Coauthoring & Ghostwriting

 

Get Your Book Written, Finally!

Genre specialties:  Survivor and “thriver” memoirs (recovery and rebuilding focus), natural health and wellness, medical breakthroughs, entrepreneur narratives and inspiration, natural history and outdoor narrative, sustainable living, green architecture, permaculture and regenerative agriculture, artist and craftsperson narratives.

Coauthoring and Ghostwriting are quite similar in terms of work flow.  In both partnerships…

  • We journey through a series of intensive interviews and fact-checking sessions
  • I write chapter drafts, which you review, revise, and edit intensively
  • Through multiple revision volleys, we craft a semi-final sharable draft

Many new authors think their book is done at this stage.  But this is when a new journey begins.  The manuscript heads out to an initial beta reader pool.  After beta readers provide their revision feedback, we head into a new revision round.  Depending on the nature of the beta readers’ original revision suggestions, the book may go back to them for follow-up feedback.  Finally, a third-party copy editor provides more editorial polish, bringing the manuscript to a submission-ready state.

All those steps are involved whether I work with you as a coauthor or a ghostwriter.  Coauthoring and ghostwriting differ only in contractual setup.

  • In Coauthoring, you (the Author) pay no money up front, but you share byline and royalties with me (the Writer) after publication—both our names are listed on the cover.
  • In Ghostwriting, the Author pays the Writer a deposit up front, and installments throughout the writing process, to complete the project.  The Author owns the writing outright.  The Ghostwriter is not listed on the cover and is not paid royalties.

Ghostwriting fees are estimated based on the quality of the Author’s source material and can range from $0.55 to $0.95/word.  I always work on a single sample chapter project first to make sure we’re a good fit, before we commit to the entire book project.

Obviously, coauthoring is easier on the Author’s budget up front.  However it is much harder to get your pitch accepted as a Coauthoring project.  I am extremely selective about these projects, as I do not stand to get compensated for my efforts unless the book sells incredibly well!  My Coauthoring slate is presently full, but I’m always open to hearing an interesting pitch.  Contact me if you believe your book project will become the next best selling Survivor Memoir or course altering Natural Health Book!

NOTE: Upon manuscript completion, it is the Author’s responsibility to implement their own publishing plan.  I can provide industry tips, but I am not a literary agent or publishing coach.  Both of those roles are invaluable team members, which you may need to find and secure.  Please see my Client Expectations for more info.