BELIEF AND ACTION CAN TAKE YOU SO FAR.
Big dreams and real results from writers just like you
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Followed their heart
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Got clarity and confidence
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Took action and did it.
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Built their book empire
"Bethany is the best."
In a perfect world, we’d all be walking around with a tiny Bethany in our pockets. Bethany is a gem. In the few weeks I’ve known her, she has: helped me make the right decision in choosing an agent, helped me get unstuck with my WIP, and generally pushed me to do better in my writing career. I’ve spent over $1,000 on a professional editor for one of my books, and her input was nowhere near as helpful as Bethany’s. I can go on and on about how insightful and brilliant Bethany is, but TL;DR: Bethany is the best and if you want to improve your MS you need her!”
"always helps make for a better book"
“Her feedback is smart, thoughtful and always helps make for a better book. I highly recommend Bethany’s service to authors in need of an extra set of eagle eyes attached to a very astute mind.”
"truly cares about writers"
“Bethany truly cares about writers. She wants to make the manuscript better but she also wants to make the writer better. Which is what she’s shown me to do in my editing. She’s thoughtful and considerate, as well as an enthusiastic and wonderful editor. I highly recommend her, especially if you’re looking to level up in craft.”
★★★★★
"Bethany has an amazing perspective on what makes a story tick!
Her class gave me new ways to approach story-telling and character creation, as well as the confidence to apply them!
Susannah, author
"made my work shine in a way never would have been able to do on my own."
“When I needed her most, Bethany came to my rescue with succinct edits and a can-do attitude. Her suggestions were thoughtful, insightful, and made my work shine in a way I never would have been able to do on my own.”
"just what I needed."
Bethany’s feedback is just what I needed. She helped me with my novel, giving me encouraging comments as well as notes on how to make my prose, dialogue and action stronger. She is insightful as a reader and has a great mind for how to play to an author’s strengths.”
Catherine Bakewell, YA and MG author repped by New Leaf Literary and Media, Inc.
★★★★★
"Bethany was amazing at calming those little whispers in your head that says you can’t do something and makes you focus on what matters: your writing and honing your own voice.
“The best way I can describe Bethany as a teacher is that her energy is contagious, reaffirming and calm all wrapped into one. From the first sessions I had with her Bethany really helped me cement my confidence in my writing and my voice. She really listens to your concerns and helps you work through them. She’s also very real with you, especially if you are BIPOC author trying to break into the industry about what it is like and the challenges you might face. Loved having Bethany as a teacher and would love to work with her again!
JENNA M.
"I know for a fact that I would not have been able to finish as quickly or as smoothly without Bethany.
I used so many of your techniques and tidbits of advice while working on this story, and I’ve gotten really good feedback from readers so far! I’m so thankful for all of your help and encouragement.”
"I've won three book awards"
It’s almost a year to this day when I hired Bethany for a full edit (her whole enchilada package) of my manuscript, At The Edge Of The Ice. Fast forward to present. I’ve won three book awards, two of them having to do with excellence in independent publishing. I owe everything to Bethany. She’s a critique partner, editor, cheerleader, brainstorming guru, and wizard for seeing the whole picture at the same time fine tuning the nitty gritty details.
Carolyn Armstrong,
️Gold Recipient of Mom’s Choice Awards for AT THE EDGE OF THE ICE
★★★★★
"The lessons reshaped the way I think about writing…oh, and I may or may not have gotten an offer after I revised based on things I learned.” 💕
DEMI MICHELE
Hey, I'm
Bethany
And I want to help you get results like the ones you see here. Whether you want clarity and confidence; a new way to see the path forward; a fresh take on writing itself; or the technique to turbocharge your stories, I got your back!
I'd love to welcome you into the Achieve Membership, the one-stop-hub where I'll teach you, guide you, and cheer you on to your biggest writing goals.
LEARN MORE →
Focused!
“Working with Bethany was such a pleasure! She is knowledgeable, honest and an excellentt communicator. She was able to pinpoint weaknesses in my work and provide feedback on how to overcome them.”
Excited!
Equal parts cheerleader, coach, and story guru, Bethany creates smart, approachable tools that help writers get out of their own way, see their stories clearly, and get excited about writing again!
Mattea Orr, Author
Agented!
“Bethany’s unique writing [lessons] are NEXT LEVEL! With her help, I was able to sculpt my novel and get agented. She really knows her stuff!!”
Emily Rae, Author
A Letter from Alex
If you’ve landed here because you’re eager to do more with your manuscript, I’m here to wish you so much luck and to highly recommend Bethany for her help. I’ll say more later, but at the top, I really wanted to emphasize that I first started working with Bethany in December 2022, and in the months since, I’ve learned so much but have also found someone who really cares about me, my project and astoundingly, who has gone way beyond the call of duty to make me feel confident in what I have been working on.
That said, here’s what I know about my writing process: it has been a vast terrain of unknowns, hopes, missed deadlines, rejections, rewrite after 1,000th rewrite, anticipation and enthusiasm to deep, deep dread and sometimes dejection. It has also been with some heartaches in terms of hiring editors. Prior to reaching out to Bethany, I had hired a couple of editors for help and have learned that Bethany really is a rare and good find.
You know what has also been rare? My mile markers of success when it came to my current work in progress, which has been a good 6ish years in the making. And I’m not just talking about publication or getting an agent. I’m talking about that feeling of knowing when you’ve got something that really works.
When I first reached out to Bethany for help, I was feeling sort of at a loss with this story that I’ve fallen in love with enough times that I’ve felt it was important enough to rewrite and spend so much time working on. I had a story that I was passionate about characters, themes and storylines that I’d researched aggressively and experienced. As a writer by day, I generally know how to tell other people’s real-life stories, and I’ve written fiction before that I felt good about. This time around, I just couldn’t manage to tap out the beats of the story in a way that I felt I could trust or feel enthusiastic about when it was time to type out The End.
I came to Bethany with all of the pieces that I had been working on; they felt broken and vulnerable, and also scary. She scooped them up, turned them over carefully and gave me the honesty of her thoughtful and careful feedback. You know how some people say they’ll look over your story with a fine-tooth comb? Bethany’s is micro-sized! I’m talking fine-toothed and filled with laser beams! She then helped me to organize every character, every theme, and all the essentials and held my hand through the process of outlining my entire manuscript and character journeys.
I really have no idea what will happen with this project that Bethany has helped me on but I can say that I know for certain that by the end, I will have a story that I feel is complete and beautiful and certainly something I have enjoyed writing and reading.
All of this is to say, if you’re thinking about asking Bethany for help DO IT! But also take it easy, reach out and don’t be afraid to ask her questions lots and lots of questions because she has so many answers, words of encouragement and guidance
"Bethany is the best."
In a perfect world, we’d all be walking around with a tiny Bethany in our pockets. Bethany is a gem. In the few weeks I’ve known her, she has: helped me make the right decision in choosing an agent, helped me get unstuck with my WIP, and generally pushed me to do better in my writing career. I’ve spent over $1,000 on a professional editor for one of my books, and her input was nowhere near as helpful as Bethany’s. I can go on and on about how insightful and brilliant Bethany is, but TL;DR: Bethany is the best and if you want to improve your MS you need her!”
"[You] made me dig deeper and work harder until I got to the finish line"
I wanted to thank you for all the guidance you gave me on this journey to making my dreams come true. I’m SO HAPPY to report that I’m publishing A Perfect Fit on KDP November 21!! You knew which darlings I had to kill (Amy and Charlotte doing the nasty on the roof for one 🤣), taught me how to tighten up my structure, and made me dig deeper and work harder until I got to the finish line. Keep doing what you’re doing for authors who want to rock their craft. Again, THANK YOU!!!!
★★★★★
"When I got her critique on my query, I was in awe.
I loved working with Bethany. We had so much fun on our initial call that I invited her to visit me to hang out. When I got her critique on my query, I was in awe. Her suggestions made so much sense and were easy to follow and implement. Several people had given me feedback in the past but hers was, by far, the best. It's just a lucky bonus she is so personable and such a joy to work with. I'm so glad I had the opportunity.
Kay, author
"handled it not only with care but an empathy for the cultural background in which it was written."
It is so rare to work with someone who appreciates the subtle nuance of different beliefs and cultures. Bethany worked with mine to elevate the story and characters. I wouldn’t trust anyone else, hands down.”
George Jreije, MG author repped by Azantian Literary
A Letter from Erica
"I can't believe it's already been two weeks since the last The Story Academy (TSA) class with Bethany Hensel! I'm SO sad I haven't gotten to experience Bethany's Drew Barrymore aura and Merlin wisdom twice a week like I did before. But in all seriousness, not only did her TSA series make me realize the exact issues within my current WIP, but she also presented solutions to resolve those problems. These solutions truly gave me lightbulb moments during the classes. Thank you so much, Bethany, for helping me with my writer confidence and plot and character issues through TSA! I wouldn't be as excited about revisions without TSA (the part of the writing process I typically despise, but now will enjoy).
Her TSA class was one of the most transformative classes I've ever taken. Her deep pain method REALLY made me look at my current WIP in a new light entirely; in fact, it helped me revise my story painlessly. I'm part of the Team Drafting side of writing WIPs, but her method of looking at my main protagonist's deep pain made me realize what her true goal and plot should be; one that I didn't touch upon in my initial draft.
Although I may not be fully on the side of Team Revision yet, I'm SO MUCH MORE appreciative of revisions now that I know how to make the best changes to my story after her TSA classes. Plus, Bethany is a literal sweetheart who is capable of encouraging you to face your revision fears while cheering you on as you make your story stronger. I could not have asked for a better writing class or a better teacher."
Whether you’re trying to make your query stand out or nail the voice in your opening pages or work through the structure of a messy middle, Bethany is here to help! Whatever stage you’re at, she knows just what your story needs and has the expertise to make it shine. There’s nobody better to help you transform your writing.”
“Bethany is not only a force of positivity, but she also has a sharp eye for improvement across both the sweeping plot level and line-by-line revisions. She’s a synopsis magician and an editing master. You couldn’t ask to have a better editor in your corner!”
Bethany helped me the most with the daunting revision process. The roadmaps and exercises helped with making me rethink my characters and returning to what exactly I had in mind when I started the draft. They’re a very useful tool for a high-level overview and a way to outline before starting the first draft to limit the amount of future revisions Thank you again!
Bethany is the ultimate hype-woman. She cares about the characters she reads and she has so many ideas to help you with your first or second draft. Bethany’s help was invaluable. If you need someone to run ideas by and to help make the beginning of your story stronger, do yourself a favor and hire Bethany. You’ll thank yourself later!”
- Lanaisha Jones, Author
This was my second time working with Bethany. I had an even better experience than the first because we had a Zoom call. She's excellent at what she does. We interacted. Her feedback was on point. She answered my questions. I know I will work with her again. Thank you, Bethany, for your great help.
- Wanda L, Author
★★★★★
"Bethany knows ‘story’ so well! She is there for writers (plotters and pantsers!) at any point in their process,
whether it be planning, drafting or revising a novel. Her methods and materials will help them use their own writing styles to find the heart of their stories, draft scenes that are fun and that really matter, and revise a completed story to make it the best it can be.
Karen, MG author
"Bethany was very engaging and her enthusiasm and love for the craft motivated me in my passion to write stories.”
Carole Lynn Jones, author of This New Job's Murder, published by Flying Ketchup Press
True guidance!
I feel so fortunate to have stumbled upon Bethany and taking the plunge by booking her for a 30 page review with a 1 hour zoom call. The value of this service CANNOT be overstated, and it was worth every penny. Bethany talked to me about the good, the bad, the ugly, but all in ways that were digestible, encouraging, and uplifting. She gave me true guidance on what I should keep doing, and where I should take more time. Not only is she a great professional, but she's a great human being. I would recommend her expertise to anyone looking to polish their first pages to perfection!
KC, Author
Lifechanging!
It was lifechanging. I knocked my book out in three months because of it, and on my way to being agented! I’m one of your success stories.”
Chrissy, MG author repped by CMA Lit
Found purpose!
For years, I struggled with finding a purpose to continue my writing career and even just finding time out of my day to motivate myself to start writing after months or even years away from it. But after talking with Bethany and taking her course, it helped me to understand more about the structure of my novel and how to craft a perfect story. But also, her taking the time to understand me and what I was looking for became even more helpful personally, motivating me to do my best to continue writing, even if it’s just a few paragraphs a day. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for friendly advice, but also someone who will challenge you and motivate you to really think about your writing and your journey.
Darius, Author
"She helped me uncover what I wanted out of writing.
I cannot recommend Bethany enthusiastically enough - there aren't enough words. To say she provided coaching and dev editing for me is an understatement. She helped me uncover what I wanted out of writing. She brought a torch and not only helped locate the fires of my creative self, but helped fuel them. Her approach to digging deeper (it's not just a podcast) and building sandcastles with you confirms that her investment is real. Everyone should have a Bethany in their life, so however you can engage with her or her content, do it!! You don't regret it.
"Bethany knows ‘story’ so well!
"Bethany knows ‘story’ so well! She is there for writers (plotters and pantsers!) at any point in their process, whether it be planning, drafting or revising a novel. Her methods and materials will help them use their own writing styles to find the heart of their stories, draft scenes that are fun and that really matter, and revise a completed story to make it the best it can be.
★★★★★
"I'd recommend her to any writer feeling adrift or blocked.
Working with Bethany is a pleasure. I'd recommend her to other writers feeling adrift or blocked. She balances between enthusiasm for a story and practical real-world experience to keep our conversations grounded. She's great at nurturing ideas and reinforcing belief in them - in other words, she's good at reminding you of why you started writing in the first place.
