Monday, April 23, 2018

The Road to Publishing
By Robert Bruce Woodcox

There are several choices or stages to consider on your road to becoming a published author. This article is not a judgment of which path to take; it is simply a road map to the options available to you to becoming a published author. 

The first choice is whether to write a book yourself (fiction or non-fiction) or to retain a professional ghostwriter to do most of the heavy lifting (writing and research, and collaboration with you).

Writing your own book is free (with the exception of your time). Retaining a ghostwriter will cost you both time and money. Since the other stages on the road to publishing are the same regardless of whether you hire a ghost or not, for purposes of this blog, we’ll assume you want to collaborate with a ghost.

Stage two.

Ghostwriters specialize in many different areas. Some only write non-fiction, others write fiction. Some write both. All ghostwriters have their own process in terms of how the work will progress, legal issues, how long the project will take, the costs, etc., whether they will help you get published, or only do the writing.

Again with respect to brevity in all writing, this blog will assume you have reached an agreement to cover all the particulars with your new writing “partner,” a ghostwriter. If you haven't and you have further questions, visit my website at: http://www.theghostwriter.net

Let’s further assume you and your ghost have put together a well written book be that a memoir, novel, or business book. It appears to have a great deal of curb appeal to your core audience. It's a “real page turner” as they say about good stories. It has been fully edited, copyrighted and the manuscript is waiting to be sold—but to whom and how? 

Stage three: Getting published. You now have two new choices to make: self publish, or go mainstream with some traditional firm such as Random House, Hay House, Simon and Schuster, Penguin Books or any number of other respected publishing houses.

Further assuming your brother or best friend doesn’t work for a traditional publishing house and will read your manuscript, (publishers do NOT read unsolicited manuscripts), you will have to go through a process to reach them with your manuscript. There are many valid reasons why publishers don’t accept manuscripts directly from the public--for now, just know they don’t. 

Instead, most traditional publishers rely on the world of literary agents to bring them the “cream of the crop” in terms of new work. This means work that falls in that publisher’s “wheel house,” or, if  outside their own specialties, something so spectacular, unique and spellbinding that they are fairly certain it will turn a profit. This profit will pay for your advance, royalties on the sales, your portion of movie rights (if those are forthcoming), other promotional revenues, and all their costs to edit, print, bind and market the book to the world as well as turning a profit for the house.

Stage four: Finding a literary agent. Since publishers won’t read your manuscript unsolicited, you need to find an agent who can solicit various publishers for you. That’s their job and how they earn a living. There are approximately 1,000 viable literary agents in this country. Each of them (individuals or companies) specialize in various genres be that memoirs, fiction, cooking books, self-help tomes, children's books, or combinations of the above. The trick is finding those that “might” be interested in representing your work (regardless of whether you wrote it or a ghostwriter helped you). 

Stage five: There is a process to this process as well. You don’t simply look up literary agents' phone numbers and/or addresses and call or write asking the agent to represent you. You must create a "special" message called, a query letter to each of them (same letter will do, but they should all be personalized to each agent). A query letter is truly a creative effort. It is a well written request (appeal) for an agent to review your manuscript and your book proposal (more on the proposal in a minute). When I say “well written,” I mean an incredibly "compelling" synopsis of your work, what it’s about, why it’s important, why it will sell many, many books, who you are, why you are qualified to write this book, and other important information. 

And, you must somehow do all this in a one page letter, (two at the absolute most). Brevity and creativity are the starter's gun in the race to publishing. This query letter is also known as a "Direct Response" vehicle. You are trying to make you book sound enticing, a sort of paper-based movie trailer that grabs that agent by the cerebral cortex and compels them to pick up the phone and call you, or to email you and ask to see your book proposal and manuscript for consideration.

So, preferably, before you send out these queries, it is advisable to have your book proposal ready. A book proposal is a sort of business plan that defines what the book is about, who the audience is, who you are, why you are qualified to write it (background, experience, any audience you may already have (Facebook Likes, thousands of Twitter followers, etc.), comparisons to the competition and other important marketing information.

You will need to include at least three sample chapters from the book as a teaser and as proof that it is well written, and hopefully even marketable in today’s very competitive and difficult publishing environment—and more. A book proposal can range from about 20 pages to well over 40.

If you get this far, you cross your fingers and wait…and wait…and wait, sometimes weeks or months even. If you’re lucky and all the stars have aligned to this point, and your proposal was truly compelling, you’ll hear from one or more interested agents in a matter of a couple of weeks. The rest of the replies will be what are known as "rejection letters." Most of the replies will be of this nature. These are usually form letters or post cards that contain a canned, but polite, "no thank you," response.

Stage six. Assuming an agent takes you on and you’ve signed a contract (see next blog), the agent will now, free of charge minus some postage for mailing your manuscript to publishers, and minus some copying charges, begin to shop your work to his or her stable of publishers and also those outside his or her normal channels. (See next blog on contracts, royalties, movie rights, what an agent gets, etc.).

An agent does not receive any compensation for all this "upfront" work until you have signed a publishing contract, have received an advance and/or are getting royalty checks, which is a good thing, and highly unusual in the business world.

Stage seven. You sign a publishing contract and wait for your advance and your royalty checks to start coming in. All is good in the world.

Having reviewed one path to publishing, here is the other.
Self publishing. In self publishing you cut out all the middle men including the agents. You find a self publishing house that will edit, print, bind and market your book. Unlike the previous route, you pay all the bills for getting your book to market including the above printing, binding, shipping, inventorying, marketing promotion, PR, etc. However, when the book sells in the public domain, you retain all the rights to every dollar of net profit, which is usually somewhere around 60% of the total revenue after companies like Amazon, B&N, etc. take their cuts and you’ve paid all your self publishing company’s bills. This 60% is in comparison to the 15-20% you will receive from mainstream publishing for royalties. (A simplified explanation.)

One of the drawbacks to self publishing however, is that most of these houses truly understand or excel at promotion and marketing the book after it's printed.

I said in the beginning that I wouldn’t judge any of these options or steps and I won’t. You can read the pluses and minuses of each route in the next blog. There are benefits and draw backs to both. Your choice will depend upon your time, budget, goals for sales, etc. 

If you are like most writers (no offense intended), you aren’t a book publisher (self publishing), nor are you an advertising veteran, nor are you a book publicist, promoter or marketing genius. In fact, you’re not really good at accounting either, but you are one hell of a good writer and that’s what you want to do—write and get it published.

Re-enter the ghostwriter…
Let’s say you have decided to retain a ghost to help you. However, since most ghostwriters aren’t marketing people either, and you don’t want to pay to have a dynamite book written with and for you and then have to go through Steps five through seven above yourself, you would find it incredibly advantageous to find one of those unique individuals that can both ghostwrite and find you an agent; a professional who has decades of marketing, publishing and ghostwriting experience, who knows how to put together the entire package and help ensure you get published with a good mainstream publisher, one who knows what agents and publishers are looking for and knows how to tickle their money bones with a great query and book proposal and then act as your advocate throughout the entire process.

Wouldn’t that be fantastic?
Such individuals do exist, but they are as rare as pink unicorns.

One caveat: It is possible to engage someone to write a query for you as well as the book proposal and to use that in a process to help obtain an agent for you BEFORE you pay that person to write the entire book. However, I do not recommend that option unless you are a celebrity (entertainment, sports, politics, robbed the Federal Reserve and got away with it, etc.). In other words, someone with an enormous name drawing potential for book sales and therefore would get immediate attention without having to write the entire book. 

This would seem the obvious way to go at first blush. Why would you pay a ghostwriter, let's say, $75,000 to write your book, when you could pay someone $20,000 let's say, to write a query and proposal and then do all the work to find you an agent who could then bring you a check for a big fat advance? Continue reading.

Many people ask me to do this kind of work, meaning they ask me to write the proposal first. I only do that occasionally and again, it is usually only for individuals with name recognition who have a built in immediate audience for their book, a situation where I feel comfortable that the book will be picked up.

First time authors rarely receive big advances if any advance at all. Most importantly though, if you did obtain a publishing contract, you would still have to have your ghostwriter write the entire book. So now you would have the $20,000 expense (minus some amount of money for the already written sample pages), plus the $75,000 to write the book. Caveat: It is important to note that an "advance" is not a gift or a grant to you. You must pay this back out of your royalties. Usually, this amount is deducted from each royalty check until that advance is repaid. In some rare cases, if your contract is written correctly and you have enough clout to demand it because your book looks like it will be a blockbuster, you can get out of some or all of this repayment. That is a rare occurrence though for first time writers.

Instead, I encourage writers to first write the book, but have the cost of a query letter and a book proposal built into that contract at a discount for doing the entire job thus saving you thousands of dollars.

You see, when writing the proposal, a ghost must know your entire story or at least enough to write three good sample chapters from the pending book. This means you pay for that interview time, writing, editing, which while not as intensive as writing the entire book, is a considerable cost to you. There is also the marketing information that must be included in the proposal along with your background information. Then a great query must also be written (this is an art form in itself). Then the process of sending that query out and responding to, sorting, archiving those respondents, talking to interested agents over the phone and through emails, connecting you to that agent, acting as your advocate through that process and holding your hand until you’ve signed a lucrative publishing contract.

The time and cost of all this might as well be wrapped into the ghostwriting contract because any good agent is going to want to see the entire manuscript post haste, meaning as quickly as possible after you've promised you'd send the book proposal AND the book (manuscript). So now, you must get your ghostwriter cracking on finishing your book, which means you'll also have to pay him or her for the rest of the writing on top of what you paid him to write the proposal and query and do all the search work for an agent.

The point is, and this IS my single judgment. Hire a great ghostwriter with all of the above qualifications. Work with him or her for six months to produce what you have in you that is yearning and burning to get out and entertain and inform and maybe even inspire the world. When your manuscript is nearly complete, as part of your original contract with the ghost, have him or her write that query and book proposal and make him do all that heavy lifting of finding you a top notch literary agent. You’ll never regret you did it the right way. The proposal and query and search functions will cost you less this way instead of trying to do it in two different sections.

Of course, as I said, finding a great ghostwriter who also has years of business, publishing and marketing background is not easy. If you cannot find this individual, at least hire a ghost to help you write the book. Worry about the literary agent when you have a dynamite manuscript in hand. 

Make sure you read my next blog. I will finish this involved, sometimes complicated conversation and leave you with less thinking to have to do decide that one way or another, you are going to write a book and get it published.

Robert Bruce Woodcox
On the art of writing and publishing
For further discussion, visit my main website at: 
http://www.theghostwriter.net


Sunday, April 15, 2018

Welcome.
Topics discussed to date: 4-15-18

Memoirs: Should you write one? Should you hire a ghostwriter?


What is collaboration--really? How does it work between a ghost and a client?


Legal things: Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), Contracts, Fees, Credits and other important things


Working with a ghostwriter on a novel.


(Much more to come) 

Also visit my full website at: http://www.theghostwriter.net

Friday, April 13, 2018

If you are interested in writing, reading or ghostwriting, you'll find a wealth of information and entertainment in these Blogs. There are stories about how to collaborate successfully with a ghostwriter on your novel, your memoir or your business book--it's truly an art and rapidly becoming a science. I also write about business, marketing and publishing as it relates to writing and ghostwriting. 

There are commentaries on the self-publishing and traditional publishing industries as well as information about literary agents, contracts and legal matters in general. Occasionally, I include samples of my writing both fiction and non-fiction, but most importantly, these blogs are full of answers and solutions to the many questions most people have about the ghostwriting process including: deciding if you need a ghost, how to find one that is a good match for you and your project, how the process between the two of you can and should proceed and whatever insights I feel make that process a success. My goals are to inform and entertain. I firmly believe that, "We only write as well as we think."

You can get more information and details at my full website: http://www.theghostwriter.net 


April 13, 2018

Where do memoirs come from? 

Should you write one?
Should you get help writing your life story?

"Oh Maude, why don't you write your memoirs. You have so many good stories. People would love to read about your life."  Perhaps someone has said the same to you, or words to that effect. You've thought about it quite a few times, but never pulled the trigger. Friends and family are starting to almost badger you about it and it's beginning to look more and more like maybe it is something you should do.


I've received countless calls from people who say they want help writing their life stories, which is a good thing for a ghostwriter, right? Y
es and no. To be honest, not all life stories are worth writing a book about. Don't get me wrong. Everyone should sit down at one time or another and write about his or her life. It's good for the soul. It's good for keeping memoirs alive. It's good for your family, your grandchildren and it may even be entertaining to others beyond your family and friends. It can be a legacy that survives you through generations. It is, after all, proof that you were here, that you did worthwhile things, and that your life made a difference to others. But, is it worth retaining a ghostwriter to help you? After all, we are an expensive proposition in general. The process can take months or longer, and it requires a great deal of effort on the author's side as well as the ghostwriter. On the other hand, you're pretty sure you don't have enough skill to write a 250 page book well, and you're even more certain you couldn't discipline yourself to work at it every day for the next six months or more. Hiring a ghostwriter may be exactly what you need.

Having started this on a somewhat negative note, and if you're willing to listen to an in depth conversation about this process, I'd like to show you who should and who should not get help with his or her autobiography, life story or memoir--there are millions of you! I'd like to paint a more positive picture about a challenge that is both exciting, important and within many people's ability and reach.


(Continued April 19, 2018)


There is a technical difference between an autobiography and a memoir. An autobiography is generally considered your entire life story from youth until the present day.

A memoir is generally considered a "portion" of your life. This portion could be just one incident or event that is fleshed out to either a short or an extensive book form. A memoir can be a career you had among many, just your childhood, or just a part of your adult life. A memoir can also be a combination of your business career and parts of your personal life.

Regardless of what it is called, your own personal story whether that is a single event that happened over the course of your summer vacation, or your entire life story, is one of the most rewarding challenges you will likely ever undertake. 

There are many reasons people want to write their stories: sharing insights about enormous challenges they have overcome, leaving a legacy for their families, entertainment coupled with insight, wanting the world to know they were here, or just as a historical document. 

Some people go it alone, take classes or read books on how to write a memoir. Even though I write memoirs for a living, I always encourage people to try to write their own story first. I tell them to begin by developing an outline and then to keep notes or start a journal to flesh out all the stories that will ultimately become a cohesive book--an autobiography or a memoir. At some point in this process, it becomes self-evident how the rest will progress, or a person will decide he or she is better off hiring a professional.

Why should you write your life story?

Whatever your motivation for finally sitting down and capturing your story, they are all valid. Want to help others? Want your grandchildren and their children to know who you were, what you stood for, and what lessons you want them to gain from your life? Want to entertain people and make money publishing your book?

WARNING! There are two questions you have to answer first before hiring a ghostwriter to help you. 

(1) can you afford the costs? (generally anywhere from a low of about $25,000 to well over $100,000--commensurate with the length of your story and the experience and knowledge of the ghost). 

(2) do you have the time and energy to see this project through to the end? Your time with a ghostwriter can be weekly or even daily interviews of several hours over a six month to a year period of time. It can involve your reading and re-reading your story many times over the life of the written work to insure it is progressing the way you envisioned it would. And it will most likely involve retrieving various documents, letters, photos and other memorabilia. 

Assuming these two factors are not a deterrence, then hiring a ghostwriter is the best possible choice you can make. 

(to be continued)













April 13, 2018

What does collaboration really mean?


There is a great deal of misconception surrounding this concept. When asked what a collaboration is, most people answer, "It's teamwork," and it is, but it stretches far beyond that word that is most often associated with sports.


Any endeavor or process that involves more than one person is a viable starting point in a discussion of collaboration. And, of course, for the purposes of this blog, I'll be using the collaboration between a ghostwriter and his or her client/author.


True collaboration is a process that can be taught, and in the case of a ghostwriter serving his client, this process begins from the very first meeting because it is then that a candid discussion of the ground rules and the road map these two individuals need to follow, will begin. This is one of the first areas where a ghostwriter can help his client by guiding him or her through this discussion.


This understanding will set the foundation of the entire project, the behaviors of both parties and the ideas and solutions that evolve out of this process and while this blog pertains mostly to fiction writing, it is also applicable to a collaboration on a memoir or business book. (Details on those two entities in a later Blog).


First, both individuals have a voice in all aspects of the process including: the original outline, plot, character development, narrative voice, style and so on.


The project always begins with a theme. What is the point of this book? What is the genre? What are the author's goals (publishing, business cache, for friends and family only, etc.). Once this is established, an outline is created jointly between ghost and client. This is the foundation for the entire book. Many times, in fiction, this is simply developing a rough three-act-play format and then filling in the specifics as the two partners brainstorm dozens of potential outcomes for the story.


In a true collaboration, each person wants to take ownership to some extent in the final product; they want to belong to the discussion and the process. Each participant IS an owner, an equal investor so to speak.


It is also important to note that collaboration should not be confused with "cooperation." Cooperation is when each person on the team (2), develops his or her own plans or structures and then "shares" them with the team. 
In this case, there may be valuable insights gained, but the focus is still on individual actions and achievement, rather than a collective (2) strategy. Collaboration is when client and ghost's goals are subordinated to the collective achievement, which of course, is the original goal defined by the client. 

A ghostwriter starts out guiding the discussions based on the client's needs, wants and goals. After this is agreed upon, it is also agreed (with fiction in particular) that brainstorming ideas take temporary precedent over individual achievement. Since most clients are new to this process, the ghostwriting collaboration differs from others at this juncture; the ghost as guide, must take control of the process in the beginning and at the same time be open to all ideas from the client. 


Once the foundation is set for the particulars of plot, character development, etc., that is when the brainstorming begins. Both client and ghost begin to ask the question often, "What if?" This tends to force out of the box thinking in that there are NO rules at this point. Any plot twist, character flaw or even final outcome as determined by the outline, is on the table for discussion for either inclusion or expulsion (collaboration). Even "what ifs" that seem ludicrous cannot be discounted. After all, that is part of the purpose of asking the question--to decide what might happen if we think so far outside the box we are able to arrive at new uncharted destinations that are both desirable and better than what would have happened had we followed all the normal rules. They call it fiction for a reason--it isn't real--it's better. Let's never forget that fiction is entertainment.


In this way, and only in this way, can the magic of fiction be allowed to unfold and achieve the ultimate success, which is that other individuals will purchase this book, enjoy it and tell their friends about it.


The real discussion that is always up for grabs on the subject of collaboration is: how do you implement and manage a true collaboration? That is a more detailed discussion that you will find a little further along in this blog. For the purposes of this writing, and for the ghostwriting experience, the one thing that makes a ghost/client collaboration so special is that it is a true example of each voice having an equal say in the outcome--but only to a point!

Both author (client) and ghost both are trying to subordinate their individual needs and wants to the good of "the book." The client generally receives all the credit in the end, and of course, is the one who is paying the bills. This is where diplomacy, patience and the realities of business world meet. Each ghost/client relationship is unique. Personalities are unique. Backgrounds and experiences are idiosyncratic. In short, in this collaboration, the ghost with all his knowledge, writing qualifications, business and publishing experience, will "win" some 'skirmishes," while the client who owns, authors and pays for this distinctive undertaking, will "win" others. However these disagreements are also part of the collaborative process where each partner can disagree or agree to disagree always keeping the final goals foremost in mind.

In the case of the ghost, he or she must ask, what are my client's goals and how can I help him or her best achieve them. That should be the ghost's primary goal. 


Personally, I find that the art and satisfaction of writing with another individual (especially in fiction), many times exceeds writing alone, and it often produces superior results as when going it solo. In the case of creating a fictional story, I feel two minds are always better than one. Not all writers agree with that theory however. And even clients don't always agree. Some of the novels I've ghostwritten for clients have been almost entirely written by me. Sometimes a client only has the main plot figured out and some sketches of the protagonist. In that case, starting with those elements, and some brainstorming, I have initiated my own outline, obtained approval from the client and then with occasional conversations with the client, I've forged ahead and written the work.

In other cases, the client wants greater control and involvement (see collaboration above). This is perfectly fine as well. In that case, more frequent discussions, brainstorming and "what ifs" will seek their own levels throughout the process until the work is completed.

To me, it's a luxury to have a partner who has completely different life experiences and asks totally different, "What if?" questions. Those experiences and conjectures often take a story down very unexpected and pleasant paths, but I can also enjoy doing most of the heavy lifting. That is one of the luxuries of working with a ghostwriter--you can choose exactly how you want the process to work.

So perhaps, just maybe, the ghostwriting/client relationship is one of the closest we have come so far to a successful and realistic collaboration, but only if both parties are patient, diplomatic, open minded and devoted to the same goals--the creation of a unique, marketable book that people will buy and enjoy.

(Check in frequently for updates. Next, we will tackle collaboration as it relates to memoirs and business books.)

Note: If you want to start at the beginning of this on-going Blog, go to the first March 31, 2018 Post. Also, you can visit my full website at: http://www.theghostwriter.net  

Thursday, April 5, 2018

April 5, 2018

If you are new to my blog, my name is Robert Bruce Woodcox.  I am a ghostwriter, best selling author and Pulitzer Prize nominee for fiction in 2012.


If you are interested in the art and science of ghostwriting and are curious about how that whole process works, you've come to the right place.

The best place to start to get answers and ideas is to use the "Search" function to the right of this panel and type in March 31, 2018. That will take you directly to the beginning of the story. If you're interested in random stories, ideas, solutions and answers, start anywhere. 

If you haven't already been there,  you can visit my full website at: http://www.theghostwriter.net

You can also comment on any discussion by clicking on the comment link at the end of each post.

About Confidentiality Agreements, Credits, Fees and other must know elements of a relationship with a ghostwriter.


NDAs

Confidentiality or "non-disclosure" agreements, or NDAs are your first order of concern if you are about to embark on a book (or for that matter, anything which involves you giving proprietary information and knowledge about your ideas to another person),

You should NEVER discuss your book project whether that is a memoir, novel or business book in detail with ANYONE until you have a signed NDA from that person in your hands. (If you want the customized agreement I use, just email me at: ighostwrite@icloud.com. Or visit my site: www.theghostwriter.net)


A non-disclosure agreement is a binding contract that protects you from having your ideas, intellectual property, research materials, etc., from being stolen from you and used by someone else without your permission.


Simple as that. You can also find templates on line by googling: Confidentiality agreements. There is no need for you to sign this agreement, as it should be written only to protect you from someone poaching your ideas. 


Credits

In the "old days" when few people knew what a ghostwriter was, much less used one, a ghostwriter never received credit for his or her work. And that is as it should be. I am different than many ghosts in that I really don't care if I get a credit for helping you with your book or not. I love my work, I enjoy the adventure of collaborating and brainstorming ideas and copy with another individual. I also enjoy helping them get their books published. For all this, I am paid handsomely. I sometimes even feel a little like a young rookie major league ball player who is happy to be paid to play the game he loves. That's not to say it's easy work, it's just the difference between passion and punching a time clock.

In today's world, the cat is well out of the bag. Most people assume either right or wrong that most celebrities in show business, politics and elsewhere have used a ghostwriter to write their memoirs or other stories. The difference between today and say, just 20 years ago, is that many celebrities or others, often relish giving co-authoring or "with" credits to a ghostwriter, especially if that ghostwriter is a kind of celebrity in his or her own world as well. There these people, there is a cache to telling the world you have your own ghostwriter and if that ghostwriter is well known with plenty of high end memoirs under his writing belt, then so much the better.


If you read the above portion of this blog, you'll see how important it is to have your ghost sign a non-disclosure agreement. This agreement should also include specific information on credits. Will the ghost have his name on the cover of the book as a "with" or "co-author" or not?


In most cases, it doesn't hurt you to include "something" about your ghost whether that's on the cover, or in the acknowledgments or elsewhere. On the other hand, if you choose not to include your ghost, that is perfectly fine as well. After all, it is your story, your details, six months or more of your life sharing all that information and bringing ideas to the table for inclusion. Either way, the most important thing is to set clear rules on credits in your NDA BEFORE you begin to do anything.


FEE

My fee structure is simple. I base my fee on $1 dollar a word. It doesn't matter whether you want to write your memoirs, a business book or a novel, the fee structure is based on this simple logic.

However, the total fee can vary because the length of various types of work vary. Generally, unless you are an extremely well known celebrity in show business, politics or other higher profile professions, a memoir generally runs about 75,000 to 90,000 words or the equivalent of about 275-350 pages in book form. However, word count and page counts are not the same thing. For purposes of the fee, all money discussions are based on word counts. The reason for this is that various writers and editors use different size and style type fonts and page margins. Thus, some books with larger fonts or wider margins can run at different page counts. With word counts as the basis for the client/ghostwriter goal and renumeration, there are no gray areas. 

Business books usually are not that long. They are more marketing oriented and are usually best written more to the point without need for a lot of story telling or character development. Business books can run as little as 25,000 to about 65,000 words but of course, there are exceptions.

Novels, or other fictional works tend to be the most lengthy for various reasons both financial and critical. A typical novel by current publishing industry standards usually runs from 75,000 to 100,000 words or more.

The point is, once we discuss your needs, what your goals are and what the potential market is for your story, then it is relatively simple to zero in on a flat fee. When I say flat fee, I mean there are no other hidden costs. My fee is charged in three increments, each in advance of the first, second and third sections of the book. So, for instance, if your book is an 80,000 word memoir, each section of the book and prior payment would be $26,666 dollars. 

Additional costs, that are agreed to up front outside this writing, editing, interviewing fee, include: travel to you, hotel and food and the cost of transcriptions of interviews. Other than that, one fee covers my travel "time," interviews with you and others we determine we need, writing, research, editing and all the other behind the scenes heavy intellectual lifting a ghostwriter does to bring your story to life and to market!

In all, the efforts I put forth in helping you to turn your story into an intelligent, entertaining, informative and "sellable" book involves hundreds of hours of labor.  Perhaps labor isn't the best choice of words for the magic that transpires between a very good ghostwriter and his client. I always say, "We only write as well as we think," and so "labor" is a relative effort--labors of the mind, the body and the spirit, would be more appropriate.

How long will it take to complete your book?

Of course, each book project is unique to some extent. Generally though, a memoir, business book or novel can be completed (written and edited) in about six months. However, lengthy novels and even memoirs that are more "legacy" books, can take months longer. The important thing to remember is that you should know, and have it in writing, how long your project will take before you begin.

Having written more than 40 books, I can tell you that a six month time period is usually sufficient.



You can always visit my website at: http://www.theghostwriter.net for more tips, answers and details or email me at: ighostwrite@icloud.com




Tuesday, April 3, 2018

April 3, 2018

If you wish to start a the beginning of this discussion about How Ghostwriting Works, go to my March 31, 2018 post. And you can always visit my website at: 
http://www.theghostwriter.net
April 3, 2018

Deciding to hire a ghostwriter


You can glean a great deal of information in a phone call with a ghost, enough so that you are comfortable with the costs, timing, experience and competence (in general) of that person. However, that usually isn't enough to make a final decision. From this point, it is important to meet in person. A one-on-one meeting should give you the answers you'll need before signing a contract. It is also important that you "like" the person you will be working with for the next four months to a year. 
Life is too short to work on dull projects or with people you don't enjoy being or working with.

As important as success and results are, it is just as important to enjoy the process, to learn along the way, to discover, and participate in the creation of something truly unique.  So, your one on one meeting is where the "rubber meets the road," so to speak. I firmly believe that though I do the heavy lifting in terms of writing, research and editing, this is your book; the content comes from you, but the ideas, style and great surprises come from both of us. I act as a writer, guide and confidant among other things. 


Once we have spoken and you agree a meeting is needed, I will travel anywhere in the world to meet with you (at your expense). The hotel, air fare and food are your responsibility--I give you two or three days of my life as part of the bargain.


Most of my more than 40 clients have been located in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. I ask that a potential client set up a hotel in their city and decide upon a quiet meeting space whether that is his or her office, home or some other venue that is located close to the hotel and to them. I usually arrive at night, get settled in and then plan for an early next morning meeting.


These meetings are generally open ended and take anywhere from several hours, to the entire day. Many times, two days are necessary. During this meeting, we get to know one another as human beings and as potential business partners, and I provide answers to any questions you have. 


By the time I leave to come home, you will know if you want to proceed, so I will leave you with my contract and give you time to think about the process on your own. It's all very simple actually and it all makes perfect sense. When you have decided to start, you call me, we set up our first interviews and we get to work.


That first order of business is creating an outline, deciding on the voice and the style of this work and developing the foundation for future interviews, the schedule of completion, talking about publishing questions and the many other aspects that will come into play as we collaborate on your book.


Visit my website for more answers and details: 
http://www.theghostwriter.net

And come back here often as I continue to discuss the ghostwriting process and how you can insure you make your book project a success.