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…
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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…
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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…
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I’m currently going through a situation with a client. He insists that his story is the hero’s journey. I wasn’t sure, so I researched the hero’s journey archetype and found he was correct. Then something dawned on me that probably should have sooner. A ghostwriter in Kansas City or anywhere else had better know all…
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My birthday was earlier this month. My wife gave me a card that read in part, “You are doing what you love, you are really in a good place, so celebrate! Enjoy and be thankful for everything you worked so hard for!” She was right. I have much to celebrate. For the first time in…
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I was all set to write this post about a lesson I relearned—one a ghostwriter always needs to remember—It’s not my story, it’s theirs. Instead, I was reminded of the importance of avoiding ChatGPT and working with a human and not artificial intelligence when writing a book. I had a recent conversation with a client…
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From the Compelling Story and Pat Myself on the Back Departments: A prospect (who still might become a client) paid me a great compliment. He told me that he really appreciated that I was as excited about his project as he was. He said he had spoken to other ghostwriters and got the sense they…
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I didn’t realize one ghostwriting lead I had was a DIYer. He had confessed he couldn’t proceed because he didn’t have his family’s full support to tell his story. I understood and occasionally followed up to see if he had made any headway with his family. I usually heard nothing back. After about a year…
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As a writer, it’s easy for me to see that more people need a writer’s help than they want to admit. I remember how at networking meetings people would come up with a rhyming tagline and thought they could write. They didn’t realize that it takes so much more to really write. You need passion,…
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The following illustrates the ghostwriter’s process and expertise as a storyteller. A client recently sent to his younger brothers the most recent draft of what he wanted to be the first chapter of his memoir I’m ghostwriting. It would start at the end of the story. Both of them praised the opening story, then the…
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