Collaborative Manuscript Development and/or Ghostwriting

With more than 45 published collaborative and/or ghostwritten nonfiction books behind me, I know what it takes to guide an author from the earliest seed of an idea all the way to a published masterpiece.

As a collaborator, I walk the author through the entire manuscript development process, providing a refined, high-touch, proven process that can be customized to each author’s unique needs and time availability. The result is a polished, well-organized, finished manuscript that perfectly captures the author’s heart, voice, tone, and message.

Manuscript Editing

I partner with publishers and authors to help sharpen and refine existing manuscript drafts through substantive editing. With a special focus on the book’s core content and structure, I will help refine the overall narrative, argument, and organization, making suggestions for improvements and calling out any problem spots that require further work. I will also assess the manuscript for clarity, coherence, and accuracy, ensuring it aligns with the author’s intended message and target audience.

Plus, I will bring my expertise as an experienced writer to not only make suggestions but, in many cases, proactively provide suggested rewrites on a line-by-line basis as needed.

Author Coaching

Author Coaching is for authors who don’t want or need a ghostwriter or collaborator but still need a little help crafting and refining their book. As a coach, I help the author flesh out their ideas and organize their material. Then, as the author writes the manuscript, I provide real-time, as-you-go editorial reviews with detailed feedback on a per-chapter basis. This level of editorial critique and refinement enables the author to address the manuscript’s most likely editorial issues before the publisher ever sees it.

Manuscript Review

While substantive editing is generally a publisher’s first step in the editorial process, many authors prefer to hire an editor before submitting their final manuscript draft to the publisher. This extra level of care and attention ensures the author is turning in their very best work, thereby making the best possible impression on the publisher.

Manuscript Review projects are handled exactly like Manuscript Editing projects (see above). The only difference is that I perform the work for the author rather than the publisher to give them a head start on addressing issues the publisher would likely find during their initial edit.

Book Proposal Development

Most aspiring authors are completely unprepared to tackle the single most important—and often the most difficult—part of writing a book: crafting a professional, compelling book proposal that will wow agents and publishers alike.

Through dynamic content discovery sessions, I help authors refine their book’s core message, pinpoint their ideal audience, craft a winning outline, and write powerful sample chapters. This collaborative process ensures the proposal not only sings but also demonstrates the author’s ability to deliver a knockout manuscript.

Manuscript Repair/Rewriting

Sadly, not every book that hits a publisher’s desk is “fit to print.” In these situations, I can jump in and serve as a “book doctor,” rewriting unpublishable manuscripts into fresh, gripping new works that any publisher would be proud to offer. This can often be done with minimal impact on the author’s time, which is a huge benefit—especially if the author already thought they were done with the book the first time!