ABOUT RACHELLE

Rachelle Gardner, President, Gardner Literary

Rachelle Gardner

President, Gardner literary agency

As a literary agent since 2007, Rachelle has negotiated 300+ contracts with more than 20 publishers, and worked with more than 200 authors to bring their books to publication and build their careers.

She's been in publishing since 1995, worked in-house at two publishing companies, and edited books published by Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, and many more. Nowadays she feels lucky to work at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

When she's not representing or coaching authors, you can usually find her out hiking the local trails, riding her bike, haunting bookstores, or having coffee at Starbucks.

WHY LEARN FROM A LITERARY AGENT?

There’s no shortage of publishing advice available today. Writers can find information through books, blogs, podcasts, social media, conferences, courses, critique groups, and online communities. Much of that advice is helpful. Some of it is contradictory. Some of it is outdated. One of the challenges for writers is figuring out which guidance applies to their particular project, goals, and stage of the journey.

A literary agent sits at a unique intersection of the publishing industry. Agents spend their days evaluating book ideas, proposals, manuscripts, author platforms, market trends, publisher interests, and reader expectations. They see not only what writers are creating, but also how agents, editors, and publishers respond to those projects. That perspective can help writers understand how publishing decisions are actually made and where a project may fit within the larger marketplace.

The goal of these coaching sessions, workshops, and courses is not to tell every writer to follow the same path. It’s to provide clear, practical guidance so you can make informed decisions about your own work. Whether you're exploring a new book idea, preparing to query agents, building a proposal, evaluating your publishing options, or trying to strengthen a manuscript, the objective is the same: helping you understand your opportunities, identify your next best step, and move forward with greater clarity and confidence.

What People Are Saying

Rachelle’s ability to apply her expansive knowledge of the publishing industry to my specific writing career — both where I am and where I want to go in the future — is invaluable. She’s helped me navigate all the details of a writer’s life: deadlines, editors, preparing/pitching a proposal, as well as managing expectations, successes, and disappointments. Rachelle grounds me in much-needed reality, while encouraging me to pursue my writing dreams. 

~Award-winning author Beth K. Vogt

 

I can’t overstate how awesome it was to work with Rachelle on my memoir. Her keen editorial insights and brilliant revision directions made the difference between a half-baked book and one that drew eight publishers to the table. Her instincts are simply dead on. She has a rare gift for seeing the book that is trying to happen and helping the writer bring it to fruition.

~Bestselling author Heather H. Kopp

 

“My coaching session with Rachelle was invaluable. She helped me to untie some knots in my head, which were hindering my ability to make progress with my literary novel, by adding clarity, focus and purpose to the project. She read a solid sample of my work, had structured feedback and worked very hard to ascertain not only the writing itself, but who was doing the writing and why. I would highly recommend her coaching services to any writer looking to improve their work.”

~Anthony Faggioli, first-time novelist

 

I continue to depend on Rachelle’s level-headed and practical advice about the publishing world in general and my situation in particular. She’s been an invaluable asset to me along my road to writing. 

~Richard L Mabry, MD, award-winning author

 

I’ve worked with Rachelle on numerous writing projects, and she has been an integral part of each step in my publishing process. She has helped me expand and develop my ideas, strengthen my writing, consider my audience, craft proposals, and negotiate contracts. One thing I particularly appreciate about Rachelle is her honesty—she is straight-forward and direct. She has always been willing to tell me the truth, even if it hurts. This also means that when she loves my writing, I know her sentiment is genuine and my writing is strong. For an author, this is an invaluable quality of a writing/publishing coach.

~Zeke Pipher, author of Man on the Run and In Pursuit

Gardner Literary's
Author coaching hub

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Join a focused live online workshop for practical teaching and Q&A on one essential publishing topic.

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Courses & Intensives

Courses & Intensives

Go deeper with guided multi-week courses and intensives designed to help you make real progress.

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