Who owns the rights to my book? You do. It’s your book, and you retain 100% of the rights to it.
Who gets credit for writing my book? You do. In addition to retaining 100% of the rights to your book, you can claim sole authorship. Some of our clients choose to credit us as editors or co-writers. Although it’s nice to get a shout-out now and then, the majority of our clients don’t disclose the fact that they used a ghostwriter — and that’s fine with us.
Is ghostwriting ethical? Of course. Your ghostwriter is simply helping you say what you want to say in a clear, engaging way. The ideas are 100% yours — a ghostwriter just helps you get your ideas onto paper.
I don’t want anyone to know I used a ghostwriter. How do I ensure privacy? We take your privacy seriously. Most of our ghostwriting contracts include a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
I’m short on funding. Can I pay you a portion of proceeds, after publication? Our ghostwriters are professional, full-time writers and editors, and to keep them on our team, we have to pay them for their time. Our business model simply isn’t set up to take projects on spec.
My business/subject matter is very technical. Are you sure you can write/edit my book? Yes. Our diverse writing and editing team includes experienced writers with backgrounds in science and technology, oil & gas, journalism, education, and software engineering. They’re smart, naturally curious, and genuinely interested in learning more about your area of expertise. And because ghostwriting is a collaborative effort, you’ll have the opportunity to review and fact-check every page we write.
Can you publish my book? We can publish your book through KDP, an Amazon subsidiary. If you are interested in other publishing options, we can recommend and provide introductions to several traditional and self-publishing companies.
I live in Seattle. Your company is based in Houston. How can you write my book? Technology makes it easy for us to work with anyone, anywhere. Plus, we love to fly and will travel to you, if you prefer. After the initial kickoff meeting, most of our ghostwriting clients communicate with us via email, phone, or Skype. We’ve worked with hundreds of happy clients from all over the globe — from Singapore to San Jose to Scottsdale.
What if I don’t like your edits or writing? Ghostwriting is a back-and-forth process, and we seek specific, constructive feedback from you every step of the way. Once we get a feel for your style preferences, we write a few pages and send them to you for review. You tell us what’s working — and what’s not working — and we send you a revised copy. You see every chapter as we go, which means there won’t be any surprises at the end.
Can you design my book’s cover or create custom illustrations or infographics? We don’t create illustrations and infographics in-house, but we can provide introductions and recommendations for design work, and we can project manage the design portion of your book.
My 92-year-old grandmother isn’t thrilled about talking to a writer. How are you going to get her to open up? A lot of people get nervous about the idea of talking to writers; that’s why all of our family and personal writing projects begin with a face-to-face meeting. A book — especially a biography or family history book — is a big project that requires a lot of collaboration. It’s important that we take the time to get to know you, and it’s also important that you like us and feel comfortable talking to us. (So far, we’ve got a great track record. By the end of most book projects, most of our clients feel like we’re members of their extended family.)
Can you guarantee that my book will get published? If you are referring to self-publishing, which is now almost 20% of the current market, then yes. If you are referring to traditional publishing, no one can guarantee publication. We can, however, provide you with introductions to a few local/niche publishers, we can help guide you through the self-publishing process, and we can pitch your book to traditional publishers.
How long will it take to write my book? A full-length book typically takes between six and 12 months. However, a compressed schedule can almost always be accommodated. Just tell us what your deadline is. Chances are, we can make it.