THE PROCESS

The Process Anchor

Collaborating With

A Ghostwriter

The word ghostwriter has always seemed a little mysterious to many people, me included. When I first heard it and learned a little about ghosts, I thought it was all very magical—and it is. However, like any other business, it has a rhyme and reason and a logical flow to how it works.

Like anything worth doing, writing your memoirs or business book starts with simply taking a first step, but in what direction? When you do things on your own, the process is quite different. When you work with a ghostwriter there are factors that are out of your immediate control; you have to trust a very important job with someone else. You are essentially collaborating with a guide and you want to insure that guide has shepherded many people down the same path you are about to embark upon. Trust is essential and experience is vital but in this case, it is also important that you like your guide. That first step begins with that all important first conversation between the two of us. Assuming we get along well and like each other over the phone, the next step is to meet in person.

In that first phone conversation, I will answer any and all questions you have. You will find out how “sellable” your story might be. You’ll find out what it will cost, how long it will take, exactly how each step proceeds, what interviewing is all about, what style I feel your story deserves and a host of other important elements that form this unique collaboration between two creative and determined people.

How Do We Meet

in Person?

If you like what you’ve heard, I will travel anywhere in the U.S. and Canada to meet you. You pay the air fare and hotel for a two-day stay and I give you two days of my life and my undivided attention. I’ve been to nearly every major city in this country and several in Canada.

Caveat: During this time of covid, travel and face to face meetings may not be advisable. However, Zoom, FaceTime, Skype and telephone interviews work quite well. I am open to discussion.

During this face-to-face meeting, we will talk about your story, begin to develop an outline and a plan and get to know each other even more. We can meet at your office, in your home or you can visit me in southern California. I will give you a copy of my “sample” agreement and I will outline every step of the process.

When we have spent a day or two together and you feel all your questions have been answered, I return home and leave you alone to your thoughts. If you decide you want to proceed, you simply call me to discuss our next steps, to sign my agreement and to begin the fantastic journey of writing your story.

Of course, the interviews I will need to do, how the work is provided to you and how frequently, what the style will be, what control you have all along the way and a myriad of other elements of the process will be discussed when we meet as well.

When you feel you understand and agree to everything, we will begin a journey together that will in all likelihood be one of the most rewarding of your life, it will be a lot of fun too.