My first of 41 published books, and my most recent published book, were both ghostwritten. Overall, I’ve ghostwritten 19 books and one theatrical animated screenplay. These books range from how-to to critical and useful information for a target audience. Examples: ” How to market plastic surgery, Cosmetic Dermatology and Medical Spas – six editions (so far), this 2015 book earned me more than any other writing project because it was so dynamically successful. 1,001 Baby Names and What They Mean – this was a book for a large hospital in Chattanooga that found itself competing with smaller, more “agile” hospitals for labor-and-delivery patients. Written in the mid-90s, it is still in use. A “campaign bio” for a candidate for Governor in the midwest.
When I ghostwrite a book, I work closely with the “named author” (my client) to ensure that his or her “voice” is reflected on every page. We begin by creating an in-depth outline (call it a “Table of Contents” or TOC”). This is vital to the final copy of the book. I work on a month-by-month basis. I get paid on the first of the month for that month’s work, and up-front, we agree on what the monthly payment will cover. In this way, we always know what’s being done and how it’s being paid for. This works best for the client and for me.
Once the TOC is completed, I interview the client – this usually includes one or two in-depth Zoom phone interviews – for each chapter or sub-chapter identified in the “TOC.” I developed this process for the first “as told to” autobiography of a larger-than-life man, a former CIA pilot for Air America (in Vietnam, the middle east, behind the Soviet’s iron curtain. as well as Africa and South America … before he became an expert in UFOs, ultimately being the person who “told the world” about Area 51, complete with photos. This book was written and published in 1991, and the technique has only gotten better since Zoom came along.
We use Zoom because it will record in audio and video, and produce a transcript. In this way, I capture the named author’s voice because I listen to it as I write each chapter or sub-chapter.
After a chapter or sub-chapter is written to my satisfaction, I present it to the named author to review and approve, with or without changes. The client has one shot at editing it – a lesson learned thanks to a named author who had me go through nine drafts of her book because she was so slow in editing it, and kept coming up with “new” ideas. Going forward, I’ve found the process much simpler if the client’s services include one round of editing. If more are desired, this can be done, but the service is included in the next month’s payment and the next chapter is postponed until the edits are all complete.
Once the edits are complete, and especially with self-published named authors, I use a professional book editor affiliated with Barnett (name of business). There is no additional charge for this, it just becomes one month’s or partial month’s service package – it is part of the service package. Because of our payment structure, the editing generally takes a month.
I work with a professional book cover designer/book website designer and publisher who will design the book cover and website (for client approval), and who will then executes the approved design to help the named author have a product to sell and a platform on which to sell it. Then I can also help promote, market and sell (in bulk quantities) the took.
