How to approach an editor or writer for hire
I work on book projects for hire. Nonfiction authors pay me to help with ideas, get coaching, edit their books, or ghostwrite their books.
There are three approaches people take when reaching out to me.
The three approaches
Imagine my inbox, which is stuffed with all sorts of publishing news, people who want me to buy their crap, and people who potentially want to hire me. Now imagine three possible emails that a potential client sends me:
- Would like to potentially hire you for help with my book. I’m writing a book on what motivates customers and I need help with refining the idea and determining the right approach.
- Would like to partner with you for my book. I’m writing a book on what motivates customers and I need a partner for idea development and writing.
- I need help with my book. I’m thinking of writing a book on what motivates customers and I don’t know where to begin.
Guess which one I respond to first?
Email number one tells me this author is serious and understands that I don’t work for free. I will respond quickly. Ironically, this is the author I’d be most willing to give a bunch of free advice to, because they’re a real author, or at least thinking like one.
Email number two uses the dreaded “P word”: partner. Partners typically contribute to a project in hopes of a later reward. The word “partner” says to me, “I am wondering if you will join my project and potentially work for me for free.” I won’t. Maybe that’s not what you had in mind, but your email makes me worry that you’re looking to sign me up without paying me.
Email number three sounds like somebody toying with the idea of becoming an author. They’re not serious, yet. So I’m not really able to help them, yet.
“But I want to tell the truth . . .”
When you approach me (or any kind of consultant, for that matter), you want to communicate that you value their services, are willing to pay, and have some idea of what you want. That’s the right approach even if it isn’t completely true.
Even if you are not sure you want to pay for my services because after all, we just met, indicate that you are ready to hire me. We both know that sometimes that doesn’t work out. But at least you’ll have communicated that you don’t think I work for free.
Even if you’re not sure you are ready to write a book, pretend that you are. Describe yourself as an author. Describe the book in as clear terms as you can. That’s a useful exercise in any case. And it will signal to me that this is a real project for you, not some amorphous dream. I rarely can help people with amorphous dreams (and neither can most consultants).
I tend to respond to all people, even those who use the latter two approaches. But my responses are more likely to be something like, “What is your book really about?” and “Are you ready to invest in your idea?” I don’t want to waste time with idle tire-kickers.
My response to the first kind of email is usually, “Sounds interesting. Here’s what’s open on my schedule to talk about your project.”
Keep that in mind when you approach an editorial resource for help, because they probably treat these inquiries in much the same way.