Frequently Asked Questions

This depends on your situation. If you don’t already have an audience/market that will buy your book (called a “platform” in the industry), it can be difficult to get a publisher. In that case, you may have no choice but to self-publish. I can discuss the pros and cons with you based on your specific circumstances. I have written about the pros and cons of each publishing option here. I have also discussed this topic in my private Facebook group. Please feel free to join us to get lots of information about writing and publishing a book.

No. You need a literary agent to find you a publisher. While I know people in the industry, most agents will only accept proposals from me if the author has a substantial platform, which means a big following on an email list or social media. If you’re self-publishing, I usually recommend that authors do that themselves, and I have a Self-Publishing Checklist that I provide with the steps to follow.

No. Amazon.com allows you to list self-published books, but Barnes & Noble and other bookstores almost never put a self-published book on their shelves. The reason for this is that the quality of self-published books varies so greatly. You might be able to get your self-published book in small stores in your area, however.

This depends on the subject matter. I don’t write books solely from research. I only work with authors who have expertise in their topics. I can certainly bring more to your work and add research-based material, but the majority of the information should come from you and should be original. You can provide this to me in any number of ways: through notes, materials that you have compiled over the years, or through interviews that I conduct with you. In most cases, my clients convey the information to me in all of these ways.

This varies from book to book. The time can be as little as two months for a full-length book and as much as a year or more, depending on many variables. If you only require editing, the work can sometimes be finished in a week or two.

Yes! This is absolutely a viable way to complete a book. I can record interviews with you and use them as the basis for the chapters of the book.

No. When you sign a publishing contract, you are given an advance. That advance is against future royalties. So you don’t make any royalties until the publisher has made back that advance from the sales of the book. For this reason, many authors never make any royalties. Their only payment is the initial advance they were given by the publisher. If you’re self-publishing, it’s hard to make a profit from the sales of a book. So I wouldn’t be able to run my business if I counted on royalties. Most people use a book to help them build a business beyond the book, which is much like a robust business card.

Your involvement is necessary because otherwise, it isn’t your book – it’s my book. If I could write it without you, I would put my own name on it. The book should consist of your knowledge and experience because a book sets you up as an expert. If you aren’t an expert on the subject of your book, you’re misleading your readers. So in order for me to write a book that’s in your voice and based primarily on your expertise (perhaps with some additional research, if necessary), you’ll need to be involved. That said, hiring a ghostwriter does significantly reduce the amount of time you need to devote to completing a book.

Once I’ve been paid in full, the copyright will revert to you. If you don’t want me to disclose that I ghostwrote your book, I won’t, and we’ll put that in the contract between us.

Please contact me regarding my rates. I write books for a five-figure project rate. No two books are the same – even books with the same number of words or pages. Due to my years of industry experience, please note that I don’t work for bargain rates. Editing costs less and depends on the amount of work required.

No, I absolutely can’t. I can’t write it for $500 either or even $1,000. A good 200-page book – whether e-book or print book (a book is a book is a book) – requires a lot of time and effort. I’m not interested in churning out below-par work.

Yes, I can help you write a memoir, which is based on a particular theme in your life. That said, hiring a ghostwriter for a memoir is an expensive proposition, and it’s difficult to find a publisher for such a book unless you’re already famous. But I have clients who have had reasonable success self-publishing their memoirs.

This is what is called a professional critique. I can do that for a fee.

No one can guarantee that your book will sell well – not even Random House. If someone makes that guarantee, they’re lying. Many of the top publishers have released books that they thought would do very well, only to be disappointed. Just think of all of the movies that fall flat despite the big names involved. There’s a limit as to how much anyone can predict the marketplace. That said, I do come from an educated vantage point.

I make introductions on rare occasions.

I can make recommendations as to how to market your book and point you to some great resources that teach you about marketing books. But I don’t do public relations work myself. In my private Facebook community, I interview people who focus on book marketing, so I invite you to join us to learn more on this topic.