Speech Writing

1 Great Letter to a Future Client

By Lee Barnathan / July 20, 2026
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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…

13 Great Questions to Ask About AI

By Lee Barnathan / July 13, 2026
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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…

What “Neutral” Means to 1 Great Ghostwriter

By Lee Barnathan / July 6, 2026
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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…

Find an Audience in 9 Great Steps

By Lee Barnathan / June 15, 2026
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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…

6 Great Reasons AI, Ghostwriting Co-Exist

By Lee Barnathan / June 1, 2026
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I saw a report from Verified Market Research that valued the ghostwriting market at about $3.3 billion in 2024 and that it was expected to reach $6.2 billion by 2032. A different report, from HTF Marketing Intelligence in 2023, forecast the market’s value to reach $8 billion in 2030.  I would say both reports didn’t…

6 Great Tips for Human Ghostwriters

By Lee Barnathan / May 18, 2026
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As a member of the human ghostwriters club, I have had numerous clients who insisted on particular stories in their manuscript. In one case, it was memory after memory about his mother. In another, it was a fishing trip gone to hell. In a third, it was numerous sailboat trips around the Mediterranean and across…

5 Great Ways to Combat AI Slop

By Lee Barnathan / May 11, 2026
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Today, I’m writing about AI slop. Similar to spam, it’s low-quality, high-volume copy (and images, though that’s not relevant here) AI creates to fill space, trick algorithms, clog the internet and monetize clicks rather than provide anything valuable. Ghostwriters need to pay attention to this trend…because it can make them rich. They are now being…

7 Great Ways to Make it a Priority

By Lee Barnathan / April 13, 2026
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I had a ghostwriting client who wanted to tell his story, but his priority also was to surf in the summer and ski in the winter. When the waves or slopes called, he was off. As a result, he never kept to a set schedule, making it impossible to consistently work on his project. Granted,…

Integrity and 4 Great Ethics to Consider

By Lee Barnathan / April 6, 2026
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I recently came across a Wall Street Journal article (publicized widely on LinkedIn) that spoke to one;’s integrity. It was about Hachette Book Group, one of the Big Five publishers, canceling an upcoming title, Shy Girl by Mia Ballard, over concerns that it used too much artificial intelligence and not enough human writing. Read it…

Why 1 Ghostwriter Can’t be a Great Editor

By Lee Barnathan / January 19, 2026
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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…