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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
Time to focus, people! I recently spoke to someone seeking a ghostwriter for his memoir. He bent my ear for more than an hour, telling stories about his life. And he has had quite a life. From his time working at a top advertising company, to his time in the Nixon, Ford, and Reagan White…
Last week, I started discussing how ghostwriting is expensive because it is so specialized. Read it here. I covered three skills: writing as someone else, organizing massive amounts of information, and understanding what is a compelling story. Now, I’ll tackle the abilities to interview, research, and budget time. Interview — A ghostwriter has to spend…
Last week, I wrote about four different speech types: informative, how-to, persuasive, and oratorical. Read it here and learn from a speech writer in NYC. Now, I’ll cover four more types of speeches that speechwriters often compose. Motivational — Tony Robbins. Les Brown. Zig Ziglar. These are three speakers who mastered this speech type in…
Even though he wasn’t taking about speech types, business advisor Somers White once said that 90% of how well a speech goes is determined before the speaker steps on the platform, moves to the dais, steps in front of a microphone, and opens his or her mouth. Preparation is critical, which means speech writing is…
