The work of the ghostwriter is in inverse relation to that stern Edwardian view of children. Unlike children, ghostwriters are heard but not seen.
I delivered my first ghostwriting project many years ago, working with the late hypnotist and therapist Joe Keeton to produce The Power of the Mind, which you can read more about here.
Over a long period, I have delivered a wide range of commercial ghostwriter projects, ranging from business non-fiction, memoirs, politics and fiction. I have helped some high-profile clients in the fields of popular music and business to tell the stories of how they came to be successful. I have written geopolitical analyses, cultural material and stockmarket business studies. I have written fiction for clients, working from a variety of briefs.
Almost all of my ghostwriting work is, inevitably, confidential and therefore I don’t publicise the published books I have written. However, over the last 24 months, I have written the memoir of a leading UK Muslim entrepreneur and philanthropist which hit the bestseller lists; the strategic statement of one of the most senior members of the Nigerian military on the government’s battle against Boko Haram; a ghost story set in a British village, which is due to be published in 2022; and the business memoir of a highly successful UK entrepreneur working in the beer sector.
I work closely and intensely with my clients, usually over a period of around six months. We meet face-to-face where we can, or on Zoom if the distance demands. I record all our conversations and make sure my clients have access to those recordings. I truly enjoy the process of getting to know my clients and helping them to uncover and reveal their stories; in many instances, we remain friends after the work is complete. I have, I hope, an empathetic approach and remain always entirely discrete and confidential.
The process of working as a ghostwriter with a client is hugely rewarding. The task is to establish an authentic and trusting relationship and then work to enable the client to explore the depth of the story he or she wishes to tell. This then develops into initial draft texts which are always subject to the editorial autonomy of the client. You can read more about ghostwriting generally, and about the process involved, at www.ghostwriter.works.
Having spent many years working inside the international publishing industry, I am able to help my clients to establish relationships with agents and publishers to ensure that the work we produce together goes on to have a commercially published outcome. Sometimes, clients prefer to go down the self-publishing route, and I am able to advise on how to achieve that in the most professional way. I’ve given an online course in self-publishing for Idler magazine, which you can access here.
Do please contact me if you would like to discuss a ghostwriting project. I’d be very happy to talk.