Click here for Part 1 of this Q&A
Isn’t it awful to work so hard on a book and not have your name on it?
No actually. As mentioned before, I’ve written about topics regarding which I have no personal authority. I’ve ghostwritten for doctors, architects, entrepreneurs, military veterans, war refugees, and medical crisis survivors. I’ve had this chance to write and edit for such diverse people. Sometimes the topics have been highly controversial. I’m proud the work is out there, but actually kind of relieved I don’t have to take the heat for any conflict it creates.
All that noted, it is incredibly hard to retire as a ghostwriter, unless you break into really high-dollar celebrity ghostwriting, which most ghostwriters don’t. Ultimately, a robust catalogue of royalty income is the only way you can retire. Though, I can’t imagine a retirement devoid of writing projects, it would be nice if I hit a point where I was solely writing about my own passions.
With that in mind, I recently transitioned into co-authorship (shared royalties and byline) with the 2017 publication of Don’t Say Anything to Anybody. That success has translated into more robust ghostwriting partnerships as well as a decision to take the next two years to work on my own fiction. That fiction work will serve as my current “labor of love” project—instead of immediately taking on another co-authoring project.
Yes, I’d like to see more books out there with my name on them. But I’m equally pleased with seeing titles I wrote five to ten years ago still making sales today. It’s a fun little secret I carry with me whenever I go to a natural health convention or watch one of my client authors at a book signing.
What’s it like to see an author signing the book YOU wrote?
Honestly? Kind of fun. It’s satisfying. At some point during the signing, I’ll share a wink or knowing glance with the author. All my clients have been so appreciative, and they all have had to do so much work themselves to bring the book into existence. I feel really pleased when I see the book out there and doing what it was meant to do: Helping the author connect with people in a more far-reaching way.
Is it hard to write what you think is a strong section in the book and then have an author come in and totally change it?
Oh, that happens all the time. The first few projects with finicky authors were hard. You definitely learn to set aside your ego and pick your battles. Am I going to make a federal case out of this issue or let it go? After all, it’s not technically my book!
I’m thankful for these experiences. It’s rare that a client comes in and truly destroys my writing. That does happen, but after hundreds of writer-for-hire projects, I can count on one hand the number of really bad apple clients.
Most of the time, if I listen closely to what the client wants in the problematic section, it becomes crystal clear why they’re having trouble with it. There’s always a good reason. Maybe their fix wasn’t grammatically correct or logically strong, but once I understand what they want, we can find the real solution for the passage. Nine times out of ten, that discussion results in a revision that is much stronger than my original draft.
In a weird way, these interactions have prepared me for working with magazine and publishing house editors. Editors often enjoy working with me because I genuinely appreciate them. I rarely push back on their edits, and love reviewing them because they’re the real deal. They make my writing shine. After years of dealing with non-writers revising my work and causing “problem edits”, it’s so refreshing to receive notes from someone who’s skilled at the task!
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