About Us
Can’t find the time to write your book? Don’t know how to get it published? Does it feel impossible to just get it done?
But you have a vision. You know your book can change everything for you and your business or your cause.
The difference between being a published author and someone who’s working on a book is expert guidance. Someone at your side throughout the writing and publishing process. Someone who listens to you and reads your words intently, noticing the deeper message you’re eager to share.
We help people write, polish, and (yes!) publish their breakthrough books.
Our clients are experts in their field or about their cause. Like you, they know their material inside out, but they don’t know how to write a book about it. Becoming an expert and writing about it involve totally different sets of skills and experiences.
I believe everyone has a compelling story to tell. My mission is to make your nonfiction book, memoir, or other writing project the best it can be – in your voice, for your audience. Together, we get the work done.
You know your stuff. It’s just that you may not know all the ins and outs of how to write – or market or publish – a book. That’s where we come in.
We help you find the time to make steady progress on a schedule that’s realistic and doable. We meet up regularly to answer your questions and keep you motivated. Over time, we build the team you’ll need to get everything done and to keep track of the moving parts. (We even offer marketing support.)
I love to see the real connections made between writers and their readers. I know that when people feel they have the support of an experienced guide, they allow themselves to do their best, most authentic work.
My message to you is simple: You bring the expertise and desire. We guide you through the process, and work with you closely to make your book shine.
About Anne
I’ve always been interested in the power of words. Making up my own stories kept me going as a very young person. I retreated into books for a lot of strength and sustenance when I was little. In high school, I wrote for and then edited the school paper. After college (where I wrote a lot of history papers and paid my way with a job at a publishing company), I applied to journalism school and was accepted but then decided not to go. Instead, I moved from the Midwest to New York City, worked my way into arts management, and went back to undergrad to learn music inside out. I began writing songs, paying a lot of attention to the lyrics.
I started a consulting business that I ran for many years in New York City, in which I managed private collections of art. You might think that had nothing to do with writing, but in fact writing was at its heart. What I did was get three, sometimes four, different parties with different interests to agree on things. The way you do that is by listening carefully, discovering a solution, and drafting thoughtfully. I was writing all the time. During that period, I put myself through law school because I realized one blindingly brilliant day that there was a reason the lawyers looked at the agreements I wrote and didn’t change anything.
Anne M Carley, Founder of Chenille Books
After two years on Wall Street, I opened a private law practice, alongside my arts consulting work. I worked with artists and musicians and designers. I drafted agreements that were subtle as well as accurate and enforceable. As the lawyer, you have to write it all up. It takes a lot of attention to the words and the expressions and the metaphors. Then, as luck would have it, a client asked me to create an online magazine all about the arts and education, which my office edited and produced from 1999 to 2004, just as the internet was booming. I can still feel the joy of seeing that publication come to life and reach audiences around the world.
In midlife, I moved from New York City to Charlottesville, Virginia. Although this meant giving up a secure, established livelihood, I knew the time had come. So I made plans to phase out my primary business of 25+ years, and to close the law practice.
As I looked back, I noticed that what brought me real joy were the moments when the minds met. A problem discovered its solution – a knot unraveled itself with grace – eyes lit up with enthusiasm and inspiration. I saw that my favorite medium for these moments is the written word, and my favorite clients are writers.
A longtime writer, reader, and editor, I took the next step, and in 2012 began coaching nonfiction authors through my company, Chenille Books.
Now, my work life focuses entirely on creative coaching and editing – the work I love most. And in the eight-plus years I’ve been working with authors, it’s all about the writing, and the power of writing to change the lives of authors and their audiences.
Join me. Together we’ll finish your book, polish your manuscript, and tell your story to the world. We’ll bring your vision to life.
What Does Chenille Books Actually Do?
Based in Charlottesville, Virginia, Chenille Books works with nonfiction authors and memoirists. Anne M Carley, Chenille Books’ founder, offers creative coaching and manuscript development services, to sustain and inspire writers. We love to sit down face-to-face, and also enjoy working via video, phone, and email with authors around the globe. We provide strategy and guidance for writers, supported by calm, thoughtful feedback and structure. To see details about our services, learn more…
We offer courses and trainings based on the book, FLOAT • Becoming Unstuck for Writers, and the FLOAT Cards for Writers deck, both by Chenille Books founder, A M Carley. Learn more…
Chenille Books can help you build the team you need for your texts, books, and presentations. To serve our clients we work with experts in marketing, design, web technologies, printing and pre-press, indie publishing, promotion and publicity, and other related fields.
What’s A Chenille?
When I picked the name, I didn’t know this – but it’s French for caterpillar. Which is pretty great, because manuscript development turns out to be transformative. Metamorphosis – the way the egg becomes the caterpillar which becomes the chrysalis which becomes the butterfly – is such an apt analogy for the process. For more background, check out the conversation I had with Bay Area coach and trainer Thuy Pham. To learn about my work as a writer and workshop facilitator, visit amcarley.com
Is This You?
Do you have a book project under development? Have you gotten stuck? Are you beginning to consider writing a book? Want to be a part of our community? Does our About You page describe you? Read what our satisfied clients say about their experiences working with Chenille Books. Check out our Frequently Asked Questions for more answers.
Then think about where you are now, and where you want to go next. Connect with us if you want to know an expert who’ll help you get there.
It all begins with a conversation. Do you want to talk? Request a free Welcome Call. Join our email list to receive our occasional news and inspiration letters. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
