Last week, I wrote this: “People think ghostwriters just write.” This makes sense if you think about it. You watch a movie or a TV show that features a writer, and he or she is seen as a solitary figure sitting at a desk writing or pounding away on a keyboard. What it doesn’t show…
When I worked as a copywriter, before my ghostwriting career took off, I attended various networking meetings and sold myself as one who could fashion a winning, compelling 30-second elevator pitch. I hardly got any interest, and I soon saw why: Everybody seemed to think that if they could come up with a rhyming tagline,…
I recently had a first conversation with a ghostwriting prospect. Toward the end, she asked a very standard question: “What makes you the right person for me?” My answer: “I can’t say I am right. That has to come from you.” This might seem like I was passing the buck. What I really did was…
I recently received an email query from a woman who basically wanted someone she to call “your ghostwriter.” This was for either a speech or a book. In her six-paragraph inquiry, which she titled, “A story worth telling?” she asked me several questions: “Am I crazy? Brave? Both? Most importantly, does this sound like something…
Dear Future Client: We haven’t met yet because you’re still looking for a ghostwriter. That’s okay. When you hire me as your professional ghostwriter, you’re not hiring me just to write your book, speech, website, blog, or anything else. You’re hiring someone to protect your project, even when life gets in the way. “Life gets…
I asked a lot of questions when I took a class on artificial intelligence and ghostwriting. One of the important lessons I learned is that AI is here to stay, that ghostwriters can use it to help their processes (without outsourcing the writing to it), and that there’s a need to disclose to clients how…
Anyone who’s been in therapy knows that the professional sitting in front of them speaks in neutral and objective tones to provide a safe, non-judgmental environment where the person can explore the deepest thoughts, feelings, and issues without fear of bias or criticism. A good ghostwriter does the same thing for you. If you’re considering…
Why else might someone hire a ghostwriter? “There’s a book here somewhere. I just need someone to help me find it.” “I have specific goals for my book. I need to reach the right audience to meet those goals.” “I know a professional can do a better job than me.” These are three other reasons…
Why hire a ghostwriter? “I know I’m not a writer.” “I don’t have the time.” “I don’t know how to turn my experiences into a book.” “I want a better book than I could produce alone.” “I want to achieve something beyond the book itself.” When I think about why my clients have sought to…
When I meet a prospect for the first time, I always ask four questions. The second one is, “Who is your target audience?” In many cases, the prospect will say, “everybody,” to which I respond, “Well, no book is for everyone. The widest read book is the Bible, and not everybody reads it.” Usually, the…
