In politics, an axiom drilled into the head of every candidate for office is that when you’re in a debate or answering questions from the press, “If you’re explaining, you’re losing.” Attributed to President Ronald Reagan, this means that explaining ..read more

I’ve been ghostwriting and editing non-fiction books and novels since late 2007. As you’ll recall, that was the beginning of the Great Recession. It lingered for years, wreaking havoc on our national economy and way of life. The US gross ..read more

While I write fiction under my own name, I make a living as a ghostwriter. I get paid to write books for my valued clients. All kinds of books: novels and non-fiction topics including self-help, business, healthcare, nutrition, and public policy. I write and my clients send me money. In the past twenty years I’ve written at least one hundred books. I don’t know for certain because I’ve lost count, but five per year is a ballpark estimate. As for the publication success of the manuscripts I deliver, I don’t know what happens to most of them. Every once in a while I search for my literary childr ..read more

As a professional ghostwriter of self-help and business books, an important part of my job is to help my valued client identify the problem they intend to solve for their reader, as well as its solution. The problem and solution need to be very specific. This is the first rule of self-help books. The second rule is to define the pool of potential readers (the market). It’s possible that the problem may be shared by millions of people, such as how to lose unwanted pounds and feel healthy, or how to make your business more profitable by hiring the right people and training them properly. On the ..read more

If you read “how to” guides on writing novels, they all agree that your story should open with some sort of action that represents a change for your protagonist. The scene should be dynamic, not static. There should be a present state moving into a different future state. Depending on the genre of your novel, your dynamic scene can be any scale, from small and subtle to big and vivid. To use the language of film, you can start with a tight, intimate shot and gradually pull back to show the larger scene, or you can start big, with a wide shot full of action, and move in closer. Either way can w ..read more

When you think of the salient characteristics of a non-fiction self-help business book, what comes to mind? At first, you might expect such a book to be a “how-to” manual, with instructions on how to accomplish a specified goal. The objective might be how to get a promotion, or increase employee retention, or ignite profitable innovation. In each case, a problem is defined and a solution offered. It’s all very logical. Of the four types of writing—persuasive, narrative, expository, and descriptive—you might expect to see mostly expository, which is used to explain a concept and share informati ..read more

In my nearly two decades of professional book editing, I’ve had the pleasure to serve hundreds of authors of non-fiction (self-help, business, health) and fiction (novels). I’ve found that the two genres of authors have very different expectations, greatly affecting how I work with them. Non-Fiction Authors First, non-fiction authors. Their books tend to have a practical purpose, generally centered around helping the reader solve a problem. The problem could be how to live a healthier and happier life, reduce pain, lose weight, get a date, become less stressed-out, succeed at work, enjoy a bri ..read more

Many of my valued clients ask me, “How long should my book be?” My answer is, “Your book is like your legs. Your legs should be long enough to reach the ground. Your book is no different.” They think for moment, then reply, “Don’t be a wise guy. How long should my book be?” Then I ask them to sit back, get comfortable, and I’ll explain it to them. The basic rule is this: Your book should be the exact length needed to tell your reader everything they need to know, or are capable of knowing, about your chosen subject. This means that book length depends upon three factors. 1. Your reader. You sh ..read more

When I work with a client as their ghostwriter or book developer, one of the first questions they ask me is how they should publish and market their book. I explain to them that many artists and creators, including musicians, filmmakers, and writers, have faced this question. The fact is that creating a work of art—a book, a record album, a film—takes time and money. After you’ve created your work, if you want to reach a wide audience, you need to invest in marketing and distribution. It’s not unlike launching a small business! The job of marketing the product can often be bigger than making i ..read more

People talk a lot about happiness. It’s even enshrined in the United States Constitution: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” But what do we mean when we say we’re happy? Is it laughing at a joke? Getting your dream job? Finding the love of your life? Beating your friend at a game of tennis? Writing a bestselling book? Not everyone agrees on what should make you happy. Some people have unusual or even repellent ideas of ..read more