Working across North America, Europe and Asia
A ghostwriter isn’t just a writer
Excellent writing skills are essential for crafting a good book. But a ghostwriter has another vital task to complete before setting pen to paper – finding out exactly what you, the author, want to say. That means forming a relationship based on mutual trust in which you can speak freely about your inner life and thoughts. A good ghost must be empathetic and a great listener, and has to know how to ask the questions that will get to the heart of the story.
Your ghostwriter is also your representative, your advocate and your advisor. It’s not enough for me to tell your story like a journalist would. My job is to communicate what you want to say in a compelling form and in the way you want to say it. That means staying true to your voice and your character. But it also means guiding the presentation of your story and ideas so they will meet the needs of the reader and the marketplace.
Getting Started
A good personal relationship is vital to completing a ghostwriting project successfully, so it’s important that we’re both happy we can work well together. To find out if we can, we'll meet and talk. These days, it’s easy to get together via Zoom or Skype, but I’m also happy to visit clients to speak to them in person. My time for these initial meetings is gratis, but you’ll cover the travel and accommodation costs if you prefer to meet face-to-face.
In these preliminary talks, we'll discuss your expectations, the commercial prospects of the book, and the time it will take to complete the manuscript. We'll then work together to sketch out an outline and I'll answer any questions you might have about the interviewing and writing process. Once you are happy that you know everything you need to know, you can then decide if you want to move forward. If you do, we’ll sign an agreement setting out the terms of the project and then get straight into the work itself!
