Case Study: From Crickets to 3 Literary Agents Offering Representation
When I started my book coaching business, I knew I wanted to work with authors who were experts in their fields but new to writing books.
Sheila, the star of this case study, is exactly that!
Sheila and Her Writing Goals
(Part of) Sheila’s ~official~ bio:
Sheila Akbar is the President and CEO of Signet Education, a premier educational consultancy offering one-on-one tutoring, test preparation, academic coaching, and college and graduate admissions consulting. As the architect of a holistic, values-based framework for navigating high school and the college process, Dr. Akbar is known for her transformative approach, which emphasizes personal growth and self-knowledge as essential foundations for success.
A proud child of immigrants, Dr. Akbar grew up immersed in the belief that education is the path to opportunity and fulfillment. Yet her own journey illuminated the critical importance of self-discovery within this process.
Her unofficial bio (by yours truly): Sheila is a hella smart, first-gen, funny, artistic, kind, and grounded badass with a brilliant brain and a meaningful mission.
Her book is all about how the current college admissions process is shaped by white supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchy, and it’s possible to get your kid through it without sacrificing their values or authenticity—in fact those things will set them up for success not just in college but in life.
Sheila’s main goals with this book:
Get the message out there that authenticity is the key to navigating the college admissions process unscathed
Get published by a major publishing house (top 5 or adjacent)
The Starting Point
“I felt very clear about the idea, but not super sure I would be disciplined enough to write it. I had shared a rough proposal (the format for which I grabbed off the internet) with a publisher who just didn’t see my vision (and he may not have been the right fit anyway). “
What She Tried Before Book Coaching
Taking a framework off the internet
Modeling her proposal off of a friend’s successful proposal
Setting goals for herself that she kept putting off
Maybe you can relate?
Are you clear on your idea, but not so clear on the plan? Have you used a template to create something that still ends up being pretty rough? Have you not been able to get someone else (a gatekeeper!) to see your vision?
What We Did Together
Early Book Planning
I took Sheila through my Clear Confident Writer Framework, where we spent almost 2 months clarifying her idea (her why, the point of her book and why she’s the best person to write, her ideal reader, genre, etc.) and planning the book (structure, organization, and content).
Book Proposal Development
After setting a strong foundation for her book, Sheila spent 4.5 months developing a new book proposal. Every couple of weeks, I assigned a different section (or two) of the proposal for her to draft. (There are eight sections in the book proposal I coach my clients to create.)
We worked on each section until it was good enough to be in the final document before moving on to the next. Some didn’t need any revision (go Sheila!), and some had as many as four revisions (totally normal). And when all eight sections were finally done, we compiled the whole thing and prepared to pitch!
Pitch Prep
We spent a week(ish) on getting her query letter up to snuff, and then her pitch package was complete!
Sheila really took the reins on this next part: Agent Research. She got clear on what she was looking for in an agent, and started googling and searching places like QueryTracker and Publishers Marketplace for potential right fits.
She used an agent and query tracking template I gave her, ranked the agents in order of who she most wanted to work with (but best believe she would have been happy to work with any of the agents on her original list), and made her pitch plan.
And then it was time!
Pitching
This is one of the BEST parts of Sheila’s story.
We decided she’d pitch in batches—4 to 5 agents at a time. That way, if she ended up hearing back from someone with specific concerns, she could adjust her pitch package as needed.
Once she started, we found out luck (of the “preparation meets opportunity” variety) was on our side.
One of the first agents Sheila pitched happened to check their email right as her pitch came in and replied 33 minutes later. They read her proposal, were absolutely hooked, and were interested in meeting!
Agent Meetings and Being on Submission
Ultimately, Sheila ended up going with a different agent than the first one who responded. After getting that first bite, she was able to go back to some of the others in her first batch and let them know that they could lose out on the opportunity to represent her. (Like I said, a true badass.)
This led to two more meetings, and ultimately, she picked the best agent for her and her book!
And then, because her proposal was in such great shape (yeah, I’m bragging), her agent was able to start submitting to publishers within 2 weeks of signing on.
A few months of being on submission (summer break was during this time), Sheila’s agent got some interest from an editor at an imprint of Penguin Random House (HELLO Big 5!), and Sheila signed her book deal last month!
*It took about 1 year and 1 month from Planning to Signed Book Deal.
Wrote (Almost) a Whole Manuscript
Our journey does not end there, my friend. While she was pitching and while her agent was submitting her proposal to editors, Sheila and I started working on actually writing the book. Even if her editor was going to ask for revisions, it’d be way easier to meet the publisher’s deadlines if the project was already underway.
Sheila got through nine of her eleven planned chapters (65,000+ words) before her editor asked for some revisions on the partial manuscript she read (May 2025—February 2026).
We’re gonna keep working together until Sheila is all the way done, and I am soooo excited to support her until the end!
In Sheila’s Own Words
What specific parts of our work together did you find helpful, valuable, and/or fun?
All of it. The clarifying exercises were so helpful and I return to them all the time. The outline for the proposal was fantastic. But most of all, your sharp eye and attention to my voice and message have been the most game-changing!
Were there any unexpected results you received from working together? If so, what were they?
I did not expect to have THREE offers from reputable agents within 3 weeks of submitting my proposal, or that the proposal would be so “publisher-ready” that my agent was able to submit it within 2 weeks of me signing on.
How would you describe the overall transformation you experienced from working together?
I feel like I know what I’m doing now and I have so much more confidence in my idea.
Do you have a specific story or result you're especially proud of? (It can be anything, big or small!) Or, is there anything else you wanna share about your experience?
I’m grappling with some heavy and difficult topics in a few of my chapters, and I was worried about both going down a rabbit hole and ending up with information overload AND bumming out my reader so much that they stop reading. Time and time again, Sabrina has helped me navigate this challenge with easy-to-implement solutions and a sense of perspective!
What made you decide to work with me?
[What] tipped me over the edge in hiring you: I wanted a framework that was proven and guidance/ accountability from someone who knew what they were doing. It was a total bonus that you were also able to serve as a sounding board for ideas because of your BIPOC/immigrant background and a similar career pivot after attending a selective college!
Plus, a Brag 😏
Sabrina is like a fairy godmother for book and proposal writing. From the proposal stage to writing the manuscript, her guidance, support, thought partnership, and actionable feedback have been so helpful and spot-on. I recommend her to all my friends thinking of writing a book; she 10x’d my process and inspired so much confidence (in her, and in myself)!
And This Could Be Us <3
If you’re looking for your own success story, check out my Book Coaching Services. If you think we might be a good match, just contact me and we’ll do a vibe check.
