Archive for January 2024
The Proofreader: Behind the Scenes of 1 Project
Last March, I got an email from a Palm Springs tour guide looking for a proofreader. John Stark had written what he believed would become the definitive tour book about Palm Springs. He would touch on the history of the area, write about the remarkable architecture, highlight the famous people who lived there, spotlight their…
Read MoreWhen 1 Beautiful Ghostwriter-Client Relationship Ends
Ghostwriters don’t automatically deal with a lot of death, but I’ve been lately. Three friends lost their mothers in a matter of weeks. My wife and I have been attending memorials and making condolence calls. Also, a friend died at just 67, sending shockwaves through our social circle. And now, a ghostwriting relationship is at…
Read MoreWhy 1 New Palm Springs Guidebook was Worth my Time
Seventh in an occasional series about stories and ideas worth telling. When I visit bookstores, in Palm Springs and elsewhere, I often seek the history sections and look for guidebooks and tour books that show old photos of the area compared to what it looks like today. Then I start reading the text, looking for…
Read MoreGhostwriting: 3 Good Outlines, 3 New Lengths
As I’ve previously written, the outline is the most important part of the ghostwriting process. It provides a plan, a blueprint, a direction, a pathway—call it what you want—to help you write the book. There is no way to ghostwrite a tightly focused book without first having an outline to determine what’s going in, where…
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