About Holly Bellebuono

I’d like to tell you a bit about me. About WHY and HOW I do what I do, and why I’d like to help YOU write your book proposal.

I wrote sappy poetry as a teenager. I dutifully attended local book writer club meetings and listened and participated. In college, I majored in English & Creative Writing… but I didn’t really have anything... a purpose or a cause or a topic... to WRITE ABOUT until I became an herbalist.

Learning about edible and medicinal plants became my passion and I poured myself into building my apothecary and organic businesses. I finally wrote (and self-published) my first book so that the students in my school's courses would have a textbook. Soon after that, I was approached by an editor who asked me to write a book for them, and I experienced my first publishing house contract.

Going the nonfiction route made sense for me, even though I’ve got fiction manuscripts and screenplays “in the drawer” that may one day come out. Having a passion, an expertise and a “backbone” to my writing gave me a clear sense of purpose and allowed me to pitch my knowledge to publishing houses who wanted it.

I want you to know my story because I think you'll see that I come from a place of understanding for your journey. I've been there.... I've lived through the frustrations of submitting pitches to agents and getting loads of rejection letters. Of researching publishing houses to try to find the right match, only to be declined (even after successfully publishing I still received rejections for new projects!). Of trying to write a pitch for a project that didn’t do it justice because I was still in CREATIVE mode instead of SELLING mode.

I've been there. It's no fun. But there is a strategy to make sure it doesn't happen again:

A strong book proposal. Your pitch.

And now, having published 8 books in 3 languages, developed relationships with editors across the country, and spoken internationally where my book was featured, I want you to know that I can help you strongly position your book. 

Can I really help YOU?

My student Rebecca said it best when she shared her excitement over getting the ACCEPTANCE CALL from her editor: “Holly, you are the first to know that [the editor] has just emailed me to say they will take my book! Your book proposal class was extremely helpful. I am excited and nervous and very appreciative for your invaluable help! Thank you so much!”

She's referring to the Book Proposal Bootcamp online course, the most straightforward way to learn the nuts and bolts for writing a stellar book proposal. It’s filled with resources and guided activities and 4 hours of webinar instruction for a total of about 8 hours of incredibly useful lessons. Until you're ready for 1:1 coaching, it's the way to go.

And if you want this and more – including 1:1 coaching that is customized to exactly what you need and involves my eyes on your manuscript, face-to-face connection, and co-development of the best pitch and book proposal for your work… then my Book Proposal Coaching Package is what you need.

And if you'd like my straight-up author resume, here it is:

6 books, published in 3 languages, with international major publishing houses

2 books self-published

1 literary agent (NYC)

Scores of print magazine and trade journal articles published (including Juno, Parabola, Mother Earth Living, SageWoman, Taproot, United Plant Savers Journal, WellWed, Herbal Collective Canada, Kiwi Magazine, Aromaculture, Natural Awakenings, Aspire Magazine, and many more

International Keynote speaker in Canada, Costa Rica, England, and across the US, including Botanica, Walden Forum, Natural Living Expo, North Carolina Herb Assn, Consensus, Squam, MV Film Society, International Herb Assn, Mass Horticultural Society, Assn for the Study of Women & Myth, Polly Hill Arboretum, New England Women's Herbal Conf., and many more