The intimacy of memoirs, the awesome tenacity of leaders following their vision, the inspiring creativity of thinkers who can change the world…all these stories need to be heard.
We’ll work chapter by chapter, based on our interviews.
Whether you have a completed or partially-completed manuscript, or are starting with just your dream, our process together consists of all or some of these:
Interviews
There are two ways in which we can do the interviews that are the foundation of your book.
1. We record our weekly 90-minute meetings via an online platform (Skype, FaceTime, Zoom, etc.). Each will be transcribed to preserve your exact words. In our first meeting we’ll create a chapter outline. Subsequent interviews will deal with a specific chapter from this outline.
2. I can come to you and we spend some days together doing the interviews. You assume expenses for transportation, hotel, and meals, and I give you my undivided attention for two or three days.
Writing
I write one chapter at a time and send it to you to approve or edit for changes, additions, or deletions. You send the corrected chapter back to me and I rewrite it. I send it back to you for approval.
Only after you approve this chapter do we move on to the next. The completion of all chapters gives us your manuscript’s first draft.
Or, if you have a manuscript that is already completed or partially-completed, I will work chapter by chapter to correct and enhance flow, structure, or missing information.
Editing
When all chapters are complete, I go through the entire manuscript to resolve any remaining structure or content problems, and tighten up the writing by eliminating passive or static voice. This substantive edit process adds professionalism and flow to your book.
I send this 2nd draft to you for approval or changes, additions, and deletions. You send that draft back to me and I incorporate your final changes.
This methodology provides us with the cleanest manuscript before it goes to a third-party editor.
Final Edit / Proofreading
Many authors want to skip this very important step, but please don’t you do that.
The final editing should be done by a cold third-party eye — someone who has no inkling of your book. Your 3rd draft is the product of a final pass to assure sentence structure and syntax, punctuation, and other copy-edits.
At this stage both you and I are too close to the material to catch these small errors. But to the cold editor, they are glaring mistakes that jump off the page.
You can hire an editor yourself, or I can refer one to you. The cost is determined by your negotiations with that professional.
And then
You have a completed manuscript—a marketable literary property—you can proudly present to literary agents, friends, and family.
You can have it formatted into an online/ebook, publish it through a pay-to-print publisher (sometimes called a “vanity press”), or submit it directly to a publisher or literary agent.
But if you plan to submit to publishers and agents, you will need a Book Proposal (for non-fiction) or a Synopsis (for fiction).
Book Proposal or Bestseller Strategy Plan
BOOK PROPOSAL
If your book is non-fiction or memoir and you want to publish it, you must submit a book proposal to agents and publishers. Good proposals are their own art form. Every publisher has different criteria for this proposal, but the general components are:
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- Cover/query letter
- Proposal contents
- Overview
- Market
- Competition
- Promotion
- About the Author
- Book details
- Book contents/outline
- Sample chapters
- Synopsis
FICTION SYNOPSIS
If your book is a novel and you want to have it published by one of the 6 big publishing houses (or any of their imprints), it must be completed before soliciting an agent to represent you. The fiction Synopsis for literary agents includes:
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- Query letter with pitch
- Synopsis
- Up to three BISAC Subject Headings
- Amazon categories
- Promotion
- Competition
- Author Bio
BESTSELLER STRATEGY PLAN
To successfully self-publish any kind of book, you will need a Bestseller Strategy Plan—essentially a Book Proposal + marketing plan for independent distribution, promotion, and sales.
Book Proposals or a Bestseller Strategy Plan can be added to the price of your ghostwriting contract and create a seamless finish for your manuscript, or used as a stand-alone product.
