In a poem from 1711, Alexander Pope wrote, “Too err is human; to forgive, divine.” I’ve recently been dealing with fails as the year draws to a close. I’ve made mistakes, I’ve learned from them, I’ve forgiven myself, and I’ve moved on wiser so the next time, I’ll do it right. Example: I sent out…
Read More
There is a famous song from “The Sound of Music” in which the first line says, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.” That might be true, but as a ghostwriter I can tell you how wrong it is to start a book there. I once had a client who…
Read More
Every book, whether ghostwritten or not, becomes part of the author’s brand, so every time a ghostwriter helps an author write a book, the ghostwriter must be aware of the author’s brand. In trying to understand a brand, think about a favorite author, perhaps Stephen King, John Grisham, Robert Ludlum, Ian Fleming, Toni Morrison, Sue…
Read More
I’ve written several times that when it comes to ghostwriting, humans trump artificial intelligence, or AI, every single time. I recently read an article in the Los Angeles Times that wasn’t even about AI but nonetheless further reinforced my notions. The article’s author, Hossam Elsherbiny, is director of language instruction for the Department of Transnational…
Read More
When people think of ghostwriting, they often think of celebrity autobiographies or political memoirs. It’s true that’s a large part of the industry. After all, Prince Harry, Richard Branson, Andre Agassi, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Demi Moore, Laura Bush, Michael Jackson, Millie Bobby Brown, Donald Trump, John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan wrote books with the…
Read More
When people contact me to ghostwrite their book, they sometimes tell me, “We don’t know how to do it. We need you to show us how.” Fair enough. One of the first things I tell them once they become a client is that the process is like a relationship, and in this relationship, there are…
Read More
If a high school student came up to me today and said they were considering majoring in journalism in college and wanted my opinion on whether they should, I would say, “Don’t.” If I met a hypothetical journalist who proceeded to complain about the state of his/her/their industry, I would say, “I understand. Woe is…
Read More
I recently had a prospect send me several hundred pages of a manuscript in which she sought my opinion about its publishing potential. I read only about a third of it before I realized something extremely important was missing. There was no story. I wrote the following email: Thank you for letting me be of…
Read More
A woman who is a copywriter recently reached out to me on LinkedIn to inquire about ghostwriting. She wanted to how to become one, what my path was like, what the money is like, and how I grew my business. I answered her questions, offered her my consulting services, and wished her well. She said…
Read More
A prospect had a compelling story to tell. I asked her my usual three questions, “Why do you want to tell this story?” “Who is the audience? and “What is the story?” She had a difficult time with the audience question and asked me if I would be willing to act as a consultant to…
Read More