, I feel ever more seen and heard by others. Working with Brad was more like writing therapy than writing coaching. In a pub. Over a whiskey. He said, “if you get turned down 10 times, don’t worry. That’s publishing. Just know that you have something great here.” And my book was accepted with excitement at the first Routledge board meeting where it was presented. I highly recommend his coaching if you want to write a book that readers will find accessible, where they can immerse themselves in the story, feel welcome, and really get what you want to share.

Melissa Walker

Embodied Sex Therapist (MA, LPC, R-DMT)

I contacted Brad to evaluate my novel, Lenka: A Love Story. I received back a thorough, detailed, and insightful analysis of my writing and a clear, detailed roadmap forward for revisions. Then, after the manuscript eval, I hired Brad to coach me to write a second draft of the book.

Brad’s knowledge of both the creative process and the technical craft issues of writing were obvious. Based on his copious feedback, my fear was that I wouldn’t be able to incorporate all his knowledge and wisdom into my own sentences. But that turned out not to be an issue. Brad’s feedback was so clear, concise, and insightful that I found that I had no trouble incorporating his advice into my own writing. And where doubts remained, Brad showed up in our coaching sessions with such patient, wise teachings, suggestions, and recommendations that the revising process turned out to go very smoothly.

Thomas Jacobson

Author of Lenka: A Love Story

One of his mantras really helped me through moments of doubt:  ‘Tom, I can’t write your book for you. However, you know this. You understand what to do next. Trust yourself. Trust what your story is telling you to say. The story is your teacher, not me. Trust the story. You’re on the right path.’ 
And then, frequently, he would follow that up with a gentle, subtle teaching that would be exactly what I needed. It was like he read my mind. 
Even though Brad has incredible knowledge of his craft and writing skills way beyond mine,  I never once felt talked down to.

I strongly recommend contacting Brad for your fiction writing or nonfiction writing project. He will help you get clear about plot, character development, narrative momentum, scene-setting, writing anecdotes, landing your themes. 

But trust me, Brad isn’t a softie. He makes you work. He gives you the hard advice that you don’t necessarily want to hear.  I’ve been writing for fifty years, but I never published anything until I worked with Brad. I finally feel as though I can write. And I have the confidence now to go it alone. But I never hesitate to reach out to Brad for a quick “clarity” session.  A huge thanks to Brad! Feel the power! 

Thomas Jacobson

Author of Lenka: A Love Story

I value his insightful, nurturing one-on-one approach to coaching.

-A.M.

Memoirist Whitney Gale On Her Experience With Brad Wetzler And Memoir Academy

When Brad Wetzler's clients publish their books, their lives are transformed. They get more leads,  income, and opportunities to impact the world.

Whitney Gale

More Praise for Brad

Melissa Walker Broomfield, CO

Through my work with Brad I have become a more direct and accessible writer, speaker, and therapist. He helped me loosen my academic speech to uncover my true voice and purpose. While I thought I was just writing a book, I have emerged with a fully integrated vision of what I have to offer the world.

Amanda McCracken Essayist, Boulder, CO

As my writing teacher and coach, Brad Wetzler helped me tremendously. He knows how to ask the key questions that a writer of memoir and personal essay must ask themselves on the page. He challenged me in a major way. I value his insightful, nurturing, one-on-one approach to coaching. I'm eager to see where it leads."

J.S. Denver, CO (Book In Progress)

Brad Wetzler has turned out to be my dream writing coach. Brad has a knack for easing me out of my head--my comfort zone-- and into my heart. His feedback always feels sensitive, responsive, and exactly what I need to improve. He gives the input I need to hear, even if it isn't always the feedback I want to hear. He has helped me understand the realities of the marketplace without squelching my passion for writing or vision for my memoir.

Through my work with Brad, I have become a more direct and accessible writer, speaker, and therapist.

-M.W.

–Loralee Leavitt Kirkland Washington Author of Candy Experiments, Candy Experiments 2,
and Road Tripping

I’ve published magazine articles and nonfiction books, so I have some writing experience. But I kept getting lost in my new project, a sprawling mishmash of land descriptions, historical details, rare plant discoveries, and nail-biting auctions that wouldn’t come together even when I rewrote and rewrote. Brad helped me find the heart of the story, connect it to the larger world, and improve my skills as we brought the piece into focus.

-Wayne E. Mayer Ph.D Founder & CEO, When Everything Matters

There are some speakers so authentic, sincere, and captivating, that you don't want their storytelling to end. Unexpected pleasures and surprising sorrows keep you wondering, what's next? Brad Wetzler is such a speaker. He knows whereof he speaks. And that makes him a wonderfully gifted storyteller.

-Ilana Redstone Associate Professor University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

I had the good fortune to work with Brad for several sessions. I wanted to improve my writing and to reach a non-academic audience. Brad helped me understand how to do both better. He provided specific and actionable feedback on pieces of mine he’d read, in addition to giving general advice on how to craft future work in a way that would interest a broader readership. Working with Brad made my writing more coherent and I came away from our lessons more able than before to strengthen my own work going forward. Overall, Brad was great to work with and I’d recommend him to any academic wishing to expand their reach.

–V.W. Denver, CO

As a fledgling writer, I had hoped to find a coach who might offer frank, but encouraging critiques. Brad's broad knowledge, technical guidance and confidence building advice gave me a sense of what I could do. His words continue to resonate.

I'm grateful for Brad’s abilities as not only as an editor,
-- someone who understands structure, voice, tempo --
but also someone who gives me hope.

-S.C.

A Successful Social Entrepreneur Discusses Brad Wetzler's Writing Coaching

Mark Jacobson | Seattle, Washington

I was so lucky when I stumbled across Brad’s website a couple of years ago. He’s been an extraordinary coach and supporter of my writing. Given my lack of writing experience, that was just what I needed (and still do.) I could go on about my experience with him and how he helped me but I think it might be more useful to list out the reasons why Brad has been such an amazing coach.

Writing/ Editing Skills

    • Writing – Brad wrote for all the major magazines and continues to do so. This is a crucial factor I’ve learned. There are teachers of writing who wrote some pieces long ago and now make their living from primarily teaching. Brad’s a writer and knows it’s never easy, knows the feelings you’re having, the challenges you’re going through.
    • Editing  –  He worked as an editor for Outside magazine for several years. This is a different skill than writing, I’ve learned, and it’s rare to find both in the same person.
    • Outlining/ organizing – He takes the mess one’s written and is skillful in molding and massaging this into a structure that works well.
    • The craft, the grammar, the basics. He’s taught writing and leads workshops on it. Along with the content and the structure, he’ll give select tips as you go along to strengthen it. Just enough, not a barrel of them, so you can focus on them one at a time.
    • Book publishing – If your aim is to publish a book, Brad knows the process thoroughly. He’ll listen to you and your ideas, get you structured, then writing a messy first draft, then putting this into a polished 25 to 50 page book proposal, and finally help guide you through the labyrinthine publishing process.
    • Fiction and Non-fiction – I write non-fiction, my brother writes fiction. We both use Brad and are equally pleased and fortunate to do so.

Coaching Skills

    • Highly experienced. This makes a huge difference. He’s not a writer who just now is starting in with coaching. He’s been doing it a long time and that translates into expertise and competence.
    • Taskmaster/ accountability tzar. If you need someone to help you set and hold to deadlines, to keep the momentum moving, then he will do so.
    • Cheerleader and warm supporter. Sometimes we need encouragement, strength when we’re flagging, someone to fight the despair and depression that can come with writing. Brad knows when to do this and is great at it.
    • He’s got the 6 month programs, the writing packages, etc., that you’ll see on all writing coaches sites, but he’s more attuned to what you need, and adjusts for it. Some coaches seem more intent on marching you through their “15 chapters in 5 months” gimmicky offers, always with a sharp eye on the clock and using pre-written material. Brad doesn’t do that.

Finally…

Brad’s a very warm, friendly, spiritual guy.

He’s been through ups downs in his life. His life experience gives him humility, wisdom, and a humanity that sets him apart from his slicker competitors. He’s also a yogi, meditator, spiritual seeker, and a decades-long fan of the Grateful Dead and Krishna Das.

Yes, he’s become a friend of mine, but everything I say in this testimony is true.

Congratulations on finding him.”

Join hundreds of memoirists and nonfiction authors who have reframed their life stories, become published authors, and found freedom!

As your professional book writing coach and editor, I will help you write and publish your book and realize your dream of being a real author!

Brad Wetzler is an author and memoir writing coach. Make this the year you complete your memoir. Download the free "How to Tell a Great Story" e-book and schedule a free 30-minute consultation today.

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