What is The Revision Roadmap?
The Revision Roadmap is an eight-week, personalized novel revision coaching program that helps fiction writers strategically strengthen their second draft with clarity and purpose. Whether you're revising your first book or your fifth, we’ll build an actionable plan tailored to your goals and creative process — so you can revise with confidence and shape your submission-ready manuscript.
Here's what you get:
A digital copy of your personalized Revision Roadmap based on your full manuscript, breaking the revision process into weekly, digestible steps
Six weeks of targeted editorial feedback tailored to your manuscript’s unique opportunities
A 3,000-word critique of your revised pages — so you know what’s working and where you might want to pivot
Optional pitch review (for querying writers)
A personalized next-step strategy to guide you after the program ends
Weekly coaching support —1:1 email access + optional 45-minute video check-ins
A physical copy of your personalized Revision Roadmap, weekly feedback, & bonus resources, printed, bound and shipped right to your door - so you can mark it up, revisit insights, and keep it as your ongoing revision companion. *shipped at the end of the program
Who this program is for:
The Revision Roadmap is designed for fiction writers with a completed manuscript (typically 60,000–80,000 words) who are ready to revise but unsure how to move forward. It’s a great fit for writers who know that something isn't working but they can't pinpoint what, and are craving a professional-level editorial eye that can help them devise a clear and targeted revision strategy that unlocks the full potential of their work. Especially, it's well-suited for authors writing in the following spaces:
Young adult & adult fiction
Upmarket, grounded speculative, or contemporary stories (including genre and genre-bending fiction)
Manuscripts with a clear emotional core, character-driven plots, and strong voice
I don’t currently offer coaching for science fiction, fantasy, or epic-length manuscripts.
Program pricing:
Beta-Round: As part of the launch of this program, I’m opening three early client spots at a special beta rate of $1,200 (a $900 discount). In return, I'd love your honest feedback — and, if you're comfortable, an optional testimonial.
Future rounds of the program will be priced at $2,100.
Payment Structure:
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1/3 due at signing
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1/3 due at the beginning of week two
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1/3 due at the beginning of week four
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Receive a $100 discount when you pay 100% at signing.
Refund + Cancellation Policy:
Because this is a deeply personalized and collaborative coaching experience with limited availability, all payments are non-refundable. However, as an author myself, I completely understand that life happens and can unexpectedly affect our writing plans. So, if you need to pause or cancel midway through The Revision Roadmap—for any reason—you have two options:
Option 1: Pause + Resume Later
You may transfer any unused coaching sessions to a future start date within 6 months, with no penalty. Your current payments will be held and applied whenever you’re ready.
Option 2: Cancel Future Payments
If you prefer to cancel the package entirely, you may do so at any point. You won’t be billed for future payments, but payments that were already made are non-refundable.
This policy ensures I can reserve time and attention for each client while giving you the flexibility to step away if you ever need to. If you have questions at any point, please know that you can always reach out!
The 8-week Structure
Week 0: Onboarding & manuscript review (Pre-Work — 2 Weeks)
Before we officially begin, you’ll send me your full manuscript and complete a short questionnaire to help me understand your goals, challenges, and vision for your story. I’ll spend this time reading your draft and developing a personalized roadmap so we can hit the ground running in Week 1.
Deliverables:
Client: Submit manuscript and complete revision goals questionnaire
Coach: Read manuscript and prepare customized roadmap
Week 1: Setting your revision goals
With your manuscript review complete, we’ll kick things off by aligning on your goals and creative vision. You’ll receive your personalized roadmap, and we’ll walk through it together to ensure you feel clear, confident, and energized for the revision ahead.
Deliverables:
Client: Review roadmap and revision strategy
Coach: Deliver initial feedback and guide kickoff call
**Please note, the following represents a sample revision roadmap. Focus areas and discussion points will be fully personalized to address your manuscript’s unique needs.
Week 2: Navigating developmental edits
We’ll focus on plot, pacing, and your overall narrative arc to help ensure that your story is achieving what you want it to.
Deliverables:
Coach: Deliver detailed developmental revision notes.
Client: Review coach’s developmental feedback and submit notes/questions.
Week 3: Character & voice
This week is all about character development and authenticity. We’ll take a close look at arcs, motivations, voice, and dialogue to help your characters leap off the page and feel as alive for your reader as they do for you.
Deliverables:
Coach: Provide tailored character and voice revision suggestions.
Client: Reflect on feedback and complete character revision exercises.
Week 4: Scene analysis
Writing is rewriting—and sometimes that means hitting delete. This week, we’ll zoom in on your story at the scene level to assess what needs to be revised, reordered, or removed to keep your narrative tight and full of momentum.
Deliverables:
Coach: Provide Scene Diagnostic Overview
Client: Review and implement scene analysis feedback.
Week 5: Prose & line editing
This week, we’ll shift from what you’ve written to how you’ve written it. We’ll dig into the craft—refining language, tightening prose, and making sure your words truly sing on the page.
Deliverables:
Coach: Provide specific feedback on prose, including a line-edited example from the client’s manuscript.
Client: Review and implement prose and line-level feedback.
Week 6: Refining the copy edit
This week is all about the details. We’ll scan for continuity errors, inconsistencies, and lingering typos—small fixes that make a big difference for readers and publishing professionals.
Deliverables:
Coach: Deliver a continuity and proofreading checklist, as well as a manuscript formatting guide.
Client: Apply checklist and formatting guidelines throughout your manuscript.
Week 7: Polish, pivot (if needed), and pitch
This week is all yours—and you’ve really earned it!! Continue applying feedback, tie up loose ends, and/or reflect on how your manuscript is evolving. You can submit a revised section (up to 3,000 words) for feedback so we can assess what’s working and work through any areas where you're still feeling stuck. If you have a pitch, we’ll polish that, too.
Deliverables:
Client: Submit one of your revised sections (up to 3,000 words) for feedback; submit a pitch (optional)
Coach: Provide detailed feedback on revised pages and pitch.
Week 8: Reflection & next steps
We’ll take this time to celebrate all you’ve done and plan for what’s to come. We’ll outline next steps for your story to ensure you’re ready to keep pushing for your goals.
Deliverables:
Client: N/A
Coach: Deliver personalized next-step strategy.
Take a peek inside your revision roadmap!
Printed and bound mock-up of Revision Roadmap
Printed and bound mock-up of Revision Roadmap
Delivered virtually and shipped at the end of the program
Why this format?
Revision is one of the most overwhelming steps for writers—it's hard to know where to start, and even harder to feel confident about what needs to change. But the truth is, revision is essential for any writer hoping to be published. It’s what transforms a rough draft into a real book.
The Revision Roadmap breaks the process into clear, manageable steps—so you always know what to tackle next—and pairs it with hands-on guidance from an experienced author, so you can efficiently edit with clarity and confidence.
What if I need more than eight weeks to revise?
One of the beautiful (and, sometimes, frustrating!) things about writing is that we all move at our own pace, and that pace can change from story to story or even from week to week. While some writers will be able to work through their revisions by the end of the program, others won’t—and that’s totally okay.
The benefit of how The Revision Roadmap has been designed is that it breaks feedback into manageable steps and focus areas each week. So, even if you don’t have the time—or inspiration—to execute the revisions right away, you’ll still have full access to me as you brainstorm and plan out how you can address the feedback when you’re ready to.
One of the most challenging and time-consuming parts of revision isn’t writing the edits, it’s figuring out how to make the edits work in the broader context of your story. During the eight weeks that we work together, you’ll hone your plan of attack so that, when it’s time to execute, you’re writing efficiently and with total clarity. And don’t forget—you’ll have your e-copy and bound-copy of your personalized revision roadmap to support you even after the program ends.
Why me?
Hi! I'm Charlene.
I’m Charlene Thomas — a three-time published author with Penguin Random House and Scholastic, with more books coming soon. I hold a teaching certificate in creative writing from the University of Cambridge, and I’ve spent years mentoring writers, leading workshops, and critiquing manuscripts. So often, I’ve seen ridiculously talented writers burn out at the revision stage and give up on projects that had so much promise—simply because the uncertainty and overwhelm felt insurmountable.
But as someone who truly loves revision, I’m here to tell you: it doesn’t have to be that way. There are efficient, motivating ways to approach editing that keep you moving forward without losing your spark. I designed this program to help you do just that.
[You can learn more about my writing and background here → (www.charlenethomasbooks.com)]
While The Revision Roadmap is a new program, I’ve spent years helping writers create polished, submission-ready manuscripts through mentorships, workshops, and editorial critiques. Here’s what a few of those writers have to say about working with me:
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What kind of manuscripts is this program for? A: This program is for fiction writers with a completed manuscript between 60,000–80,000 words. I specialize in YA and adult fiction, particularly upmarket, contemporary, and grounded speculative novels. I do not currently offer coaching for sci-fi, fantasy, or epic-length books.
Q: I’m still revising my first draft. Can I still take advantage of this program? A: Yes, as long as the full manuscript is complete and you're ready to dive into revision, you're welcome to participate in this program. However, if you're still finishing your draft, this program might be a bit premature—but feel free to reach out with questions!
Q: How much time should I expect to commit each week? A: That truly depends on the types of revisions we believe your story needs. I would recommend planning to commit at least 3 hours per week to review feedback and prep for optional coaching calls, with an additional few hours if you plan to also tackle revisions. The workload is broken into focused, manageable steps—so you can make meaningful progress even with a busy schedule.
Q: What if I fall behind or need to pause? A: Life happens! If you need to pause midway through the program, you can either: •Resume within 6 months at no extra charge, or •Cancel future payments with no penalty (payments already made are non-refundable)
Q: Is there any live/real-time interaction? A: Yes! Each week includes the option to schedule a 45-minute coaching call with me to talk through feedback, roadblocks, or questions. You’ll also have email access throughout the program for ongoing support.
Q: Am I working with you directly? A: Yes! Every week—after you receive your personalized feedback for a particular revision focus area in your manuscript—you will have the option to schedule a 45-minute call with me to discuss any questions, ideas, or even do some creative brainstorming. Additionally, you can email me throughout the program with any questions. (To protect your time and mine, I recommend batching your questions or thoughts into 1–2 emails per week. I’ll respond within 1–2 business days and make sure you’re always supported without getting overwhelmed.)
Q: How do payments work? A: The beta round of this program is $1,200, with an option to break it into three-part milestone payments. No payment is required until we’ve had a short discovery call and confirmed we're a fit. (This program will increase to $2,100 for future rounds.)
Q: Will I get feedback on my revised work? A: Yes! In Week 7, you’ll have the option to submit up to 3,000 revised words from your manuscript for additional feedback. It’s a great way to test how things are landing and adjust as needed before moving forward.
Q: Do I need to be agented or published to apply? A: Not at all. This program is for writers at all career stages—from early-career authors looking to level up, to seasoned writers who want fresh eyes and a structured revision plan.
Q: Is this program right for self-publishing authors? A: Absolutely! Whether you're pursuing traditional, indie, or self-publishing, this program focuses on enhancing the craft, clarity, and power of your story. The skills (and feedback) apply to any publishing path.
Q: Will my manuscript be ready for submission when I finish the program? A: If you’re able to keep up with the weekly editorial feedback, it’s absolutely possible to walk away with a polished, submission-ready draft. But even if you don’t complete all revisions during the eight weeks, you’ll leave with a clear, actionable roadmap for what comes next. Remember: submission is a highly subjective process, and the only thing we, as writers, can control is producing the strongest manuscript possible. This program is designed to help you do exactly that.
Q: Can you guarantee I'll get an agent and/or publishing deal by completing this program? A: No, and--unfortunately--no one can ever promise you a certain outcome for your manuscript. Publishing is a highly subjective business, and this program exists to support you in creating a polished manuscript that's ready for consideration by publishing professionals (or, if you're self-publishing, ready for your readers!).
Q: Do you work with international authors? A: Yes! I am based in the U.S. and happily work with writers in other countries. I only require that your manuscript be written in English, and that you're able to communicate with me in English (because, unfortunately, it's the only language I can speak *sigh*)
Ready?
Ready to dive into your revision with a personalized plan and experienced guidance? Let’s talk about your story and goals — no pressure, just a chat to see if The Revision Roadmap is the right fit for you. Fill out the form below, and I'll be in touch in 3-5 business days.
Looking for a writing coach but not ready for The Revision Roadmap? Check out ways I might be able to support you here.