Have you always thought you had a book in you but lacked the confidence or skill to get it out? A good book editor or ghostwriter can help make this process a lot easier for you. Whether you’re off to a rough start, have finished a first draft, or don’t have the time to write a book, I can help you create a final product that makes you proud.
Finishing your book brings a thrill that’s hard to put into words. You’ve poured your soul into a dream project that shows the world your passion and knowledge. The time it took was probably longer than you imagined, but it feels so good to get it done. But it’s not done yet.
You’re too close to your book and subject matter to be able to objectively assess if it works for your intended reader. A second pair of professional eyes can help improve your book’s reach, impact, reviews, and effectiveness. Engaging a skilled editor who understands marketing can help ensure your book achieves its aims.
Table of Contents & first chapter review
Sometimes, it’s the getting started part that’s the hardest. If you’re stuck with your book project, I can help get you headed in the right direction.
First-time authors often struggle with finding the right content mix. Either they’re trying to cover too much or can’t come up with enough to fill the pages of a book. Don’t give up. Consider, instead, engaging some expert help for strategic recommendations for book content and flow based on your rough table of contents. I’ll also work with you to develop a template for style and flow for future chapters through an edit of your first chapter.
The time to do this is before you spend countless hours drudging through first draft completion. I’ve had ghostwriting clients come to me after writing an entire book that just didn’t work. That was hard to admit after spending months or years trying to pull it together. By then, they were too frustrated and worn out from the task to start over. Of course, they were thrilled with the end product, but they could have saved a lot of time and money with guidance from the start to ensure their writing time was well spent.
How it works
- You send me your table of contents outline and first chapter. I’ll come back to you with a simple contract with scope of work and associated costs. An invoice for half the project cost will be sent to you for payment.
- Then, I’ll dive into the project. This will include one or more Zoom meetings or phone calls to get more clarity on your objectives with the book.
- I’ll send documents back as email attachments in track changes of both the Table of Contents and the first chapter edit.
- Finally, we’ll do another call or Zoom meeting so I can clarify points of interest or answer any questions you may have. Once you’re happy with everything we’ve done together, I’ll send you a bill for the balance.
Book Editing
Most of what I do is developmental and content editing. If you don’t need this level of service, I’ll let you know and try to refer you to a competent copyeditor or proofreader. No charge.
If your goal is to create a non-fiction book to support your business marketing and promotion efforts, you’ve come the right place. With over 25 years of marketing and copywriting experience, I understand what it takes to create compelling copy. As a publisher, I also understand what it takes to create books that are appreciated and recommended.
Usually, the best time to engage a book editor is after you’ve created a first rough draft. You may also want to get beta readers feedback before handing your book to an editor. The downside is if you were also planning on using those beta readers for great reviews a forward, and they get turned off because your book still needs to be cleaned up. It’s your call.
You might prefer to get an editor on board while you’re still writing the copy. I’m happy to be available for that too. It might save us both time and lead to a better strategic plan for the book.
Plan on getting comment and suggestions on the following:
- General book flow comments with ideas to address issues
- Language concern comments and corrections
- Help with story-telling sections (including suggested rewrite copy)
- Organizational recommendations to improve the reader experience
- Flagged redundancies, areas where you tell too much, ideas for adding clarifying information
- Suggestions for expansion or elimination of copy
- Corrected spelling, grammar and punctuation
- Guidance on how to document sources
- Ongoing help either by phone or Zoom as you dig into edits provided
Ghostwriting
Most people think the author who appears on the cover wrote the book. You’d be amazed, particularly with non-fiction, how often that’s not the case. If you engage me to ghostwrite your book, our relationship is totally confidential. Unless you provide permission for you to share our relationship, I’ll never tell anyone I helped you write your book.
There are a lot of reasons authors engage ghostwriters. Many simply don’t have the time to write a book. Others are great at their profession, but writing isn’t it. Some can’t organize their ideas in a way that reads well. Frustration after a first try that failed can be a factor. Sometimes, a book is designed to be a marketing tool and budgeted as such. If your time is valuable, a ghostwriter might make sense.
One of the biggest concerns first-time authors have in engaging a ghostwriter is the book won’t sound like them. One of my standout skills is being able to adopt another’s voice after about a 20-minute interview.
I’ve developed a proven process for ghost writing that ensures book content originates from the author’s ideas with language that mimics their speaking style. We pound out chapter frameworks in 20 to 40-minute weekly interviews that capture the essence of the content. I’ll do additional research when appropriate to shore up the holes. This approach gets the work done in a fraction of the time at about 25% of the typical ghostwriting cost.
Related writing & editing services
I can also help with back cover copy, press releases, sales pages, website copy, brochures, letters, and other marketing copy. Ghostwriting isn’t just limited to books. Perhaps you’re thinking of doing a monthly column for a business publication or submitting articles to magazines? Let’s talk!