Is your plan to be a book ghostwriter realistic? It could be, if: Now one of the people in your network may be ready to hire you to write a book — or you may be ready to work with a ghostwriting agency that will bring you opportunities. Your first ghostwritten book make all the…
If you are an editor or ghostwriter, you need to protect yourself. AI-generated text from your clients creates both risks and extra work for you. You are within your rights to refuse any such material altogether. However, if you do deal with it, you must protect yourself. Below are some clauses I recommend including in…
A typical author I work with has an idea for a nonfiction book and would like to see it published, often as part of a plan to boost their visibility and reputation. They may expect an editorial or ghostwriting professional like me to do the work of crafting a full manuscript, they may be starting…
Newsletter 148. An AI negotiation tool for ghostwriters and their clients. Plus, resurgent indie bookstores, AI news regurgitation, three people to follow, three books to read, and one extremely worthwhile doppelgänger. How to talk to your clients about AI How should writers use AI? That is a far more complicated question than it first appears….
A ghostwriting relationship often lasts a year or more. That’s a long time to be stuck in a terrible situation. Here’s a scorecard for your next potential nonfiction ghostwriting client. You’ll notice that there are more communications criteria than financial ones here, and that’s no coincidence: most ongoing painful ghostwriting problems are communications problems. Add…
“I quit.” These are words you should almost never utter as a ghostwriter. The reason is that busted ghostwriting relationships let clients down and will damage your reputation. Word will get around that you parachuted out and that will hurt you in the future. Writers who make their living exclusively on ghostwriting may be juggling…
After a while, experienced ghostwriters and editors get a sense of which clients are going to be a problem. But it goes both ways: if you hire folks like us, you should also be aware of problems to watch out for in your editorial partners. Red flags for ghostwriters, editors, or book coaches evaluating clients…
I may or may not have struck out on my current ghostwriting project. We’re in the early stages, and it’s not yet committed. And so far, the client has suggested some very challenging objectives for the writing, and rejected significant elements of the tone I’ve been using. When problems arise in any freelance project, it’s…
I’m in the trail stages of a serious nonfiction ghostwriting project right now. It’s a great project; I really want to do it. The author has asked for the impossible. He wants writing that’s captivating and compelling, but the source material, while excellent, isn’t very sexy. I could keep trying to rewrite things until something…