Author and Ghostwriter
The level of independence I experience as a writer is one of the interesting things about my job as a ghostwriter. After all, my job is to make writing a book easy for my clients, which means they don’t have to do much. The initial interview period is where clients are deeply involved in telling … Read more
Ever since self-publishing became a thing, there have been a million adjacent industries for self-published authors, such as book marketers, self publishers, and book cover designers. A lot of them are legit, and a lot of them are, frankly, scams. Along the way, someone figured out that would-be authors are thirsty for fame … and … Read more
There’s a thing going on in music right now, where women are all about self-empowerment songs: Survivor, Part of Me, Stronger, Fighter, Good as Hell, Confident, Fight Song, Woman like Me. The list goes on. It’s awesome but it’s weird because something’s missing. I was sitting with a singer friend of mine who is going … Read more
Men tell me things they don’t tell anyone else. I mean, it’s my job to listen to people tell the stories of their lives. And a lot of those people are men, and sometimes they say wildly sexist things, but it’s because these are their true beliefs. It’s not my job to enlighten them, and … Read more
In a conversation, recently, a friend suggested that Chat GPT was going to replace me pretty soon. I had to laugh. There are some very good reasons why a robot can’t replace me, and I think this is important to talk about for the sake of writers and creative people everywhere. People seem to think … Read more
Here’s my latest brainwave: memoir short stories. That’s as opposed to one long narrative memoir. There are a lot of advantages to writing this way, but first let me tell you why this is important for you. Lately, a lot of would-be memoirists have been contacting me, overwhelmed with the idea of writing their life … Read more
Please enjoy this video about the difference between a “vanity memoir” and a legitimate memoir. It all has to do with being a vulnerable memoirist versus being a braggart. Many of my clients worry about their projects being perceived as frivolous. This will help clear up what exactly it takes to write a memoir that’s … Read more
I’ve had a lot of clients who worry that writing a memoir will seem like what they call a “vanity project.” I think this is a term that has come into common use lately, what with all the self publishing that’s available. It’s not all done at a quality level. Some memoirs seem rather self … Read more
Once upon a time, a client urged me to write her memoir so as to give this impression: “I’m like that honey badger!” When I asked what in the world that meant, she replied, “I’m a badass and I really don’t give a shit!” I had no idea what she was talking about, so she … Read more
I want to commend my client Larry Vaughn for getting out there and making sure his book gets into the public eye. Larry’s memoir, Business Cards and Shoe Leather, is all about how cooperation, not competition, brings out the best in every business. Larry walks the walk, too, as he is eager to bring everyone … Read more