I’ve been intimately involved with five books by other authors in the last several years. I ghostwrote four and extensively edited and rewrote the fifth. All four of the ghostwritten books underperformed. I’m not just talking sales. I mean that they failed to accomplish their authors’ goals for generating business, increasing visibility, or boosting influence….
“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…
We all know that coauthors — or authors and their ghostwriters — need a close relationship. Here’s are the qualities that make that relationship work, starting with trust. Trust is the foundation of an authoring collaboration Trust is the unshakable foundation of every book collaboration relationship. That is true regardless of whether you’re talking about…
If you’re creating a nonfiction book collaboratively, a good collaboration design will save you endless hours of work. An unwise collaboration design is not only wasteful, but will generate a poor result. Today, I look at the actual costs and benefits of good or poor collaboration design. What is collaboration design and why does it…
If you’re a professional writer — say, a writer writing for an editor, or a ghostwriter writing for a client — you need to understand the psychology of book drafts. You may look at your drafts one way, while your editor or client sees them another. You’ll have less angst in your life if you…
My company WOBS continues successfully in 2025, ten years after I started it. Many things about what I do have changed, but others have remained constant. I thought it might be instructive to describe my journey as a freelance writer, editor, and ghostwriter. Fundamental principles When I started, I had a clear idea of what…
In the Wall Street Journal, Jacqui Shine just published a piece called “Want to Earn Six Figures as a Writer? Try Ghostwriting.” Before you writers all start rushing into the ghostwriting field with your hands out, I thought it might be instructive to describe what it actually takes to become a well-compensated ghostwriter. First, a…
You are an expert on your topic and your ideas. I will never know as much about your topic as you do. I am expert on nonfiction books. You hired me because I know more about books than you do. This is the basis of our collaboration. It’s our greatest strength. It’s also our greatest…
Gotham Ghostwriters and the American Society of Journalists and Authors are soliciting entries for the second annual “Andy” awards. The Andys go to authors and ghostwriters who collaborated to create great books. To win one, both the author and the ghostwriter have to agree to submit the book. The categories are Business and Thought Leadership,…