Tag: Ghostwriting

What’s in a Name? Picking the Right Pen Name for a Nonfiction Book

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

Good writing, regardless of the author’s name, will always be good writing. Nevertheless, there may be a time when an author may choose to forego their true name and adopt a pen name.

There are various reasons why authors would choose to take on a different name to publish their works. This article will focus on why authors choose to adopt a pen name. Further, it will discuss how authors can pick the right pen name for a nonfiction book.

What is a pen name?

Pen name, pseudonym, alias, or nom de plume are terms that refer to an author using a different name than their own to publish their works.

More often than not, writers adopt a pen name because they do not want their real name to appear on their published materials.

This practice is highly common in creative writing. Fiction writers often conceive a pen name to match the subject of their works. For instance, a writer may adopt a comical pen name to match a work of comedy.

In the nonfiction domain, writers may also adopt pen names for various reasons.

Please note that there are no legal restrictions whatsoever for authors to publish under pseudonyms. In fact, it is a common practice in the literary world.

However, there is one caveat: Choosing an alias must not conflict with an existing one. Otherwise, there may be copyright issues involved.

So, the question begs, why choose a pen name? The answer to that question has various facets to it.

Why use a pen name when writing a nonfiction book?

There is a myriad of reasons why authors would choose a pen name to publish a nonfiction book. As such, it is worth taking a look at them in detail.

Fear of Reprisal

Unfortunately, there are occasions when authors tackle controversial topics. Consequently, they fear reprisal of some sort.

Choosing a pseudonym allows these authors to publish their works while protecting themselves and their loved ones. This situation is common when authors seek to raise awareness or even denounce wrongdoing.

Distinguish Between Personal and Professional Lives

Some authors are established professionals in a given domain. As a result, writing may be a side project for them. In this regard, keeping personal and professional lives separate makes sense, particularly when looking to avoid confusion or criticism.

For instance, a respected physician has a passion for gardening. Publishing books on gardening, therefore, might seem confusing given their professional reputation.

Publishing under a pseudonym may become a great way to pursue their life’s passion without affecting professional practice.

Similar Names

There might be occasions when an author has a similar name to another writer.

In this situation, a newer author may need to change their name. In doing so, they can avoid unnecessary confusion or possible legal action.

Unavailability of Websites or Social Media Handles

There are cases in which an author’s preferred website names or social media handles are already in use. Therefore, the author cannot utilize these.

Using derivations of existing social media handles and website domains may confuse readers or appear to copy existing authors. As a result, choosing a nickname or pen name may be the best solution around the situation.

Marketing and Branding

Marketing and branding may call for the adoption of a pen name. For instance, a pen name that rhymes with a book series title or fits better with a specific genre.

For example, a children’s book called “Silly Fish” could be better marketed with an author named “Jimmy Kish” than a more formal name, such as “James Kishmore.”  

Gender Changes

On some occasions, authors may prefer to assume a gender change. For example, male authors may prefer to adopt a female persona and vice-versa.

Other times, gender changes may be more appropriate given a book’s topic.

Nevertheless, pseudonyms based on gender changes generally respond to marketing and branding purposes.

Individual Authors Delving into Multiple Genres

Truly talented and prolific writers may delve into multiple genres at the same time. By adopting pen names, an author can separate the genres of their publications, thus avoiding confusion among readers.

This approach is also highly important for marketing purposes.

Authors Want to Adopt a Different Persona

For some authors, utilizing a pen name allows them to unleash their alter ego. As such, authors can explore different facets of their personalities.

This exercise can lead to creating entirely new personas that manifest themselves through their writing. While this is very common among fiction writers, nonfiction writers often use writing as a means of self-expression.

Ultimately, using a pseudonym can be liberating.

There are times when an author may not feel entirely comfortable expressing ideas or exploring topics in their own voice. It is, therefore, worth exploring the use of pen names as a psychological device to facilitate writing.

Overall, adopting a pen name allows authors to sidestep obstacles that may be keeping them from publishing their works.

Using a pseudonym can make the difference between an unfinished writing project and a successfully published one.

How to Choose the Right Pen Name?

When it comes to choosing the right pen name, there are various elements to consider. In particular, these elements must make sense with the materials themselves, the author’s persona, and the target audience. When pen names match these criteria, publications get the boost they need to succeed.

Here are six helpful elements to consider when choosing a pen name.

1. Getting Age Right

One of the biggest challenges in selecting a pen name lies in getting the author’s perceived age and lived experience right.

Choosing the right age depends on a number of factors, such as the book’s genre, target audience, and branding. Consequently, it is important to have a full picture of the book’s author to choose the right name.

Consider the following:

  • A financial planning guide might require a name perceived to be a more mature person. For instance, a name such as Mikey Steve would not resonate as well as a name like George Evans.
  • A vegan cookbook might be better off with someone younger. For example, Samantha Carter might sound better than Mildred Smith.

In these examples, getting the author’s age right helps the material click with readers.

While it is not always necessary to pinpoint a pseudonym’s exact birthdate, it helps to have a ballpark figure.

For example, assuming that the author is 35 years old helps gauge what type of name they might truly have. A helpful tip is to consult a given year’s most popular baby names.

For instance, if the author is roughly 35, they might have been born in the late 1980s. Checking the most popular baby names in 1987 or 1988 might provide some very useful suggestions.

2. Fitting Names With Genres

Names and genres must click in readers’ minds. When there is a disconnect, the material may seem off somehow. Consequently, selecting a name that makes sense with the material’s overall genre is crucial.

Consider this possibility:

  • A spiritual awakening book is published under the name of Tom Sky.
  • A computer programming course is published by Jennifer Smart.

In these examples, the pseudonyms relate to the books’ genres.

While the names may not be something one might find on a birth certificate, they sound congruent with the topics. Moreover, these names do not sound bizarre or invented.

The names also help paint a picture in readers’ minds about the authors’ personalities. After all, “Tom Sky” sounds quite spiritual.

3. Double-checking Current Published Authors, Websites, and Social Media Handles

It is crucial to ensure that a pseudonym does not clash with any existing authors’ names (real or pen name), social media handles, or websites. As such, doing a cursory check on search engines such as Google can reveal if there are similar names already in use.

Please remember that similar names or derivations may become a copyright challenge. Therefore, it is best to ensure that names clearly differ.

  • For example, John Dark might lead to a challenge from Jon Dark.
  • Also, Alice Winter may be confused with Alice Winters.

Once you’ve chosen a suitable pen name, it is a good rule of thumb to claim domain names, register copyrights, and secure social media handles. These tasks are important as someone else may register a claim. Therefore, it is better to do it sooner rather than later.

4. Making Names Easy to Say and Remember

While it might be fun to use funny or clever names, complex, weird, or hard-to-pronounce names may do authors a disservice in the end.

Names like Octavius Cleverhorn may sound nice (and it does), but it is not the kind of name that rolls off the tongue. Instead, a name such as Michelle Thomas is something easy to remember.

Please bear in mind that pen names ought to facilitate searches on Google or Amazon. Therefore, using relatively common, easy-to-remember names can go a long way.

5. Using Nicknames

Nicknames can work well, depending on the genre, target audience, and author’s age.

Using nicknames can provide an interesting and even playful alternative, particularly with genres geared toward a younger audience.

For instance, a nickname like “Scooter” may work well for a video game guide.

Also, nicknames can add punch to some topics. For example, “Boomer” might work very well as an exercise guide for bodybuilders.

There is one caveat to consider: It is always important to ensure that nicknames do not lend themselves to any impropriety.

In addition, nicknames ought to avoid any gender or racial stereotypes.

Ensuring that nicknames are tasteful and relevant can enhance a book’s connection to its target audience.

6. Bonus: Choosing a Profile Photo

What happens when authors need a profile photo to go with their pen name? The obvious choice might be to select a stock photo.

While stock photos may work very well, they might seem generic or outright fake. As a result, stock photos may not serve the purpose authors seek.

A great alternative is to use a tool such as AI-generate photos. These photos use real people and alter their features to produce unique headshots.

Users can tweak these photos to resemble a particular ethnicity, age group, or facial features.

For instance, Generated Photos offers a unique alternative. This basic tool is free to use. There are also paid subscriptions available.

Ultimately, choosing a profile photo is an important element in creating a truly unique persona. So, combining a great pseudonym with a custom photo makes a great combination.

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One Final Thought

There are occasions when a pseudonym can help authors bring in a ghostwriter to help them with their writing projects. A pen name provides great cover whenever a ghostwriter’s services are employed.

Hiring a ghostwriter has nothing to do with deceiving readers. In fact, a ghostwriter is a great way prolific writers can get more of their work out to the public.

When authors employ a ghostwriter, it makes sense to use pen names, particularly if the content covers different topics, genres, and subjects. In doing so, authors can avoid confusing readers regarding their main focus.

For example, an author mainly focused on business topics can adopt a pen name to produce self-help guides. Using a pen name allows the author to employ a ghostwriter to help with some or all of the writing work.

In the end, using a ghostwriter’s services can help authors expand their horizons, reach more readers, and establish themselves in multiple fields.

Indeed, utilizing pseudonyms can become a highly useful strategy. Nevertheless, authors must take the time to carefully choose a pen name based on the criteria discussed in this article.

For the Love of Words: A Writing Agency’s Story

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

“I’ve always loved writing; I really had a passion for it all my life,” says Wintress Odom, owner and editor-in-chief at The Writers for Hire (TWFH), a Houston-based writing agency with clients across the U.S. and the world.

When she started out as a solo freelance writer over 20 years ago, Wintress Odom didn’t know that both adversity and success lay ahead. She would need to meet challenges and make changes during those years to grow her writing business and keep it growing.

http://thefreelancewriter.com/

A Writer by Nature

Wintress Von Mayer graduated cum laude from Rice University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in Evolutionary Biology. She’d considered other majors and had excelled in language early on.

Throughout high school, Von Mayer had stayed at the head of her class in English, and her early ambitions involved becoming a science fiction writer. “I have a few half-baked books still hanging around,” she muses.

During college, she says, writing was the only part of the science labs she enjoyed:

I kept messing a lab up so badly that we had to keep redoing it. It was a big deal because we had to refill the pipettes and re-centrifuge them. Eventually, I asked my very brilliant lab partner if I could just stop touching things and write the report instead. I think she was relieved. She finished the lab perfectly and I got to write the report, which she seemed more than happy to get out of.

Getting Started, Becoming a Writing Agency

Unsure which career direction to take, the new graduate searched for an answer with her fiancé Sean Odom while she worked as a bartender and waitress.

“We were young,” muses TWFH’s owner, “and we talked about [owning] vending machines. At one point [he] wanted to be a talent scout for baseball, or we were going to inherit his family farm and run that. We were all over the place.”

Even as they worked through the options, her penchant for writing was never in question.

While his future wife had finished her degree, Sean had taken courses in Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

After her graduation, he landed an internship in the emerging field of attracting customers via the internet.

“He had just started in SEO,” she remembers, “so I put up a little website, and it kind of coincided with me graduating. I didn’t really intend to start a writing business. I intended to freelance while I was figuring out what to do with my life. So instead, what happened was I started to get busy with writing.”

The two were married in September of 2001, as the new writing business was taking off.

Ranking on search engines was “a lot easier” in those days, Odom reflects, “so I put up all sorts of stuff and I was getting leads all over the place from the Internet.” Enhanced by Sean’s knowledge of SEO, one website had become two: thewriterforhire.com and thefreelancewriter.com.

“He was absolutely instrumental in getting the business going,” Odom says of her husband’s role. “It was because of the websites and the fact that he was able to get me leads that started the whole thing, really.”

Too busy with writing to keep her bartending and waitressing gigs, she gave them up. When a satisfied client had to be told there would be a three-month wait for a newsletter, he took his business elsewhere. Odom decided it was time to get some help.

Posting an ad in her alma mater’s newspaper, she found fellow Rice graduate Meghan Whitmore and hired her as a co-writer. Soon, she also hired Julianna Amim and Holly McReavy as copywriters, planting the seeds of a writing agency.

Writing Excellence and Customer Service

An early TWFH homepage told prospective clients: “I believe any piece of writing is worthy of perfection, be it a three-hundred-page company handbook, a vacuum cleaner manual, or the back of a box of macaroni and cheese.”

On the same page, Odom added, “I have always gone the extra mile for my clients. You will find that I am meticulous, that my work is original, and that I will consistently produce above and beyond expectations.”

The young writing agency’s site became thewritersforhire.com, and TWFH blossomed, adding more writers as it added more clients.

Happily, Odom remembers, “one of our largest customers for a while, one that I was super excited to get, a huge customer for me … was a serial entrepreneur [who] would put up websites on all of these crazy things. I wrote all of his websites on funny products like deer whistles and covert coolers and emu oil.”

Growing the Agency, Writing Through the Challenges

From 2003-2005, the writing agency’s client base grew to more than 50, including firms like Mitsubishi and Caterpillar Forklift Trucks. Its writing and office staff grew, too.

Kathleen Kimm had worked as an auditor at Yellowstone National Park, where she met her husband before moving to his native Houston and Odom’s neighborhood.

The women became friends, and then co-workers when Kimm-Rinchiuso took over bookkeeping and accounting at TWFH as Administrative Assistant.

She is still with the agency as Office Manager.

Rinchiuso remembers those early years: “We had hired several full-time, on-staff employee writers and we had a house we were using as office space, and everybody was coming in person.”

Much of that would change with the coming economic storm that crushed many U.S. businesses.

Economic Crash Brings Changes

“The economy was just doing awesome up until about 2007/2008 when we had that big financial crash,” Odom recalls. “When that crash happened, it was like the phone wouldn’t stop ringing with clients who just weren’t doing business with us anymore.”

Some clients didn’t even notify TWFH about dropping its writing services, she says, “Like [when] the entire department of a Fortune 100 financial company that we were working with got canned. We had some really exciting accounts, and then everybody just left. It was rough.”

The economic downturn meant that Odom would need to make some tough decisions. “We put everybody on contract except for two people,” she remembers. A lot of people didn’t want to be on contract. It was a heartbreaking ordeal. Some people found other work.

“We got rid of the office; everyone went back to their homes. I always thought we would go back to the office, but after a few months, I was able to get a little bit of perspective and rethink it. I’d talk to people, and they’d say, ‘I’d rather stay home,’ so I said, ‘Well, just stay home then.’”

The agency’s home-based writers continued to craft personal pieces like autobiographies and memoirs; along with business pieces like website copy, press releases, business proposals, manuals, or almost anything else a client needed.

A bright spot appeared in the darkness of the failing economy when TWFH was awarded the 2007 Better Business Bureau Gold Star Award (it would again win in 2012).

Despite the poor economy, the writing agency grew. “We have really grown organically,” says Odom. “It seems like every year we add two or three more writers.”

A 2008 webpage offered “copywriters, ghostwriters, editors, proofreaders, scriptwriters, journalists…writers.”

The same page described the company’s uniqueness:

Amazing, but true: The Writers for Hire is one of the only firms in the nation to offer writing as its sole service. Writing and information marketing are our core focuses—that means we build your projects around thoroughly researched, solidly planned, no-filler-fluff content. We craft the words that quarterback your ideas, close your sale and do the legwork for your branding.

Building Client Relationships, Refining the Team Approach

The collaborative approach that began to take shape when Odom hired her first co-writer became central to the writing agency’s methods. TWFH began using writing teams and objective proofreaders and editors to complete and refine each project.

From its beginnings, the agency was versatile, offering a variety of writing services for businesses and individuals. Its versatility grew as the writing staff grew in size and diversity—writers’ prior specialties in various industries enabling them to speak the professional “languages” of their clients or pick them up quickly.

Teamwork and versatility have been important pieces of TWFH’s customer-oriented viewpoint since the early years.

“I’ve really worked hard to keep the clients happy, and that’s been really important to me,” Odom reflects. “I don’t understand not having good customer service. I care too much. We still actually have one client that’s been with us for about 20 years. In general, we try to build lasting relationships with our clients.”

The writing agency’s website affirms: “The vast majority of our business comes from repeat customers, many of whom we’ve worked with for more than 10 years.”

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Current Portfolio

Today, TWFH’s client list numbers over 500, with Fortune 500 companies among them.

The company’s large portfolio showcases work across a spectrum of industries and forms of writing.

The agency’s work has appeared in over 40 well-known publications, among them:

  • The Denver Post
  • The Boston Globe
  • Smithsonian Magazine
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer
  • Los Angeles Times
  • The New York Times
  • USA Today
  • The Washington Post
  • Business Insider
  • Houston Chronicle
  • Rolling Stone
  • Breitbart

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Still Writing, Agency Owner Loves Her Business

With about 25 current writers and staff, TWFH writing teams produce an array of writing projects for individuals and businesses. Odom says she likes tackling her favorites in both categories:

On the personal side, I really love doing the family histories and autobiographies. I love the genealogical work; it’s just so much fun. And the autobiographies are great because you really get to hear about people’s lives and experiences, and oftentimes you get to learn really neat stories. We’ve had some fascinating clients from different cultures, and different heritages. One of our stories was about a lady who was in the Nazi Youth, and after the war, she fell in love with a soldier. She didn’t speak any English and came to New Mexico. She was tough. That is completely different than the other thing I love doing, which is solving big, complex problems like campaigns. I like putting together thought leadership campaigns with all of the moving parts to achieve a goal with a lot of different types of content. I like solving problems with content.

For her part, Rinchiuso’s role at the writing agency has expanded. While still handling invoicing, collections, HR, and payroll, she says she also manages certain writing projects:

I do a lot of project management as well, especially anything involving programming or website design projects—I will often manage that portion of it, and I kind of work with the website developers to make sure they’re doing what the client wants. Also with the bigger projects I help coordinate and make sure all of the writers are hitting their deadlines.

Odom and Rinchiuso have shared the writing agency’s successes and challenges through the years while ensuring it’s delivered consistently for clients.

The owner’s unintentional “decision” to start a writing business as a new college grad seems to have been the right one. As she explains: “I like the journey, I love the clients, I love the work, I love the team. I’m happy with the organic growth. I don’t necessarily want to run a venture capitalist start-up, a massive-growth company. That doesn’t sound like fun to me.”

Summing up the reasons she loves her business 20 plus years down the road from its small beginnings, Odom says:

I think it’s just the fact that I always loved the written word; writing is like a puzzle to me, I like putting concepts together in the most optimal fashion for whatever the format is. I just like learning about stuff; I find so many things fascinating, so really, it’s kind of the perfect job for somebody that couldn’t decide what to major in. You get to major in all of them.

The Fascinating History of Ghostwriting

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

For nearly 5,000 years, there have been two kinds of humans:

1) People with expendable income who have something to say

2) People who write better than the first category

Hence, a ghostwriting service is born. From ancient Egypt to the modern U.S., literate cultures have relied on ghostwriters to convey politics, business, science, entertainment, and more. As author Jennie Erdal remarked, “It might almost qualify as the oldest profession if prostitution had not laid prior claim.”

If you write something with no expectation that your name will appear on it, then we consider it ghostwriting.

Thus defined, even skimming the history of ghostwriting is a daunting task. Nearly 5,000 years of fragmented records, an evolving concept of authorship, hundreds of languages, and the fuzzy lines between collaborator, editor, and primary author all make for a rich but tangled history.

To make some sense of this long and hidden history, we’ve broken ghostwriting down into types: Household Names, Series Brand, Director’s Brand, Political Statement, and Memoirs of Public Figures.

Household Names

When an extremely popular writer dies, that doesn’t stop readers from craving more of their work. Rather than lose their golden goose’s revenue, the publisher or estate simply finds a replacement writer.

We associate this technique with modern novels, but it’s older than dirt — or, at least, older than 400 BCE.

Back then, a playwright named Euphorion produced several award-winning plays, claiming that they’d all been written by his famous but deceased father, Aeschylus.

Some historians suspect that Euphorion actually wrote the plays himself but used his father’s name to impress judges and audiences.

At least Euphorion never denied that his father was actually dead. At the height of the American craze for dime novels, writer Edward Wheeler created a wildly successful character called Deadwood Dick. Audiences gobbled up his books . . . even after the writing quality suddenly and mysteriously degraded.

There’s strong evidence that Wheeler actually died in 1885, but publishers Beadle & Adams successfully hid this even from his fellow writers.

Given Deadwood Dick’s selling power, they had every reason to pretend that Wheeler was still writing. They simply hired ghostwriters—at least one of whom assumed that Wheeler had had a breakdown but was still alive—and released 97 Deadwood Dick novels over the next 11 years.

This deception may seem silly and unnecessary (not to mention unethical), but it’s worth noting that the entire industry of mass-produced, cheap fiction was still both incredibly young and competitive.

Publishers were learning, through trial and error, what combination of author’s name, house reputation, and genre sold well.

It’s easy for us to point out that characters like James Bond, Hercules Poirot, and Jason Bourne continue to sell under new authors’ names—but in 1885, less than 30 years after they’d released the first dime novel, Beadle & Adams did not have such well-known precedents to fall back on.

All they knew was that Deadwood Dick + Edward Wheeler sold, and they weren’t eager to change the formula. (Not that we’re pretending Beadle & Adams were saints.)

In some ways, the era of the dime novel was the perfect environment for this method of ghostwriting.

Printing and transportation had just become cheap and reliable enough to sell novels to the enormous working-class population, but communication wasn’t quite good enough for little details like an author’s untimely death to spread easily.

Of course, public knowledge of an author’s death didn’t stop the V.C. Andrews estate.

Andrew Neiderman has been ghostwriting for the deceased author for 29 years. Even though Neiderman has actually produced considerably more books than she, Andrews remains listed as the sole author on the publisher’s and some sellers’ websites.

Neiderman’s website, however, unabashedly calls him the “most successful ghost writer in American literary history.” Perhaps he has a point: His books benefit from the lingering power of the V.C. Andrews’ name, but it’s an open secret that Neiderman created them.

Series Brand

Anyone who’s enjoyed “Nancy Drew,” “The Hardy Boys,” or “Warrior Cats” owes hours of pleasure to this unique brand of ghostwriting.

In the early 1900’s, writer and publisher Edward Stratemeyer pioneered the production of long-running, ghostwritten children’s series.

He and his daughters sketched out the character of Nancy Drew, outlined some basic plots, and hired teams of ghostwriters to write under the shared pseudonym Carolyn Keene.

As Stratemeyer hoped, readers came to like and trust the pseudonym long after ghostwriters left the series and were replaced.

His syndicate used the same strategy to create and launch other popular series, including “The Hardy Boys” and “Tom Swift.”

Similarly, the YA (young adult) series “Warrior Cats” is co-created by a team of authors and editors under the shared pseudonym Erin Hunter.

Unlike the Stratemeyer syndicate, which attempted (with mixed success) to keep their methods secret for decades, the Warrior Cats website spells out the pseudonym’s origin and each member’s contributions.

Despite our ability to Google the truth, the pseudonyms’ powers persist. As Stratemeyer grasped, readers prefer the idea of one beloved, long-lived author to a calculated syndicate—Carolyn Keene remains a story within a story.

When told that a reader was surprised to hear Carolyn Keene never existed, long-time Nancy Drew ghostwriter Mildred Benson retorted, “That’s like saying there’s no Santa Claus.”

Director’s Brand

Some people transition from full-time creator to full-time celebrity/businessperson.

Writing their own work initially launches them into fame or fortune, but maintaining that spotlight becomes its own full-time job and they eventually outsource the actual writing.

This ironic type of ghostwriting causes justifiable confusion, especially because the named author’s portfolio can contain such a mixed bag.

Your shelf of James Patterson books probably contains a few volumes he wrote fairly unassisted, a few he almost completely outsourced, and a few that openly name his co-author.

This ironic path to ghostwriting has a long and often hilarious history.

The Chinese emperor Gaozong so wanted a reputation for prolific writing that he hired ghostwriters to expand his portfolio. He openly admitted this by saying, “From now on, even if I have new works, some might be created by officials.”

Alexandre Dumas was refreshingly flamboyant about his writer-celebrity-creative director lifestyle. While he initially wrote plays and stories unassisted, he later hired multiple ghostwriters and invested more time on publicity tours and self-branding stunts. Stories sold well, thanks to the Dumas name–but how much did he direct, and how much did he actually write?

To this day, there’s considerable debate over how much credit belongs to his collaborator Auguste Maquet, who sued, and lost, for co-author recognition.

James Patterson, who’s published over 200 novels in 45 years (a rate of four novels per year), is probably the most famous contemporary example of this creative director approach. He openly admits that he delivers an outline to one of his many collaborators, who then writes the actual first draft.

Despite such refreshing openness, Patterson’s publication history still raises some questions. The first nine Maximum Ride books are listed solely under his name, with Gabrielle Charbonnet (also known under the pen name Cate Tiernan) merely mentioned in the acknowledgements. Her blog and various booksellers don’t claim co-authorship, but it later came out that Charbonnet had drafted several of those Maximum Ride books. To further confuse matters, the series’ most recent addition, “Hawk,” does list Charbonnet as co-author.

Her blog explicitly states that “not every prolific writer collaborates, the way Jim does . . . Jim is one of the few people who gives his cowriters credit, which is very gutsy and generous.”

It’s possible that in the early stages of his business model, Patterson was playing it safe by taking the conventional approach of not openly acknowledging his ghostwriters.

As time went on and his name grew, he felt freer to take the risk of sharing credit more openly–a risk that plenty of celebrity authors never take.

Political Statement

It’s not surprising that political leaders have used ghostwriters for centuries—with rebellion and reelection on the line, they’re well motivated to use professional writers when possible.

Of course, the farther back we go, the fuzzier the definition of ‘ghostwriting’ becomes.

For large periods of history, rulers weren’t particularly literate. Even if they could read, they often lacked the mechanical skill of writing by hand and dictated to their court scribe, who then drafted the actual proclamations and decrees.

For example, ancient Egyptians used several different kinds of writing. A pharaoh who was fully literate in one script might still require a professional scribe to write his proclamations in the other two or more scripts, some of which were highly ceremonial and probably required some creative rewording.

Plenty of European monarchs were in a similar boat, including Charlemagne. While historians disagree on whether he learned to read, he almost definitely didn’t write well enough to handle official business.

Does this dictation count as ghostwriting?

We would argue that in some cases it certainly does, as the scribe was probably conveying the spirit of the king’s message, but in more formal, flowery language.

Another dubious case is bill writing. At least some of the Founding Fathers drafted legislation themselves, but currently a combination of lawyers, congressional aides, and special interest groups create the actual language. Does this constitute a shift into ghostwriting?

On one hand, congresspeople take responsibility for those bills. On the other, congresspeople don’t officially claim that they’re the ones actually writing bills—the full text simply appears on places like Congress’ website without any authors named.

A more clear-cut category is speechwriting.

Even though American politicians used ghostwriters for their correspondence and speeches from the beginning–Alexander Hamilton contributed heavily to Washington’s farewell address, the general public didn’t know about or accept the practice until the 1930’s.

As media appearances became more frequent and burdensome, ghostwritten speeches gradually crept from an embarrassing necessity to accepted practice.

It’s easy to Google any recent president’s speechwriters, and no one holds it against them. In fact, as Gil Troy points out in Politico, “The American public has a mixed reaction to off-the-cuff remarks and instead expects polished, professionally crafted speeches as the default setting.”

Memoirs of Public Figures

Somewhere down the line, publishing one’s own memoirs pivoted from an act of arrogance to a rite of passage for every former president, YouTuber, Hollywood actor, and obscure cabinet member.

Memoir sales rose 400% from 2004 to 2008 alone, and that was before social media influencers really joined the party.

It’s hard to picture now, but early U.S. presidents rarely released memoirs, much less commissioned ghostwriters.

According to historian Greg Fehrman, Ulysses S. Grant’s extremely successful memoirs first broke the ice, but Harry Truman’s opened the floodgates.

It helped that Grant’s memoirs were both well written (they’re still popular reading today) and well positioned for success.

Historians debate over how much Mark Twain contributed to the writing and editing process, but they agree he helped drive the marketing campaign.

Twain also likely recognized that the time was ripe for such a venture–by 1885, the country craved answers about the Civil War and wanted to hear from Grant personally.

Cheap printing and good transportation enabled sales, too–for the first time in Western history, the general population could afford and access memoirs.

Setting a trend that continues today, Harry Truman hired a ghostwriter for his memoirs right around the time presidential libraries were becoming common.

Nowadays, exactly how each president works with his ghostwriter varies–some reportedly do the first draft themselves, while others never pick up a pen. Ronald Reagan even joked, “I hear [my memoir’s] a terrific book. One of these days I’m going to read it myself.”

The public appetite for memoirs has only grown since.

Politicians, like governors and cabinet members, regularly publish books to boost their credentials, make money, or simply tell their story.

The sheer number of celebrities has also exploded in the wake of YouTube, social media, and other online venues–and more celebrities means more celebrity books.

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Here to Stay, Here to Evolve

Ghostwriting flourished even on papyrus, and technology has only encouraged it since.

The internet often sheds light on ghostwriters’ roles–both through accidental leaks and writers speaking up–but it creates demand for ghostwriters more often than it outs them.

Ebooks, social media accounts, web pages, and even emails constantly require anonymous wordsmiths.

Whoever inscribed the first ghostwritten words on stone and clay couldn’t have imagined the complicated, thriving industry it is today. (In an ironic twist, Hillary Clinton’s ghostwriter, frustrated at being denied co-authorship, came out with her own tell-all.)

We like to think, though, that that first ghost-scriber would be glad to see so many anonymous writers thriving and the myriad of readers who have been entertained, informed, and satisfied by the results.

Your Thought Leadership Book: Why Hire a Writing Agency?

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

You are a seasoned expert in your industry, and you’ve always wanted to write a thought leadership book. But a book is a big project. Where do you start? How do you organize your knowledge? How do you know your writing is any good?

You aren’t alone. Many new authors struggle to start and finish a book. After all, you’re an expert in your expertise, not in writing, editing, publishing, researching, or proofreading.

Getting Help to Write Your Book

“There are two main reasons authors hire a writing agency for help with a thought leadership book – skill and time,” says Wintress Odom, owner and senior editor at The Writers For Hire, Inc. (TWFH), a Houston-based writing agency.

“Writing a book can take hundreds of hours; it’s quite an endeavor. To add that type of workload on top of what is already a 40-, 50-, 60-hour-per-week schedule—it’s just not going to get done. And others feel that their skillsets lay elsewhere. Who has time to be an expert at everything?”

Flori Meeks, a TWFH ghostwriter, agrees it can be difficult for clients to see a thought leadership book through to completion.

Their attempts to write a book can stall for any number of reasons.

Some are stuck at the idea stage, she says. 


“Some bring an outline and others bring nearly-completed manuscripts and hire a writing agency to create a smoother finished product that appeals to its intended readers.”

Wherever you are in the process, a good writing agency’s ghostwriters and editors will pick up your project from there—whether it’s brainstorming your book’s concept, organizing its structure, writing your manuscript, or proofreading and editing your finished work.

Hire a writing agency and get a team on your side.

An undisputed thought leader himself, inventor Thomas Edison used the principle of teamwork across all his enterprises. In an article for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Sarah Miller Caldicott explains Edison’s thinking:

Because he believed that a diverse group of individuals offered the best chance for collaborative success, Edison consistently created teams that had members from several disciplines. The famous group that drove the breakthrough thinking behind the incandescent electric light consisted of a glassblower, a machinist, a chemist, a mathematician, an instrument maker, and a textile worker, along with Edison himself.

You, too, have probably enlisted teams to accomplish large professional goals. When you hire a writing agency, you recruit a team of writing experts to help you achieve another significant goal—finishing your book.

The Writers for Hire is a Houston-based writing agency with a history of effectively filling the writing needs of clients using teamwork.

Odom outlined two team-centered scenarios her agency uses in producing thought leadership books.

The team collaborates with the author (usually remotely) throughout the writing process. If additional help is needed with research, the agency provides it.

When a manuscript is completed, Odom says, an objective proofreader and a previously uninvolved editor are assigned to the project to bring outside perspective:

Basically, [it is] having enough hands to really perfect the book—it’s not something a single person can do. It’s not physically possible. I don’t care how good a writer you are—trying to write in a vacuum without any sort of editing or QA (quality assurance) process, you’re just not going to get the same level of refinement that we can by adding those extra people in the process.

In the second scenario, a more rushed project is produced by the agency on a three-to-four-month timeline. Some projects, the owner recalls, have involved “really intense research [on] tough subjects where they really wanted to show an expertise, but it was a time-sensitive subject for them, and they really wanted [the book] out quickly.”

The company assigns teams of four to five writers to the book in this scenario to finish it on schedule. An editor “smooths out” chapters as they are completed, ensuring that each chapter is written in the same style and voice.

Odom’s teams have put in 600 work hours within three months, something she says is “not physically possible for a single person.” But with multiple team members, the writing and editing are finished on a compressed schedule with continual quality control.

“You can write a book with one person in three months. It’s just not going to be very good,” she adds. With a lone writer, the objective viewpoints of others are missing from what becomes a more hurried process.

Meeks affirms that when the team approach is used, “you’re more likely to have multiple sets of eyes on your manuscript, which is going to produce something that is very clean, polished, and likely to resonate well with the readers.”

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Hire a writing agency for its scope of experience.

Just as your expertise has been broadened and deepened over time while communicating and working with your customers or clients, the same is true of a reputable writing agency. Its writers have built their skillsets in crafting thought leadership books through years of conversations and collaboration with leaders in many industries.

Meeks notes: “Our writers have experience writing for many specific industries, and we try to match clients with writers who understand their industry and know to ask the right questions to get the best stories and really flesh those out and get, not just an interview, but a conversation.”

She recalls working with an author who was an entrepreneur in a wide range of industries. With Meeks’ understanding of business and entrepreneurship, she was prepared to ask good questions. The result was “a book that really showcased his expertise.”

Meeks also recounts helping leaders in the oil and gas industry, including one based in Africa, another who ran home foundation and horse-breeding businesses, a female executive in the energy industry, and an author involved in finances and investing.

A ghostwriting team with experience in your own or related industries will offer an informed sense of what your target reader wants to learn from your thought leadership book. The team will help ensure that your readers’ most likely and crucial questions get answered.

A good agency understands thought leadership books.

As you consider writers and editors for your book, look at their published projects. Have their efforts resulted in complete, cohesive, and polished thought leadership books? A respected writing agency has a portfolio of well-organized, well-written expert books to its credit.

One reason an agency completes these books successfully is its ability to oversee the entire process—something usually lacking with independent freelancers.

Odom explains: “A lot of individual freelancers may be familiar with one part of the process—they may be an excellent writer or editor. They may be very good at marketing the book, but it can be difficult to find someone who has a specialty in making all of these connections to walk you through the entire process.”

When a manuscript is completed, her company also advises authors on a range of options for getting it into print.

This could include anything from using a smaller independent publishing house to self-publication or other options in between.

Most important to you as an author, an agency will work to ensure that your own voice, personality, vision, and objectives for your book are reflected when it goes to publication.

Agency ghostwriters will take as much time as needed to learn all about you, your business, your expertise, and your style of communication.

Meeks explains how a skilled ghostwriter listens to an author:

It’s letting them tell stories about their experiences and reflect on their significance or lessons learned or changes they made as a result; share advice for others in their industry based on what they’ve gone through; and maybe reflect on what they’ve observed among colleagues and other companies. They’re given a chance to show what they know and understand.

Thought leadership authors are glad they hired a writing agency.

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Here are a few samples of author feedback received by TWFH:

“I had previously sent you an email stating how very much pleased with the book…but, I am not sure whether I fully expressed it. Frankly, the writing of the book is simply outstanding! You and your team have done a wonderful job of creating a very readable and interesting book! I just can’t believe how it is all coming together.” — Norm B.

“You guys have been AWESOME throughout this process, and we can’t thank you enough for how quickly you knocked out a whole book insuch a short time. Wecould not have been more satisfied with the work you did!” — Tommasina D.

“Wanted you to know that the book finally arrived on Wed. I would love for you to have a copy. You spent so much time with it you should see the printed version. Thanks for help once again. You may never get rid of me!” — Danny K.

Calling All Thought Leaders: Why Hire a Ghostwriting Team?

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

You’re an expert in your industry. So why should you enlist a team of professional writers, proofreaders, and editors to help with your written communications?

The answers could transform the quality and quantity of your messaging—from blogs to speeches, whitepapers to books, and more.

Thought Leadership Involves Thought Sharing

You know that consistent thought sharing is key to thought leadership, but you are busy. So are your department heads and SMEs—and writing thought leadership pieces probably isn’t something any of you trained for.

Yet, you understand that frequent, effective communications are vital to your authority and your brand in an age of non-stop messaging.

As Blyth Campbell of PRSA Alaska writes:

Customers, employees, and other stakeholders want authentic communication from leaders, brands, and organizations. Executives and thought leaders want to communicate better—and more often— but don’t have the time to create compelling, creative content across multiple platforms. Modern ghostwriting can bridge the gap.

If ghostwriting is a practical solution to this dilemma, should you start searching for a ghostwriter? Or should you hire a ghostwriting agency that can provide a comprehensive team approach to producing your written communications?

Why an Expert Employs a Ghostwriting Agency

Much like other savvy companies, a well-structured ghostwriting agency uses the dynamics of teamwork to benefit its customers and clients.

There is synergy at work within a team that just cannot happen with a single ghostwriter. There are several other powerful factors on an agency’s side, too.

Project Management

The first factor is project management. An adept agency will assign a ghostwriting team of a project manager/editor and one or more writers for each project. Whether you need a single, defining thought-leadership book or many pieces of authoritative, informative content for a website, project management keeps all the essential parts of the process moving and on schedule.

Process

Another motive for choosing an agency is process. In a first-rate ghostwriting agency, objective review of each piece of writing is built into the team’s method. After a piece is drafted, a so-far uninvolved proofreader and editor scrutinize it. This offers a level of refinement not possible with a single ghostwriter—and confirms the writing is done in your voice and style.

Deadlines

Deadlines present another compelling reason to hire a ghostwriting team. All businesses have deadlines of sorts, and writing projects are especially prone to be deadline-driven. With multiple writers, a ghostwriting agency can meet a due date impossible for a single ghostwriter on a rush project that needs timely publication.

Volume

If you need a volume of material ghostwritten, an agency is a natural choice. You will become a much more productive author with a team assigned to write in your name. And, not to worry, the same editor will hone each piece of writing to be sure it retains your unique, branded style and voice.

Similar Projects

A ghostwriting agency of depth and breadth will equip you with a team that has completed projects similar to yours. An independent ghostwriter cannot be expected to have an agency’s diversity of writing experience. An agency hires ghostwriting team members from a variety of backgrounds, and your team will either be familiar with your industry’s language or pick it up quickly.

Security

Lastly, but not the least reason to choose a ghostwriting agency is thatyour project’s timeline is secure. You never have to worry about your writing project getting stalled because there is always more than one person assigned to it. If a writer or editor must be absent for any reason, it continues uninterrupted.

Thought leadership requires copious amounts of creative communications.

A ghostwriting team helps you produce a quantity of creative, timely communications that become part of your distinct brand of thought leadership. You may want to include others in your organization as authors of some pieces as well.

In her blog titled, “How to Win the Thought Leadership Arms Race in 2022,” Brook Zimmatore suggests in Entrepreneur that experts who want to optimize their messaging “roll out a structured calendar of thought leadership.” She advises:

Once you have identified your purpose, pillars, and spokespeople, you need to plan out a structured thought leadership content calendar. A calendar will allow you and your team to be more strategic in your thought leadership. Schedule your content so that each piece ties into the other, creating a complete picture that takes your audience along a path of continual growth.

If creating such a calendar sounds like more than you have time for, a seasoned ghostwriting agency can create one for you.

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Here are some other types of content a nimble agency can help you compose.

Blog content.

An adept ghostwriting agency has produced blogs for many industries. Its experience means that you will likely be matched with a ghostwriting team that has written on yours or similar industries, enabling it to work with your SMEs gracefully and knowledgeably.

Team members will research and absorb your subject matter quickly. Cross-checks between members help ensure your blog is interesting, flows, ranks on search engines without keyword stuffing, and sounds like you every time.

Books.

A reputable agency has the resources to complete your thought leadership book or memoir from any stage of the process—conception through research, writing, and editing. The agency will add members to your ghostwriting team if needed to finish and polish your book more quickly when time is of the essence.

In an example familiar to most Americans, the hugely popular Nancy Drew book series was written by a ghostwriting team, not the mythical Carolyn Keene. The team dynamic, exodusbooks.com explains, was the reason “Keene” wrote so many books:

Nancy Drew is that kind of series, each book ostensibly written by Carolyn Keene but really the work of a team of ghostwriters and editors churning out novel after novel about the exploits of a smart, brave and attractive adolescent girl named Nancy Drew who solves mysteries as an amateur sleuth.

Your thought leadership book will presumably target a different audience, but the principle holds: Hiring a ghostwriting team means books can be published more quickly while staying faithful to their author’s voice.

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Speeches and Presentations.

You may need to give the keynote address at a conference or awards ceremony, a PowerPoint presentation to interested investors or desired clients, or a motivational talk to employees.

You won’t have to sweat through writing these or other presentations yourself when you hire a ghostwriting agency. Instead, you can put your energy into a memorable delivery.

Whitepapers.

Whitepapers are now a vital element of showing thought leadership. The documents that explain your products or services and what they do for your clients need to be accurate and authoritative. But do your SMEs have the time or inclination to write them?

An agency well-versed in writing for a variety of technical industries fills this need. Team members know how to converse with your SMEs intelligently and tactfully to get the information they need to write convincing whitepapers.

Press Releases.

Today’s thought leaders know the value of compelling, well-timed press releases. A media-savvy ghostwriting agency knows how to write them, with teams composed of professionals trained and skillful in journalism. Getting their heads around your business and goals quickly is their business, and collaboration among team members fuels creativity.

Your team will deliver press releases with eye-catching headlines and lead paragraphs that show leadership on topics of real interest to audiences. These are designed to trigger the media attention you want, then find their way swiftly into the echo chambers of social media.

Magazine Articles.

Thought leadership becomes highly visible when you author articles for an inside-the-company magazine or for industry- and audience-specific magazines. A ghostwriting agency of size and scope offers writer/editor ghostwriting teams with magazine skills under their belts, ready to work with you and/or your marketing department and SMEs.

Case Studies.

When you hire a team to write your customers’ or clients’ success stories, a tedious process becomes a rewarding joint venture. Your ghostwriting team helps pinpoint a case, formulate an approach, and write copy that tells future customers you have answers for their issues, too. The agency manages the project throughout, even seeking approval for the final product from your legal department.

Authorship is assured when you hire a ghostwriting team.

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Whichever types of content an agency helps you create, as a thought leader and author you can be assured that:

  • A professional ghostwriting team understands confidentiality in all executive communications: Its writers and editors appreciate confidential sources, your proprietary processes, and “off-the-record” elements of your conversations. Your team also understands what to leave in your written product—and what to leave out—for its intended audience and purpose.
  • A capable agency prioritizes your preferences and lets your voice shine through in all the work it does for you. It is your blog, your book, your speech, and your press release the team creates. Each says what you want it to say, is error-free, professionally polished, and appeals to its readers.
  • The “checks and balances” of the team approach ensure that both of the above are true, for every project. Objective proofreaders and editors maintain consistency in these vital areas.
  • You as the authority in your field are the author of all work done by your team on your behalf, and all credit goes to you. This is a top priority for every member of your ghostwriting team.

Expert Tips for Writing a Killer Autobiography

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

“When you write down your life, every page should contain something no one has ever heard about.” — Elias Canetti

More often than not, the thought of an autobiography conjures thoughts of famous individuals and historical figures.

The truth is that you don’t need to be the president of a country or a war hero to chronicle your life’s story. Everyone has a wonderful story to tell.

Some folks go through incredible life journeys. Others work hard for years as they reach singular achievements. It doesn’t matter where you come from. What matters is the journey you’ve lived.

If you’ve ever thought about penning your story, or if you’re currently on that road, here are five expert tips that will help you write a killer autobiography.

5 Expert Tips for Writing a Killer Autobiography

1. It’s all about your journey.

Your autobiography is all about your journey. As such, your focus must be on telling your entire life story.

Sure, some parts may be more interesting than others. There may also be extraordinary moments in your life.

Nevertheless, these moments don’t happen in isolation. There is an entire backstory that leads to these unique events.

If you think that readers aren’t interested in your whole story, think again.

Readers want details. They want context.

They want to know what makes you tick.

Regaling your readers with cool stories and fun anecdotes is all well and fine. However, you’ll lose them without putting your entire life story into focus.

Think about it this way.

An athlete writes about their proudest moment: winning an Olympic medal. While that is a great achievement, readers want to know the story behind that medal.

Readers crave a narrative detailing how an ordinary person achieved an extraordinary feat. Otherwise, your autobiography might sound like you’re just tooting your own horn.

There is something else to consider. An autobiography is about your entire life. Therefore, readers want to know about your childhood, teenage years, singular moments, and even failures.

Readers want the whole enchilada, so to speak.

If you plan to focus on individual events, then you might be better off writing a memoir. A memoir differs from an autobiography in that it focuses on singular events without telling one’s entire life story.

Never forget: Your autobiography is all about your journey. So, don’t be stingy. Give readers what they want. You might be surprised to find how much readers crave to know about your whole life, not just snippets of it.

2. The devil is in the details.

A great autobiography pays close attention to detail. After all, the devil is in the details.

Details are key since they help readers get the full picture of what your story is all about. Without details, readers may get the feeling they’re missing out on something.

Think about it…Why do readers dive into an autobiography?

They want to get details they wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. They expect to get insider information.

When you deliver, your autobiography becomes a true page-turner.

Please bear in mind that details help frame the entire journey. They provide depth and substance to the narrative.

However, there is one caveat: The details you include must be relevant to the story. They must contribute meaningfully to the story you are looking to tell. Otherwise, you may create a disconnect between your readers’ expectations and the story itself.

Above all, salacious or inappropriate details may derail your autobiography’s purpose. So, it’s always a good rule of thumb to carefully review what details go into your autobiography’s final draft.

3. Consistency is the key.

Consistency is crucial when it comes to crafting a gripping autobiography. In particular, consistency applies to the overarching narrative you seek to build. This narrative must be consistent with your theme.

So, ask yourself the following questions:

  • What is my autobiography’s major theme?
  • What message do I want to convey to my readers?
  • What do I want my readers to take away from my story?

Think about it this way:

  • Your book’s theme, or themes, ought to focus on aspects such as courage, resiliency, compassion, and love, for example. These themes ought to underscore your autobiography’s overarching structure. In doing so, you’ll give your readers something to look forward to as they navigate through every page.
  • Your message must focus on what you want to tell the world. In other words, your autobiography’s message should reveal your motivation for writing your story. For example, your purpose may center on telling folks to follow their dreams in spite of adversity. This message must be patent throughout the story. Moreover, your story’s details must support your theme.
  • When you think about what you want your readers to take away, you must think about what feeling you want your readers to have when they finish the final page. Do you want them to feel inspired? Are you looking to create awareness? Whatever your specific aim, your story needs to leave readers with something they can hold on to after finishing the last page.

As you build your message within your overarching theme, please don’t neglect following a clear, chronological order.

How so?

A common mistake is leapfrogging from one event to another. Some writers like to start from the end and work their way back.

While that is an effective approach in creative fiction, it is not the most appropriate for an autobiography.

Leapfrogging from one moment to another may create confusion in your readers, who may get tangled up in the details.

Moreover, you may need long and highly detailed discussions to unravel the main points in your story.

4. Keep it real.

One of the most important factors in every great autobiography is keeping it real. After all, readers want to hear the truth in your words.

They want the real deal. They want the truth—even if they can’t handle it!

Seriously, though, readers want to learn about events just as they occurred.

While it may be fun to play around with facts, in reality, readers expect you to be as accurate as possible.

Indeed, accurately depicting events is key. Depicting characters accurately, however, is even more so.

Readers want to hear about the characters in your life as clearly as possible. Naturally, readers will get your perspective. While that is absolutely fine, you must make an effort to portray other characters just as they really are.

Consider this situation:

Some characters may be villains in your life. They may have hurt you in some way. Nevertheless, it would be best if you resisted the temptation to bash them in your narrative.

You must, instead, try to be as objective as possible. In doing so, readers will see that you’re objective. They will understand that you want to paint the reality of your life and not what you intend people to believe.

Describing one’s parents is a common pitfall in autobiographies.

When folks have great parents, they tend to glorify them, often overlooking their faults. Therefore, it is important to praise their great qualities but also shed some light on their missteps.

On the flip side, when folks have terrible parents, they may completely disregard their parents’ good points.

It’s only fair to also shed light on the good things that bad parents did at one point or another.

In some cases, there are characters that cause great harm. But it’s these bad characters and negative experiences that enable the story to unfold.

For instance, a coach tells you that you’re too short to play basketball. So instead of overly vilifying this individual, the narrative can reflect their role in fueling you to be the best basketball player you could be.

Please remember that always keeping it real should be your top priority. Readers expect to hear your truth. So, lay it on the table for them to see.

5. Don’t sweat minor details.

A major caveat of an autobiography is dwelling too much on minor details. Throughout this discussion, we’ve drilled down on the importance of providing accurate details. Focusing too much on details, however, may lead you to include minute or inconsequential details.

So, how can you tell which details are important?

Always ask yourself: How does this information contribute to my overall narrative? The answer to that question ought to determine what information to include.

Consider this situation:

When describing your childhood, there are key moments that define your life. These key moments are what readers want to know about.

These events ought to help you build your narrative as you traverse your path.

In contrast, including too many details, such as what you had for lunch at school every day, may not necessarily contribute to your overall purpose.

One way to add depth to your story is to include photographs. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words! Including photographs and images can help save you valuable space.

For example, instead of describing your childhood home, including a photograph can help save writing time while giving readers a perfect sense of where you grew up.

How can a ghostwriter help write a killer autobiography?

Writing a killer autobiography is a painstaking endeavor. It requires time and dedication. It also demands special attention to your writing skills.

Unfortunately, there may be times when you may run into some obstacles along the way. At that point, a ghostwriter can come to the rescue.

So, how exactly can a ghostwriter help you write a killer autobiography?

Ghostwriters are experienced professionals. They have the know-how and experience to craft a wonderful narrative. They can take your life’s story and transform it into a seamless narrative. Best of all, a ghostwriter can capture your voice.

At first, that may seem unlikely. In reality, a professional ghostwriter has the skills to build a narrative that is consistent with your personality. An experienced ghostwriter can take the information you provide them to depict your life’s journey accurately.

How can a ghostwriter capture your voice?

A professional ghostwriter typically begins by talking with you. They help you discover your overarching theme and message. From there, they take the information you provide to build the narrative while capturing your voice.

This process includes interviews, reviewing documents, examining photos, and doing research. From there, a professional ghostwriter can gather the information to construct your life’s narrative.

The best part of working with a ghostwriter is that you get a say in every step of the process. You have full control over the entire process. Your trusted ghostwriter takes your instructions to build what you want people to see.

It’s like having an architect take your design vision to build the house of your dreams.

In this case, you’re not building a house. You’re building a structure that represents your life. You’re like an Egyptian pharaoh getting a pyramid sculpted in your honor.

A ghostwriter may be the perfect way to get the ball rolling if you’re still on the fence about your autobiography.

If you’ve started writing, but have gotten stuck somewhere, don’t let your project linger. Talk to a ghostwriter. They can help you fulfill one of the most ambitious projects anyone can undertake: telling their story to the world.

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Before you go…

When most folks think of working with a ghostwriter, they believe they must share credit with them. However, that is only true if you want it. There is no need to share credit with a ghostwriter. A ghostwriter is a professional writer who understands that  your autobiography is yours and yours alone.

A great alternative is to work with a ghostwriting agency. A ghostwriting agency is a team of writers that work with you to build your autobiography. Ghostwriting agencies have a number of qualified staff members who can help you build the autobiography you have always wanted.

If you’re still on the fence about working with a ghostwriter, working with a ghostwriting agency can put your mind at ease. If working with a professional ghostwriter is great, imagine working with an entire team!

Is an E-book Just a PDF?

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

“EBooks have many advantages – publishers don’t have to make guesses about how many books to print, books need never go ‘out of print,’ and hard-to-find books can be easily available.” — Kate Grenville

To the common observer, an eBook is merely an ordinary book in an electronic format. This misconception stems from regular print books becoming widely available by electronic means.

Undoubtedly, making books available electronically has greatly helped distribute literature to the masses. In a manner of speaking, electronic media has had a similar effect to what the printing press had centuries ago.

Nevertheless, it is important to note that an eBook is not just a PDF.

In this article, we will explore five reasons why an eBook is much more than an electronic version of a print book.

What is an eBook?

The Encyclopedia Britannica offers a wonderful definition of the term “eBook:”

“eBook, in full electronic book, digital file containing a body of text and images suitable for distributing electronically and displaying on-screen in a manner similar to a printed book. EBooks can be created by converting a printer’s source files to formats optimized for easy downloading and on-screen reading, or they can be drawn from a database or a set of text files that were not created solely for print.”

There are several items to unpack in this definition. Therefore, it is necessary to further expand on its point to fully grasp why eBooks are publications “that were not created solely for print.”

Five reasons why an eBook is much more than just a PDF

1. An eBook optimizes screen display.

In the beginning, eBooks were nothing more than scanned copies of print books. These image scans often posed readability issues.

More often than not, reading a scanned copy of a print book was harder than reading the print book itself.

Nevertheless, initial scans allowed the general public to access out-of-print or hard-to-find volumes.

Nowadays, eBooks optimize screen displays.

For instance, Amazon requires eBooks to follow specific guidelines to ensure perfect readability on its Kindle devices. As a result, producing an eBook demands that publishers build files compatible with eReaders, phones, and tablets.

This optimization facilitates a smooth reading experience.

Beyond a smooth reading experience, eBooks enable readers to enjoy a similar sensory experience, thanks to sound effects mimicking page-turning and visual effects such as dark mode. These features aim to make reading on an electronic device a much more pleasant experience.

2. An eBook utilizes multimedia.

Print books converted into electronic files (such as PDFs) merely recreate the print book experience on a digital device. However, eBooks strive to take full advantage of an electronic device’s multimedia capabilities. For instance, eBooks may include links to sources, websites, or video content.

The biggest advantage of multimedia capabilities is enhanced marketing opportunities. EBooks such as how-to guides or product manuals contain links to e-commerce sites or online shops where customers can purchase items. Additionally, eBooks can incorporate advertising, thus converting an eBook into a marketing tool.

In addition to marketing, educational publications like textbooks offer a plethora of additional resources students can use to further their learning. In a sense, eBooks are a springboard that allows readers to expand their horizons well beyond the words on the printed page.

3. An eBook exploits portability.

EBooks allow readers to carry an entire library in their pocket. As a result, the days of carrying stacks of books are long behind.

EBooks exploit portability, thus making it easy for readers to acquire as many volumes as they wish.

Furthermore, eBooks allow authors and publishers to remove page limits from their volumes.

How so? There are limitations to how many pages a volume can include with print books.

Voluminous publications become heavy and cumbersome to carry. For instance, encyclopedias require 20 to 30 tomes to cover a wide range of subjects.

This limitation is no longer the case with eBooks.

Reference materials can be as voluminous as needed.

Extensive publications can become a breeze to read with a good indexing system. A great example is the Holy Bible. Modern indexing systems facilitate looking up biblical passages by keywords. As such, readers need only input a relevant keyword to access the passage of their choice.

4. An eBook makes distribution easy.

EBooks make distribution much easier than traditional print publications. After all, users can easily download electronic files in seconds from anywhere in the world. In contrast, print publications require a logistical framework to ensure their distribution.

One could also argue that electronic versions of print books can leverage the same distribution advantages. However, there is one key difference: Print books require human intervention to make them electronically available.

For instance, older print books, which only exist in print format, must either be typed or scanned. As a result, converting print books to a digital format is a labor-intensive endeavor, since current artificial intelligence tools still cannot scan and convert images to text with 100% accuracy.

Google’s massive digital scanning project is a great example of an attempt at converting print books to digital format.

In 2002, Google’s founders set out to scan every book on the planet. In its effort, Google enlisted the help of thousands of volunteers, as it is virtually impossible to fully automate the scanning process.

Within roughly 10 years, the project Google managed to scanned about 25 million books. That is, until a court battle from publishers and authors halted Google’s efforts and ended the project, leaving a huge database of books that nobody is allowed to read.

EBooks solve the need to scan print books from the start. Publishers conceive eBooks for electronic distribution. While eBooks may also go into print, it is much easier to print an eBook than to convert a print book into an eBook.

5. An eBook removes entry barriers.

Publishing a traditional print book generally requires authors to go through the rigors of the publishing business.

For instance, aspiring authors must find book agents willing to give them an opportunity. Then, manuscripts must go through editing before a publisher takes a chance on publishing them.

In the meantime, authors can wait years before they get their chance to see their works go into public distribution.

Self-publishing a traditional print book is a costly endeavor. In addition to writing, editing, and printing, distribution and marketing require a considerable financial investment. Moreover, marketing a book, electronic or print, requires a substantial effort.

EBooks remove entry barriers by facilitating the publication and distribution process. In the past, self-published authors needed tens of thousands of dollars to bring their books to publication. Nowadays, self-published authors can get their materials out to the public for a few hundred dollars.

While self-publishing has hardly made traditional publishers redundant, readers have greatly benefitted from increased publications. Readers can reap the bounty of new authors, titles, and subjects making their way into the mainstream.

How can a ghostwriter help produce an eBook?

Producing an eBook is no easy task. It requires research, writing, editing, and design. In many instances, authors aspire to publish their ideas but struggle to make their projects come to fruition. This point is where a ghostwriter can facilitate the entire process.

Here are three key ways in which hiring a ghostwriter to write an eBook can make any book project a reality.

Ghostwriters are great at research.

Hiring a ghostwriter goes beyond writing. Professional ghostwriters are generally great at research.

They know the ins and outs of their field. They also know reliable information sources that give publications credibility.

A well-researched eBook, regardless of length, is highly valuable. Authors can, therefore, save time and effort by hiring a professional ghostwriter to conduct meticulous research.

Ghostwriters are great at writing.

It may seem obvious to think that ghostwriters are great at writing. However, great writing goes far beyond articulating prose.

Professional ghostwriters know how to tailor information so that it matches the target audience’s expectations.

Consequently, hiring a professional ghostwriter ensures that the final publication succeeds at compelling readers to consume its content.

Ghostwriters are great at communicating.

Authors have specific purposes when producing an eBook. These purposes may be to inform, entertain, or raise awareness.

Professional ghostwriters have a knack for communicating the author’s intended message. For example, a professional ghostwriter can articulate a narrative that turns a marketing eBook into a valuable source of product information. As a result, customers not only gain exposure to the product but also acquire a valuable reference resource.

On the whole, hiring a ghostwriter takes the guesswork out of producing a high-quality eBook.

Authors and publishers can rely on a professional ghostwriter to produce top-notch material that fulfills its intended purpose.

This key characteristic ensures that authors and publishers have time, effort, and money when producing an eBook. After all, a subpar eBook may prove costlier. So, why take chances when a ghostwriter can help remove uncertainties?

One Final Thought

EBooks have never intended to replace traditional print books.

They serve as a tool to get information out to the public. Thus, eBooks require careful attention to ensure they fulfill their purpose.

Authors and publishers must, therefore, safeguard their publications’ standards. In the highly competitive publishing world, there is little room for chance.

Authors and publishers can minimize their risk and uncertainty by hiring a ghostwriter.

Professional ghostwriters know what it takes to produce a great narrative while establishing credibility. Now, more than ever, hiring a ghostwriter can help make a book project a reality.

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How Long Does It Take to Write a Book with a Ghostwriter?

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

Writing a book is a huge undertaking, and it’s one that many people choose to do with the help of a ghostwriter.

While working with a ghostwriter can be a great way to get a professionally written book, it’s essential to factor in how long the process may take.

Having a book ghostwritten is more involved than simply waiting for the writer to complete it. It’s a process that takes time, and the timeline for completion can vary depending on the intensity of the project.

Read on as we discuss the process in more detail to provide insight into what to expect.

What are the different steps to writing a book?

Ghostwriting a book is a detailed process. There are usually several steps that a ghostwriter must complete to produce a quality, finished product.

1. Prep Work (4 – 6 weeks)

Meetings and Discussions

Whether it’s a business or personal book, a ghostwriter’s first step is to understand your book idea and the direction you want to take it.

Your writer will interview you and any key stakeholders in great detail to grasp the ultimate goal.

Topics like specialty research, photos, infographics, publishing options, and style preferences will be discussed and established.

The aim is for your writer not only to understand the vision but to feel confident presenting it in the right style, tone, and voice.

Research

A ghostwriter can benefit significantly from your preliminary research. It helps give a sense of your vision for the project.

“When a client provides this information upfront, it lets me know what they want to emphasize and what story they want to tell,” says The Writers for Hire ghostwriter Jennifer Iacullo.

But there’s no need to feel pressured to curate too much upfront. Partnering with an experienced ghostwriter familiar with your industry and who knows where to find suitable sources can help you avoid this stress.

Instead of doing it all yourself, you can opt to share your thoughts about what you want to research with your ghostwriter.

This may lengthen your overall timeline, but it relieves the burden of searching for resources and provides a productive space for back-and-forth discussions.

2. Outline (1 – 2 weeks)

A strong outline is the framework for your book, and it should come from a collaborative effort between you and your ghostwriter.

It gives structure to your ideas and provides a roadmap for the ghostwriter to follow.

Your writer will use all of the information collected from interviews and research to draft an outline for your feedback.

You will then work together to revise the outline until the direction is clear.

This process helps save time and reduce unnecessary communication. With a clear direction for your book, the ghostwriter will be able to write quickly and efficiently.

3. Writing (1 – 2 weeks per chapter)

Now it’s time for the ghostwriter to assemble the collected information into a cohesive story.

One by one, the ghostwriter writes, edits, and sends each chapter to you for your review.

Additional services, like inserting pictures or custom graphics, also happen during this phase. Since each project is different, the required time to complete each section of the book will hinge on its complexity.

According to The Writers for Hire owner and editor-in-chief Wintress Odom, it usually takes “six months to a year to write most books.” This timeframe provides you and your writer ample time to iron out any issues before the book is complete and without extending your deadlines.

4. Front-to-Back Editing (2 – 4 weeks)

Editors help improve the overall quality of your book by ensuring that its consistency and flow are clear.

A senior editor will perform a thorough cover-to-cover review to address issues like narrative inconsistencies, pacing, and ineffective writing.

After edits are complete, you will have the opportunity to review the entire manuscript to confirm you are satisfied with the final product.

This task can be challenging, as it requires a lot of reading and analysis.

Like some clients, you may get sidetracked by other aspects of life, further delaying the job. Projects often stall during this phase due to the client being overwhelmed.

“Some clients underestimate how long this process takes,” says Wintress Odom. “I usually suggest they plan for a weekend to read through it all instead of reading small chunks and prolonging it.”

5. Final Proofreading (2 weeks)

Proofreading is the final stage in the writing process.

The proofreader will comb through the book for any spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Once complete, it is finally prepped for publishing.

6. Publishing (12 – 20 weeks)

Sometimes, clients forget to factor printing time into their overall timeline.

Depending on the publishing company and project scope, printing can take a few months to over a year.

The Writers For Hire works directly with a publisher that takes a minimum of three months to turn your manuscript into a published book.

This process includes formatting, photo work, client review and approval, and the final print run.

However, suppose you are working with a ghostwriter or ghostwriting agency that doesn’t offer full-service options?

This means you’ll only receive a finished manuscript that you will have to take to your publishing company of choice.

For this reason, it’s essential to keep your publishing timeframe in mind when planning any type of book launch event to avoid any delays.

What should you expect when hiring a ghostwriter?

Ghostwriters are professional writers who help piece together compelling, well-crafted stories.

There are many benefits to hiring a ghostwriter for your business or personal endeavors. Some of the key benefits to expect include:

Help Building Your Brand.

Employing a ghostwriter allows you to establish your company as an expert in your industry by partnering with someone who can take your content to the next level.

An adept ghostwriter will produce impactful and engaging content that will reach more people and potentially help grow your business.

By understanding your vision, they will be able to effectively capture your tone and voice to impact your target audience positively.

Help Capturing Personal Memories.

A ghostwriter can provide a professional touch to your personal projects.

A skilled genealogy ghostwriter can conduct in-depth research to dig into your family history beyond recent generations to unveil unique and insightful stories.

Many people find that using a ghostwriter to capture these family histories and life experiences before they fade helps alleviate the stress of retelling those stories compellingly.

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Increased Productivity.

Hiring a ghostwriter allows you to get high-quality content without spending the time or effort to write it yourself. .

While you will invest a significant amount of time in the project, most of your time is free to focus on other important daily tasks.

This added value can help you plan your personal schedule more efficiently.

A Partner in Your Corner.

Ghostwriters are not only used to author fiction books, they’re also used to write various nonfiction projects, like business leadership books, family histories, editorial pieces, and marketing materials.

Having this kind of range means you can partner with a competent ghostwriting agency to tackle any project you need to undertake.

The best ghostwriters are passionate and highly skilled researchers who can help you produce assorted professional content that is both informative and interesting to read. They will work with you to understand your ideas and create a final product tailored to your specific needs.

Final Thoughts

When you hire a ghostwriter to produce your book idea, you trust them with your story.

The ultimate purpose is to work together towards a common goal through collaboration and communication. For this reason, finding an established ghostwriter or ghostwriting agency is a wise investment of your time.

The ghostwriting process can be time-consuming. But if it’s done right, you will end up with an impressive piece of work that you will be proud to put your name on.

Remember, if you want quality work, you can’t rush the process.

Am I Qualified to Write a Self-Help Book?

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

Are you looking to write a self-help book but don’t know if you’re qualified enough?

A self-help book is different from other types of nonfiction because it addresses issues that people struggle with every day. Hence, it can be very personal and often requires a lot of research.

While that may sound very daunting, especially if you’re not an experienced writer, it can be done with the right tools.

This article will provide you with helpful tips for tackling the project regardless of your skill level with writing. We’ll also show you how you can make your work more manageable if you hire a ghostwriter.

Keep reading to learn more.

How to Know If You Are Qualified Enough to Write a Self-Help Book

Self-help books are incredibly popular, and people often wonder if they could write one themselves. While you may be a great writer and have a lot of experience with the topic, there’s more to writing a self-help book than simply putting your expertise into words.

We’ve put together five questions to help you determine if you’re qualified to write a self-help book.

1. Do you have a specific problem you’d like to solve?

If you're struggling with something that no one else seems to be talking about, then you should consider writing a book about it.

Sharing your experiences can help someone in a similar situation to stay hopeful.

Your book can be a source of inspiration and motivation to so many people who are looking for answers or a glimmer of hope.

2. Are you willing to put in the time and effort required to write a book?

Writing a good self-help book could take time. Depending on the topic, it could take a year or two to complete.

For your message to reach as many people as possible, you will need to take your time crafting a thorough yet easy-to-understand message that will resonate deeply within readers’ hearts and minds.

3. Is the topic interesting to you?

Writing a book isn’t always easy. If you’re not excited about the topic, then it’s unlikely you’ll stick with it long enough to finish the book. On the other hand, if you love the subject, it could be fun to share your knowledge.

Writing in an area of interest is always easier than writing on a topic you cannot relate to. You’ll flow easily and complete your book faster when you love what you write about.

4. Are you flexible enough to accommodate different points of view?

The best self-help books offer new ways of thinking about problems that people face daily. However, while these ideas may resonate with some readers, they might not resonate well with others.

An author needs to be able to accept criticism without taking it personally and should always strive to find common ground between their own beliefs and those of others.

5. Do you have a unique perspective?

You don't necessarily need to be a professional writer to write a book.

However, if you think you have a unique perspective on a particular subject, you should consider writing a book.

Thinking about why you believe you have something valuable to share with the public could give you the needed foundation as you begin.

  • What makes you stand out among all the other experts?
  • Why do you think people would benefit from reading your book?
  • Why will they care about what you have to say?

What are some indications you are considered an expert on a topic?

A good self-help book will have a clear message, which means it has a single point to make and doesn’t try to address too many things at once. The author must also be able to communicate effectively. This includes being able to express ideas clearly and persuade readers to take action.

There are a few things you can look for when deciding if you’re qualified enough to write a self-help book. They include:

  • You’ve studied the topic for many years.
  • You’ve taken classes on the topic.
  • You’ve worked in the industry.
  • You’ve published articles on the topic.
  • You’ve given speeches on the subject.

How can you get the book written if you’re not a skilled writer?

Skills can be learned, and anyone can become an author. Of course, learning how to write better is one way you could improve your chances of publishing a self-help book.

If you don’t have experience with writing, we’ve put together some tips to get you started.

Begin with research.

While you may have come up with great ideas for your book and have an excellent understanding of its topic, more research needs to be done.

So, make sure you take time to read similar books to figure out how best to approach yours. In addition, carry out as much research as possible on self-help publishing.

Different organizations offer different services, and it can be overwhelming trying to figure out which one is right for you and your book.

So, take some time researching each before deciding where your book will be published.

Pinpoint your target audience.

One of the first things you need to do when considering writing a self-help book is to determine who your target audience is. This question is important because if you’re not writing for a specific audience, it may be impossible to develop the right tone or writing style for your book.

If, for example, you’re interested in helping teenagers deal with depression and anxiety issues, who will be reading your work? Teens or parents of teens?

Who are you hoping will read your book on coping with addictions or time management, for instance?

How can your self-help book help address these issues without being preachy or condescending?

Build your knowledge base.

One of the best ways to determine whether you’re qualified to write about a topic is by becoming an expert on it.

In fact, one great way to get started with self-help is by identifying gaps in your knowledge and filling them through reading, self-study, and hands-on experience.

Reading helps you understand what makes a great book. If you read a lot, you’ll eventually pick up the writing language.

Whether you want your first book written or already have multiple books under your belt, there's always more information you can absorb.

The more knowledgeable you are, the better equipped you'll be for book writing.

Practice writing.

Writing isn’t something that happens overnight. So, if you want to become a better writer, practice writing regularly.

If you don’t practice writing regularly, you may not be able to write a book even if you have an important message to get across. Writing a few chapters once in a while may not help much either.

Writing every day or as regularly as possible is one of the best things you can do to improve your writing. It forces you to think through each paragraph before you begin typing. This will help keep ideas flowing and ensure you stay motivated to keep writing.

So, start by writing short pieces over a period of weeks. Eventually, you’ll build enough confidence to try writing an entire book.

Outline and draft.

Many first-time authors find it challenging to start writing their books because they don’t know where to begin. But taking some time to get the basics right before you write can make all of the difference.

We suggest outlining your idea and drafting some chapters before you sit down to write your book from start to finish. The outline will help keep you on track and give you valuable insight into how well your book is going—and what else it needs!

Get feedback.

Getting feedback from others who have written books gives you insight into what works and doesn’t work when writing a book.

Ask friends, family members, and teachers for advice. They can give you helpful suggestions about how to improve your writing. The person doesn’t necessarily need to be a professional editor; they just need to be honest and helpful.

Hire a ghostwriter.

There are tons of self-help books out there, some good and some not so good. If you have an idea for one, but you don’t consider yourself a good writer, you should consider hiring someone who is.

Ghostwriters can help you with all things related to writing your book. This includes research, writing, editing, and proofreading.

An experienced ghostwriter can also help you find a publisher for your book, once it’s finished.

One way ghostwriters work is by helping their clients figure out what their content should be, interviewing them about their experiences, and then taking what they learn from those interviews and turning it into words on paper.

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Summing It Up!

Having never written a self-help book doesn’t mean you can’t write one. Just ensure that what you write empowers readers, communicates clearly, and makes people think differently.

On the other hand, you may have a lot of experience in writing but do not have the time to focus on your book.

If you fall under any of these categories, you may need to hire a ghostwriter to help you surmount the challenges of writing a self-help book.

How to Choose a Nonfiction Book Format: 10 Types of Nonfiction Genres You Need to Consider

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

“I still believe nonfiction is the most important literature to come out of the second half of the 20th century.” — Tom Wolfe

In 2021, 825.75 million print books were sold in the United States, according to Statista. This figure bodes well since it represents an 8.9% year-over-year growth for the book market.

Moreover, data from NPD indicates that adult nonfiction books sold 82 million copies in the first quarter of 2021. Aspiring authors can find fertile ground in the nonfiction publishing market with such encouraging numbers.

To capitalize on these promising trends, we must home in  on the various types of nonfiction genres that you can use to turn your story into a profitable literary work.

In this article, we will look at 10 nonfiction genres you need to consider for your next book. Also, we will discuss the role that a ghostwriter can play in helping you get your next book idea off the ground.

So, let’s put pen to paper!

Fiction vs. Nonfiction

When most people think about writing a book, the first thing that pops into their minds is a novel. Of course, creative fiction writing is a great way to become a published author.

However, fiction is not the only avenue you can pursue to make a name for yourself in the literary world.

As we have established, nonfiction writing is a viable path for you to make your mark on the literary world.

Suppose you aspire to become an author but are not keen on writing a novel. In that case, you should explore the domain of nonfiction genres.

There is a wide scope of styles you can use to produce meaningful and engaging content in nonfiction. Moreover, choosing the right nonfiction genre can help frame your content effectively.

So, let’s look at 10 nonfiction genres that will help you frame your ideas and content into a successful narrative.

10 Types of Nonfiction Genres You Need to Consider

1. Autobiography

An autobiography tells the author’s story in their own words. Autobiographies go through the author’s life events, usually chronologically, to paint a portrait in readers’ minds.

While autobiographies are generally chronological, you do not necessarily need to structure them in this way. You can focus on individual events and construct the narrative surrounding singular events.

Engaging autobiographies typically dispense with inconsequential details to provide only the requisite context to the story.

Then, the narrative focuses on depicting the most crucial moments in the author’s life.

If you have a penchant for creative writing, producing your autobiography is a great way to combine the best of both worlds.

An autobiography is a nonfiction book. Nevertheless, it gives you the freedom to explore creative prose as freely as possible.

2. Memoir

A memoir has many characteristics of an autobiography. The difference is that a memoir focuses mainly on individual events instead of an exhaustive review of the author’s life.

If there is an extraordinary event in your life that you would like to share with the world, a memoir is a good choice. Memoirs allow you to explore singular events in great depth, especially when you are not keen on talking about your entire life story.

Additionally, memoirs allow you to be as creative as you’d like to be. You can experiment with various types of prose.

More often than not, authors like to keep their voices as close to their real tone as possible. Therefore, a successful memoir must capture your essence throughout the narrative. In doing so, readers can see who you truly are as they flip through every page.

3. Personal Essay

A personal essay allows you to explore your point of view on a particular subject. The subject can revolve around a personal experience.

Also, a personal essay can discuss a broader subject from your point of view. A personal essay aims to give the reader your perspective on your chosen subject. Thus, your opinion must strike readers from the start.

Please bear in mind that personal essays are not so much about prose as they are about thought, reflection, and understanding.

In other words, a personal essay does not aim to craft a narrative in the way that autobiographies or memoirs do. Instead, a personal essay focuses on articulating a coherent argument on a given subject.

For instance, discussing the challenges of parenthood from a new mother’s personal perspective combines a broad subject with the author’s own voice.

4. Travel Journals

Travel journals are a common nonfiction genre because they offer so much freedom. However, a common mistake is merely jotting down notes about your vacation.

An effective travel journal goes beyond chronicling what you did, where you went, and what you ate.

An exceptional travel journal is about depicting your experience throughout the journey. For example, you can make readers privy to your thoughts and feelings as you describe your grandparents’ birthplace.

The aim is to have readers see places through your eyes. Ultimately, readers get to witness how this journey impacted your life.

5. Literary Journalism

Journalistic writing focuses on delivering facts on a given subject, event, or person. Journalists strive to give the readers the information they seek as concisely as possible.

Nevertheless, journalism does not have to be cut and dry. Journalism can deliver factual information while crafting a narrative that compels readers to keep flipping through pages.

The secret to literary journalism is building engaging characters.

Biographers are adept at literary journalism. They present factual information while building the subject’s persona. The reader comes away with useful information while painting a portrait about the subject, whether flattering or not.

6. Feature Story

A feature story plays on the foundation of literary journalism. Typically, features focus on an individual story to provide readers with all the information they need to know.

Features are generally longer than a standard news article but fall well short of a full-length book.

News articles generally range from 500 to roughly 1,000 words, with some longer articles hovering around 2,000 to 2,500 words. However, features may extend to over 10,000 words.

You may want to explore a feature story when you feel that a subject has not received the attention you feel it should. Feature stories mainly aim to raise awareness of specific issues and causes. A feature story may be a great approach to consider if you feel deeply about a specific issue.

7. Criticism

A critique’s main objective is to discuss a subject’s specific points. Please note that “criticism” does not necessarily mean  pointing out negative aspects. Instead, criticism  examines a subject in as much depth as you wish.

Generally speaking,  criticism explores all sides of a subject, even if you have a clear position on the topic.

For instance, social issues are the common focus of criticism. Authors present a topic, contrast various arguments for and against it, and then derive a personal conclusion. In this approach, you must encourage readers to take your information and perspective so that they can construct their opinion about the subject matter.

8. Ekphrastic Essays

Art lovers often use ekphrastic essays to manifest their admiration for another work of art.

In this type of nonfiction text, you can transmit your opinion regarding an artwork by describing it, critiquing it, or speculating about it.

Please bear in mind this is not merely an account regarding the artwork’s history. It is about adding another dimension to the artwork’s interpretation. Specifically, readers will seek your perspective on the work of art.

Ekphrastic essays typically comment on paintings, sculptures, architecture, literary works, or pieces of music. If your heart lies in the arts, using your literary voice to communicate your admiration can lead to a meaningful essay.

9. Lyrical Essay

If you are more inclined toward a poetic approach, a lyrical essay may be right for you without writing poetry as such.

A lyrical essay uses poetic prose to explore a topic.

In particular, lyrical essays use figurative elements more than argumentation.

Also, lyrical essays utilize experience and experimentation to drive their point home.

For example, think of describing marvelous locations in a travel blog, an unforgettable dining experience in a restaurant review, or a critique about a hotel you visited.

10. Flash Nonfiction

Flash nonfiction is the most restrictive genre we have discussed as far as the conditions attached to it. In particular, flash nonfiction bases its style on economical writing.

In other words, authors must strive to build their arguments in 500, 1,000, or at most, 2,000 words. The aim is to present compelling arguments while staying on point as much as possible. This genre is ideal for writers looking to publish articles, blog posts, or updates on longer publications such as essays or books.

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The Role of a Ghostwriter in Choosing a Nonfiction Book Format

What role can a ghostwriter play in producing a nonfiction book?

For the most part, a ghostwriter can tackle complex writing tasks. Nevertheless, a seasoned ghostwriter can also become a writing coach, accountability partner, or editor.

Ultimately, a ghostwriter can play any role you need them to play.

Please consider that when producing a nonfiction book, you may have to overcome limitations. Here are the three most common ones.

Lack of Experience

When you are beginning your writing journey, you may need some support along the way. A ghostwriter can provide you with the guidance and support you need to stay on track. Also, a ghostwriter can handle the heavy lifting should you fall behind schedule.

Lack of Time

If writing is not your main occupation, you may run into time constraints from time to time. In particular, maintaining a regular tempo is important for frequent content producers.

Employing a ghostwriter can help you overcome time constraints. Consequently, you can share the writing duties with your ghostwriter as circumstances dictate.

A Fresh Pair of Eyes

There are occasions in which writing gets stuck. For instance, you may find a passage in your book that somehow does not seem to come along.

Thus, a professional ghostwriter becomes a fresh pair of eyes that can untangle your writing project. A ghostwriter’s help can ultimately make the difference in pushing your writing project to completion.

The Benefits of Employing a Professional Ghostwriter when Choosing a Nonfiction Book Format

There are some key benefits you must consider when employing an experienced ghostwriter:

  • You get a trusted writing partner. A professional ghostwriter knows how to respect deadlines and keep projects moving.
  • You get an experienced contributor that can handle a significant workload.
  • You get a multifaceted professional. Typically, experienced ghostwriters can handle various topics and styles.
  • You get help when you need it the most. Having a trusted ghostwriter on call can bail you out when you get stuck on a writing project.
  • You get guidance whenever you need it. Seasoned ghostwriters can partner with you to help you develop your overall writing skills as you gain more experience.

On the whole, a ghostwriter can play whatever role you want them to play. The most important thing to keep in mind is finding a ghostwriter who meshes well with your intended writing style and expectations.

One Final Consideration

Finding a great ghostwriter might seem tough. Therefore, finding the best writing partner for you might require some dedicated searching.

Please note that there are many professional ghostwriters out there. Thus, it’s imperative that you search for someone who shares the same vision as you do.

It is also worth considering a ghostwriting agency. Ghostwriting agencies are teams of writers that can tackle virtually any topic under the sun.

What’s the biggest advantage of hiring a ghostwriting agency?

Ghostwriting agencies keep projects moving because they have multiple writers on staff.

As a result, your project always has someone who can take care of it regardless of circumstances.

In contrast, working with an individual ghostwriter often means you depend on their schedule and availability.

This drawback disappears when you work with a ghostwriting agency. Indeed, a ghostwriting agency is certainly worth considering. Your choice ultimately depends on what is right for your specific

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