A bunch of us were standing around, playing “What do you do?” and munching on tailgate goodies before the football game. When one of the men learned that I was a ghostwriter, he said: “I don’t understand how someone can claim to be an author, when they didn’t actually write the book.” It » Read More
Tag: Ghostwriting
How do you recognize your ghostwriter?
“Whose name goes on the cover of the book?” Most people who consider hiring me as a ghostwriter ask the question that way. The short answer is: “It’s up to you.” Now, here’s a longer answer. The classic idea is that the ghostwriter is a “ghost” and therefore totally » Read More
Do I really need your help to write my book?
I received an email over the weekend from a young man who’s thinking about writing a book. Here’s the core of what he asked. “I’ve read the material on your site about all the help you can give someone writing a book, but I’m pretty sure I can write this book on my own with no help from you or » Read More
Two Kinds of Ghostwriting
Time Business ran an article titled “Boo! Ghostwriting Grows in Age of ‘Book as Badge‘” on February 22, 2012. Here’s a provocative quote. “Ghostwriters, once the preserve of politicians and celebrities, are in demand by a swelling rank of lesser knowns who crave the prestige of a book » Read More
What’s the “zero draft?”
I met Peter Drucker more than thirty years ago. I only met him that one time, but I picked up ideas and concepts and questions that I’m still using. One of them is the zero draft. The zero draft is what you write before the first draft. It’s the best way I know to discover how well you understand your ideas and » Read More