As I’ve previously written, having other sources when ghostwriting a memoir fleshes out a story with different points of view, confirms details, and helps neutralize the “unreliable narrator.” To get these details, however, a ghostwriter often needs to interview those other sources, so this is about how to do that effectively. Like with the entire…
Read More
I specialize in ghostwriting three non-fiction types: memoir, business book, and expository essay. Of these, memoirs take the longest to complete. The main reason, I have found, is it takes longer to organize an outline and write about an individual’s life. With a business book or expository essay, the client often has the outline already…
Read More
Process (n) — a systematic series of actions directed to some end Why have a process? It seems like a silly question. How do you get anything done if you don’t have a way to do it? And I agree that it should be self-evident that a process is necessary. I found this on Alan…
Read More
I’ve written that partnering with a ghostwriter is great when your story is too important to leave to someone who isn’t professionally trained. It’s also extremely important to partner with a ghostwriter who gets you. Colloquially, I mean, hire a ghostwriter who clicks with you. But what does “click with” mean? Historically, it’s from the…
Read More
When it comes to developmental editing, different developmental editors provide different services. For example, some provide line editing or proofreading services. Some will offer coaching, in which the editor regularly meets with the writer and provides support and feedback throughout the writing process. The most important service a developmental editor offers is the manuscript critique.…
Read More
Writing a book requires a great deal of organization and focus. The same holds true for developmental editing. Throughout the process, a developmental editor will ask many questions and make sure they’re answered in ways that won’t confuse or distract the reader. These questions can be organized into broad categories. Various developmental editors will tackle…
Read More
Last week, I introduced developmental editing and gave an overview of what it is. This week, I’m describing what it’s not. As developmental editing is its own animal, it doesn’t deal with any of the following: Copy editing. This type of editing focuses on word choice, punctuation, capitalization, style, typographical errors, and grammar. Copy editors…
Read More
You’ve completed a first draft of your manuscript. Congratulations! Now you need it checked by a developmental editor. Developmental editing is the process where the editor critically examines the manuscript and addresses all the major issues, including style issues, sentence phrasing, and pacing. The key word is critically because the work can result in substantially…
Read More
You have an idea for a book that you’re sure will be a big hit and reach a wide audience. You also have decided that, for whatever reason, you can’t write it yourself. So, you hire a ghostwriter. Unfortunately, the book you got was pure drek: typos galore, inconsistent style, questionable organizational choices, and words…
Read More
To paraphrase William Shakespeare: When machines do the work that we’re assigned And create the content that does abound We’ll all be free to do the things we love And leave the dreary work to be done by glove. I say paraphrase because this, I believe obviously, was written by artificial intelligence (I found it…
Read More