5 Big Bad Media Myths
Every time I have a prospect tell me their goals for their book is to sell a lot of copies, I respond the same way: “The media has done an absolutely terrible job and showing you the reality of what it takes to publish a book.” I continue: “Movies and TV shows make it look…
Read MoreDealing with 2 Great Lingering Clients
I have two clients whose manuscripts I have pretty much completed. Time to usher them onto the editing phase. But wait! They’re not ready to move on. They’re dawdling, as if they are afraid to leave the comfort of the year-plus relationship they have enjoyed with me. I’m trying to get them to think about…
Read More8 Great Ways to Afford a Ghostwriter
I currently have two prospects who want me to act as their ghostwriter for their books. They have gone through my early screening process, and when I asked them, “If money was no object, would you be ready to move forward?” they answered yes. Cost is the most common reason a ghostwriting prospect doesn’t become…
Read MoreTelling the 1 Outsider’s Great Story
When I meet with my business advisor, I update him on how things are going with my outsider clients or prospects. Instead of mentioning them by name (because he can’t keep track), I tend to use occupational or identification shorthand: therapist, Bronx Brother, sex worker, surfer, crypto guy, schoolteacher, Realtor, police brutality victim, impostor, guy…
Read MoreNarrative Nonfiction’s 9 Great Parts
I am close to completing a nonfiction manuscript about two brothers from the Bronx, the younger one who joined a gang and the older one who didn’t, and the lives they led as a result of that one fundamental choice. It’s violent, coarse, graphic, and it’s filled with the foul language they used on the…
Read MoreAn LLM is Just 1 Big Word Calculator
I recently attended a monthly meeting with Ally Machate, who runs The Writers Ally, a book editing, publishing, and marketing firm. People ask her anything related to the book publishing and editing worlds. One guy asked about artificial intelligence, and in listening to Ally’s reply, something dawned on me about large language models, or LLMs.…
Read More5 Dangerous Contract Spots
When somebody agrees to work with me and I send out a contract, what happens next is always a crapshoot. Sometimes, the person signs the contract, no questions asked. Sometimes, her or she will want to negotiate particular sections, paragraphs, or clauses. I’m always willing to listen to their concerns, and I usually accommodate them…
Read MoreWhy Credit 1 Great Ghostwriter
As I’ve written previously, the ghostwriting default is anonymity. But that doesn’t mean a ghostwriter always has to remain behind the scenes. More and more, authors that use ghostwriters are crediting them. When you see a celebrity memoir, you might see the celebrity’s name and a different, less-familiar name. That name is often the credited…
Read MoreConsider 1 Great SEO Company
I recently wrote about how a ghostwriter can make an income of at least six figures. Read it here. The first point I made was to a assemble a team. I recommended including a search engine optimization (SEO) company as part of the team. I had been using a web designer friend to manage my…
Read MoreWhy 1 Ghostwriter Can’t be a Great Editor
Every once in a while, I get a prospect who asks me if I edit. I always respond, “Yes, but not if I’m your ghostwriter.” Similarly, every once in a while, I get a client who wants me to edit the manuscript I have completed after working on it for more than a year. I…
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