Nonfiction Ghostwriting
What is the power of your book?
A book well written has the power to transform a person’s life. A book well written has the power to transform the world by informing and educating and inspiring people to change their behaviour. Not all books inspire transformation on a mass scale, but every book has the power to inspire positive transformation in one person, in one business, in one corner of the planet, and that is an incalculable gift.
By providing value to others, your book also provides value to you.
If you are a thought leader, your book offers a powerful message that you can use to increase your influence and your income.
If you are a professional, your book provides information filtered through your unique experiences and perspective that you can use to grow your business and your income.
If you are a scientist outside academia, your book translates the important findings of your research into a form that many people can understand and use for the benefit of themselves and others — and that you can use to advance your career.
Keen to write the book yourself but feel you could use some guidance? One of my book coaching packages could be right for you.
Why work with a ghostwriter?
Writing a book is a different endeavour from writing an article or a research paper. Organising a great amount of material, deciding what to include and what to leave out, understanding how to speak to your reader in a way that will reach them, managing the whole project, staying motivated when Mont Blanc seems to grow to the size of Mount Everest — if this is not your first book, you understand these challenges.
You also know how much committed time, effort and concentration writing a book requires. Typically for a year or more, you need to dedicate time every week to research, organisation and selection, writing, revision, and lots and lots of thinking.
A ghostwriter can take much of that load off you, enabling you to continue doing what you do best, and to serve your own clients. If you intend to pursue a traditional publishing deal, many agents and editors value the fact that the book is being written by a professional writer.
Jane’s listening skillset and accuracy are on point and the finished product is amazing. She simply is a one-of-a-kind ghostwriter and I would highly recommend her. She captures the truth.
How does ghostwriting work?
It’s not necessary to be a practitioner of a subject to be able to write about it. As writers of thrillers like to point out, just because they can write realistically about murders and psychopaths, that doesn’t mean they’re psychopathic murderers.
That being said, one of my strengths is my extensive general knowledge. You’ll provide the depth of knowledge and I probably already know enough to get started; I’ll flesh out my understanding as necessary.
If you’re writing for a general audience, it can be an advantage to work with a writer who is not expert in your subject, because the writer can point out when something needs more explanation so it can be understood by your reader.
I am very good at taking in a large volume of complex information and ideas, pulling out the most important and relevant elements, and translating them into language a broad readership can understand. I can see both the forest and the trees and put them both into words for others to see as well.
I write in these genres and subject areas:
sports science
mountain sports
business & professional
social & natural sciences
self-help
how-to
Thank you! I have had a lifetime love and appreciation for ‘you people’ who can clearly organize subjects which are probably new to you, and put them into easily readable form. It has been a pleasure working with you.
What's the process?
Ghostwriting a book is an intimate collaboration between writer and client (the author), so the first step is to make sure we are a good fit for each other. You need to be sure you will enjoy working closely with me for a number of months and, crucially, that you trust me. And vice versa.
Once we’ve agreed we’re a good fit and settled on the price and time frame, we’ll determine the way of working together that will suit us best.
Here’s a high-level look at the typical process:
1. First, we’ll clearly define the point of your book, your ideal reader and how to speak to them, the market positioning, and the structure.
2. Once we’ve established those fundamentals, I’ll conduct a series of interviews with you and other people relevant to the project (if any).
3. You’ll send me any supporting materials.
4. I’ll get an idea of an appropriate organization of the material and create a rough outline. If you already have an idea of how you want to organize the material, I can work from that. This initial outline is subject to revision (see below).
5. I’ll start writing and send you some initial chapters for review.
6. Based on your feedback, I’ll adjust whatever needs to be adjusted.
7. As I write, I’ll come back to you with questions or requests for more information on anything I can’t accurately or sufficiently find the answers to myself.
Note that steps 3-7 will occur and recur. Writing is rarely a strictly linear process, and the material will be the largest dictator of the process as it actually takes place. Deeper understanding will lead to more questions, new perspectives, the need to revise and/or reorganize earlier sections, and so on.
All along the way I will keep you updated. I love when the author I’m working with is engaged in the process and part of the discussion (without micromanaging). I’m equally happy being largely left to myself, except for my requests for more information, if that’s how you prefer to work.
It’s your book.
Thank you very much. You did a wonderful job and I appreciate it.
As a nonfiction ghostwriter, I work closely with you to bring your book into the world. I find joy, purpose and great inner reward in helping people share their expertise and express themselves well through the written word. My experience includes over 15 years of copyediting and line editing research papers in the social sciences, along with business, memoir, nonfiction, and fiction books, as well as professional writing and journalism both under my own byline and anonymously. I am obsessed with mountains and the physiology of training for endurance sports, and I train with a coach for mountain running and other alpine activities.
