You want a ghostwriter to pen a memoir that reflects your thoughts and feelings, life story, and philosophy.
It would be a dream come true if that amazing memoir could be finished in six months and take very little effort from you.
My name is Ruby Peru.
I’m a ghostwriter, and I’m here to write your memoir.
I am the very best at what I do for one simple reason: I’m the only ghostwriter working for the public who uses a humorous writing style to heighten and explore the events of your life.
I don’t write stand-up routines.
I don’t write jokes.
My memoirs entertain with an easy-going, novel-like style that brings out the best in your personality. This style is also termed “narrative nonfiction.” I use humorous writing because it keeps readers reading, and it’s the most natural style for me. In fact, I consider this humorous writing style a strength of mine—a unique take on the world that few other biographers have mastered.
Events of the past can’t be changed, yet how we look at those events can. By taking a lighthearted view of life’s ups and downs, we insulate ourselves from the tendency to let triumphs go to our heads and failures, to our hearts. That said, I don’t know of another biographer working for the public who exhibits my unique understanding of irony and playfulness. This style elevates the meaning of each scene, enabling readers to laugh even as they cry.
I’ve cowritten or ghostwritten more than fifteen memoirs, and if you’ll allow me, I’m ready to offer memoir help by honing the poignant, powerful, and hilarious moments of your life into a focused story.
Writing this book with Ruby has enabled me to be honest about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia. Her research also taught me some of the benefits of dyslexia, so I learned a lot along the way. Most importantly, I’ve been told my book inspires others, and that means so much!
I’ve had clients ask me to craft their memoirs with styles like:
- David Sedaris
- John Krakauer
- Tobias Wolff
- Elizabeth Gilbert
- Cheryl Strayed
- Glennon Doyle Melton
- Jeanette Walls
Together, we can look at these writers’ styles and find aspects of them to incorporate into your memoir, combining different elements to create a style that’s all your own.
As a ghostwriter or co-writer, the memoir-writing style I typically use is called “narrative nonfiction.” That means your memoir features the suspense, interesting characters, and complex plot elements of a novel, yet it’s telling a true story—the story of your life.
What style to do you have in mind?
I always knew that I’ve had unique life experiences, which could be hard to capture because my journey has been a very long one. When I met Ruby here in NYC, I instantly sensed her talent as a writer, and she captured my journey and life experiences. Now, I am publishing a book with the most prestigious publisher: Knopf A. Alfred / Random House Kids. Thank you my friend, Ruby.
Being a Ghostwriter is a Calling
All our lives, we seek truth and meaning. We delve deep into life’s mysteries to form unique viewpoints and philosophies, then we feel deeply compelled to share what we’ve discovered. However, many folks just don’t have the writing ability to make themselves understood. That’s where I come in, as your biographer.
Everyone has the Right to be Understood.
My job is to learn about the experiences that led to your conclusions, philosophies, and beliefs, and then to write a memoir that helps the public understand who you are and how you got to be that way. In this way, a memoir celebrates your life’s triumphs as well as its failures and reveals the person you’ve become.
I studied my craft with masters such as best-selling novelist David Foster Wallace, the celebrated novelist Kurt Vonnegut, award-winning memoirist Thom Jones, actor Alan Arkin, and New York Quarterly founder William Packard. From these brilliant teachers I learned how characters change and grow through the transformative moments they experience. Each of my mentors coached me in using humor, dialogue, and description to make stories come alive.
I’d like to pass on my coaching system, which really teaches kids the meaning of teamwork. Ruby helped me do that in a way that’s fun to read and also very informative about coaching, baseball culture, and the changing culture of California high schools, as well. Hopefully, one day, the true spirit of teamwork will return to baseball. This book might help, so thanks for listening, Ruby.
My Clients
Those who hire a ghostwriter know they have dramatic stories to tell and important reasons for setting them down on paper. For my clients, I’ve written:
- prison memoirs
- business memoirs
- political memoirs
- coming-of-age memoirs
- spiritual memoirs
- war memoirs
- rags-to-riches memoirs
- child soldier memoirs
- and many more memoirs.
Ruby, you listened, really listened, and told my story back to me in a way that was insightful but also really entertaining. Sometimes I laughed and cried on the same page. Having you tell my story as an epic romance, which it really was, made me feel like everything I have been through was for a reason.
Ruby, you listened, really listened, and told my story back to me in a way that was insightful but also really entertaining. Sometimes I laughed and cried on the same page. Having you tell my story as an epic romance, which it really was, made me feel like everything I have been through was for a reason.
You don’t have to be famous to hire a ghostwriter or to write a successful memoir people will want to read.
Sure, some fans of memoir are drawn to the life stories of the rich and famous, but just as many readers seek out the interesting life stories of ordinary people. For example, all the following memoirists earned accolades for their great memoirs and skilled writing alone, not because of any previous fame:
- Beverly Donofrio
- Mary Karr
- David Sedaris
- Jon Krakauer
- Tobias Wolff
- Elizabeth Gilbert
- Cheryl Strayed
- Glennon Doyle Melton
- Jeannette Walls
- Joan Didion
- Maxine Hong Kingston
Shall I go on? Here’s proof that you don’t have to be a famous movie star, corporate leader, or political figure to write a successful memoir. True stories are intrinsically interesting.
I’d love to bring your true story to the book shelves.
Ruby, I just went off! I said everything on my mind, everything from my heart, and you took those ideas from raw recordings to organized chapters. You treated my experience of coming up from nothing with a lot of love, and wrote a book with great insight.
Ruby, I just went off! I said everything on my mind, everything from my heart, and you took those ideas from raw recordings to organized chapters. You treated my experience of coming up from nothing with a lot of love, and wrote a book with great insight.
Co-writing a Memoir
More and more, clients choose to engage me as a co-writer, rather than as a secret ghostwriter. There are several reasons why this benefits clients, but the main one is that I have my own following based upon my novel Bits of String Too Small to Save, my recent co-release Business Cards and Shoe Leather, with Larry Vaughn, and other titles. Sharing credit can help clients find more readers and book buyers, if they wish.
My childhood during the war was magical, horrible, heroic, and not really a childhood at all. Early on, I learned to laugh at the most horrible things, because how else can you live? Ruby wrote a book that made people understand my dark sense of humor.
The Process of Writing a Memoir
Month One: The Interview
We’ll begin the writing process with interviews. While recording our sessions, I’ll ask you to talk about the events of your life you wish to include in the memoir; then, I’ll ask for more. It’s important for me to know the events that built up to the decisions you made, so we’ll go back in time and talk about each important decision that led to a dramatic outcome. You may also feel free to share any written material or journals you have.
As your ghostwriter, I’ll also ask for details of the people in your life that are characters in your story. Some will be major characters in the memoir, while others play a lesser role. These things are determined by your preferences as well as the specific demands of an interesting and suspenseful plot. Typically, this information-gathering period lasts one month, where you’ll need to be available for thirty to forty hours of interviews, but after that, you can relax. I’ll take it from here!
Month Two: Timeline and Outline
The second month of the project, I’ll organize all the information I’ve gathered (hundreds of pages). I’ll transcribe the interview recordings and organize the information by subject matter. I’ll then create a timeline of events that shows the progression of your life, year by year, event by event. Next, I’ll write an outline for the book. Sometimes the book outline follows the timeline, but usually we use some tricks of the writing trade to make the memoir more interesting and suspenseful, such as:
- Beginning in media res
- Flashbacks
- Highlighting conflict
- Emphasizing interesting settings
- Plot twists
- Finding metaphorical parallels
- Creating a mystery
Months Three through Five: Writing
For the next three months of the project, I’ll send you an eighty-page segment of the manuscript at the end of each month. You may participate in editing the manuscript or not, as you choose.
The Final Month: Editing
When we have a full 240 pages, I’ll hire an outside editor to view the project with fresh eyes, take a careful look at any edits you have sent along, give the whole thing a final once-over myself, and perform a final edit on the project. That’s how I write a full, publication-worthy, memoir manuscript in six months.
It’s important to note that all writers need a fresh pair of eyes to look at their manuscripts before declaring them publication worthy. I’m the only biographer working for the public that includes the hiring of an outside editor for last-looks as part of the memoir-writing package. This ensures your memoir is a fully edited final draft as soon as I hand you the finished manuscript.
Ruby, This has been quite an adventure: spiritual, physical, emotional, and everything. I have a strong feeling we’ll be working together again on another book after this one makes the best seller’s list!
Publication, Sales, and Marketing
Finally, if you wish me to publish your work through my publishing imprint, Pangloss Press, I’ll be happy to do that without taking any royalties from your book sales. Pangloss Press can also perform a full book launch to get the most possible visibility for your memoir project.
My brother and I were a couple of unsavory characters, growing up, but we had a hell of a lot of fun. Ruby brought out the fun and danger of growing up on the streets and in the back woods of the deep south. ‘Bama Blues could be the next great southern novel!
My Confidentiality Policy
The testimonials you see on this site are completely real, but to view my work, you’ll have to reach out to me directly at (505) 310-5546 or ruby@rubyperu.com.
Because I work with many clients in total confidentiality, I can only provide simulations of the books I’ve written on this website, not the actual book covers. However, certain clients have given permission for their ghostwritten or co-written memoirs to be viewed by potential clients, so I can share those with you upon request.
Ruby is really tapping into my sense of humor in writing this book and has definitely gotten what am looking for here. . . really fun!
Biographer’s Fees
You want to get your memoir on bookstore shelves right away.
All you need to know is how much it will cost and when we can get started.
My standard fee is $45,000 for a 240-page memoir, finished in six months.
This is mid-price for a biographer. I’m certainly not the cheapest, but I’m less expensive than some of the ghostwriters charging “corporate rates.” At this price point, I tend to attract the most interesting clients and stories, which makes me love being a biographer more and more every year.
Please call or email me right away for a free consultation where we’ll discuss your story, your unique needs, and the whole writing process.
My mission, as a biographer, is to bring out the dramatic, funny, quirky, and meaningful moments of your life story.
This is how, together, we craft an incredible memoir.
Let’s Get the Ball Rolling!
I’d love to hear the story you’re burning to tell. Send me a quick message and we’ll set up a time for a phone chat!