I’ve written about failure the last two posts. Now, it’s time to write about success. The end of the year is a time to take stock and celebrate what went right. Ghostwriters enjoy success for many reasons: They refine their client’s ideas into a clear, consistent voice that feels authentic yet polished. They turn memories,…
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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…
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What do writers really think of artificial intelligence? It depends on how much you use it. The more you do, the more likely you view it positively. That’s one of the results that came out of a recent study by Gotham Ghostwriters and Josh Bernoff, a Portland, Maine-based advisor, coach, editor, and ghostwriter. Entitled “A.I.…
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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…
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Even though it’s only mid-November, it isn’t too early to think about next year. As a ghostwriter who last week wrote about working on the business versus working in the business (read it here), I realize now is the time to start considering how I will innovate and continue to grow my business. One way…
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In his seminal work The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It, entrepreneur Michael E. Gerber quoted the U.S. Department of Commerce: Forty percent of all businesses fail in the first year. eighty percent fail within the first five years, and eighty percent of those that last the…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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