A new client and I recently finished conceptualizing her forthcoming book. She was ecstatic and decided to hire me to go along for the ride. Initially, she wasn’t sure about my forthcoming role in the project. Should I ghostwrite it or serve as her book coach?
Diving in
It sparked an interesting discussion. Parts of her background are so personal that I couldn’t imagine anyone writing it for her, including me. At the same time, her other commitments and the daunting nature of the blank page meant that she couldn’t just start writing. (As an aside, no non-fiction author should even think about starting the manuscript in earnest without first doing loads of intense research. Ever.)
I suggested book coaching. I define it as follows: A process in which an author works with a skilled professional (the book coach) while writing the manuscript. The book coach ensures the following:
- The author’s writing remains coherent.
- The author keeps the reader personas in mind throughout the process.
- The book’s organization remains tight, and each chapter meets its objective.
- As a result, the final manuscript does not require a developmental edit.
This begs the question: What’s the relationship between book coaching and ghostwriting?
Since I like graphs:
Let’s unpack the figure above.
The book coach ensures that the author’s writing remains coherent.
Generally speaking, coaching is less expensive than proper ghostwriting. Money saved, however, means that the author spends more time spent writing. Still, there are no absolutes. I remember a former client who refused to respond to constructive feedback. By routinely ignoring my writing advice, he spent more money than if he had hired me as a proper ghostwriter.
What You Need to Know
Regardless of the method, client time is never zero. Ever. It’s simply impossible to write a meaningful book without devoting significant time to the project. I guffaw when I see online programs that offer to do as much in a period of eight weeks.
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