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The art of writing for others
Successful ghostwriting is born by meeting the author’s brilliant idea and the ghostwriter’s ability to be the author on the page. As you talk with ghostwriters, consider with whom you want to interact during those months that the manuscript is in gestation. Editorial consultation is a bonding process lasting a minimum of six months for a full-length project.
1.
What is their writing skill level?
2.
How well does your prospective ghostwriter understand you and your project?
3.
How comfortable are you with this person knowing you and your projects?
4.
How much of their time will you get?
5.
Do you believe they can write in your voice?
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Entrusting your book idea to the right person is the most critical decision of the task
Once you have the right ghostwriter working for you, the ball is in their court, and most likely, their work will be a series of trials and errors in working out the expression of your written voice in the first chapter and carrying it through to the last page.
Editorial Services
My job is to help authors turn their literary ideas into completed manuscripts that realize
their vision for their book idea. Sometimes, this means writing a book from the author's ideas. Other times, it means shaping extant material into a manuscript viable for publication. I offer a variety of services in the medium of editorial preparation.
Consulting. Consulting services may be given at any stage of a project’s development. You may want us to talk about your book upfront, have me write it, and discuss its progress throughout its development. Or, you may want to talk with me while writing the book yourself. Whatever direction you take for your manuscript, our discussion aims to identify and explore the writing components that lead to strong work. The insight you’ll gain from our discussions will strengthen your manuscript and give you the confidence to share it with readers.
Writing. You have an idea you want to turn into a completed manuscript ready to submit to an agent or publish independently. The next step is to outline your idea. To make a thorough outline, you provide me with the topics, details, and the order in which they appear, and I will comprehensively outline your idea. If you hire me as your writer, I will be performing all of the services mentioned in this list, except doctoring, since that is eclipsed by generating a manuscript from scratch.
Doctoring. You have a manuscript that needs to be revised and want to see new chapters or
passages written or extant chapters improved with creative input. Doctoring enhances the
quality of a manuscript by changing what’s on the page, often adding new pages to the
document, and sometimes cutting lines or sections out.
Revising. You have a manuscript and would like to discuss what needs improvement.
Revision involves identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the text, making organizational changes, and clarifying meaning. It may mean lots of new writing or not much new writing is involved. Excellent writing comes from rewriting. Revision works through the good ideas in an unfinished draft to a completed manuscript that fully expresses your ideas.
Editing. Your manuscript has been revised and can be improved by changing punctuation
and word choices and making cuts to bring it to its fullest power of impact. The revising
process should be complete when a manuscript moves into editing. A manuscript needing
editing may be conceptually complete, but its appearance must be improved to be shared
professionally.
Proofreading. Your manuscript fully expresses your ideas in the way you want them to
be expressed. Proofreading is the process of getting a manuscript ready to be shared
professionally. It is the last step taken in preparing a manuscript for submission to an agent or independent publishing.
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Why not write the book yourself?
You may have the talent, time, and energy to write the book. Perhaps you merely want to
consult Someone on the writing process. Or want to workshop your chapters. Whatever level of commitment you have to do the work yourself, decide if it's worth heading the endeavor alone. If you feel that you need to consult another writer to workshop your chapters or have someone assist you in writing the chapters, talking with someone to examine your ideas is a smart move.
If you have a great book idea but feel daunted by the notion of writing it yourself and want someone to help you get there, I can help you. Together, you and I will discuss what you have planned for your project so far. Then, I’ll draft a detailed outline of your project based on your notes and our conversations, then write and send you chapters for review. Writing a full-length book - around 320 pages - takes about six months, though the time can be longer or shorter depending upon the project's complexity.
I work with one client at a time, so you get all of my attention to your project and full on-call access for consultation while I write for you.
04
The art of collaboration
Writing a book is difficult work. It requires planning, laborious creativity, a tolerance for frustration, a talent for problem-solving—and dedication.
I love unpacking people’s ideas with them, finding out how they want to achieve their goals, and then helping them get there.
I work with people in different ways, depending on what they need.
Some people want to talk to me about their ideas and have me write them into a book for them.
When I'm generating a manuscript for somebody, it's all about learning how to express in writing how they would write it themselves.
So there's a trial and error period where I'm applying what I know about their idea, what they've said, and sometimes writing they've shown me, and I choose what to include, what to leave out, and what words to use. Choosing the right words is also a big part of emulating someone’s voice on the page.
Other people come to me with a partially written manuscript, wanting to talk with me about it.
Either it needs to be revised, or new chapters must be written. In some cases, they want to add a new element to the story that must be woven into the narrative from start to finish.
We discuss their goals and look at what's working and not working in the draft. Then we discuss how we will achieve their goals, and I help them reach them.
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You only have one shot to make a first impression
Don't let the wrong words sabotage it
Whether you're making a sales pitch, creating a business plan, marketing your product, or coming up with new online content, the right words are the difference between success and
failure—you have the right words. Sometimes you need to investigate to find them.
Services
Let's get started on your book
Schedule a complimentary
30 minute consultation to discuss your project & goals.
Services
Let's get started on your blog
Schedule a complimentary
30 minute consultation to discuss your project & goals.
What you get
Decades of experience
I bring dedication that was honed on 23 years experience, writing and refining my craft.
Deep research
Thorough research into your areas of interest (and if applicable) your markets, audiences, competitive landscape, untapped opportunities – a detailed understanding of your world.
Quality of prose
The highest quality of writing that speaks to your target audience and best reflects your individual voice. Before any writing commences, we discuss and agree on a specific writing style & tonality.
My full attention
We’ll work one on one for the duration of your project, during which I’ll devote my unlimited time and attention to your story. I’m on call while I am working for you.
Authorship of your book
You are the author and retain all rights to your story. My services are 100% confidential.
A lifetime of writing experience
About me
I've been writing since I was 10. I don't know where the fascination came from, but from then on, I always wrote. I was shy, writing fiction was how I expressed myself, and it was as entertaining as being with my friends. Some people take up sports or music, but the thing that I could cultivate was telling stories.
In college, I learned how to analyze manuscripts, a skill which developed in workshops I participated in in the following years. It's all about finding what works and what isn't working and why. Once you know why things aren’t working, you look at how you will solve the text's problems and do those things to complete the manuscript.
In 2008, someone I knew who worked in independent film asked me to rewrite their script. That was my first ghostwriting job, though I didn’t consider myself a ghostwriter.
I went to Vietnam, taught English, traveled, and wrote white papers for a consulting firm for a few years.
Since dedicating myself to ghostwriting in 2019, I've written two novels, worked on memoirs, consulted on and revised manuscripts and wrote a collection of love poetry for clients.
Around ten years ago, everybody became a writer. All the stories that can be told have already been told. The way to distinguish yourself among so many writers is in how you tell the story.
Ready to get started?
I work with only you from the start of your book until it is complete. Whether you want your ghostwriter to dive into the work and return six months later with the finished manuscript, or you want weekly updates on the action, we’ll work with the structure you want, and the result will be what you envision your book to be.
In our call, we will discuss your book idea, your goals for it, and how we would work together. If you want me to write your book, we'll schedule a follow up meeting to dive in to your idea and give it all the time it needs.