So, you have a book in you.
Now what?
You want to share your story. Its misty contours waft through your sleeping brain night after night. Over coffee in the morning, you can almost see enrapt audiences hearing the words read aloud.
And why shouldn’t it be so? Your ideas deserve to reach an audience beyond your kitchen table, your work hangouts, disjointed blogs, your mildly-disinterested family. You have a vision, an expertise, a unique tale to tell that—once organized and lovingly presented—could change the culture, the world, a company, one life.
But then you only have one life. There’s only so much time in a week, and after the Great Recession the book industry has become even more complex, splintered.
How does one even begin?
I can help you with the exciting project of turning your dreams into reality.
I’m Jeffrey Byrd,
Certified Ghostwriter
I work with authors who have a compelling story to tell and want to create and own a marketable literary property.
What is Ghostwriting?
The difficulty for most authors is seeing the forest for the trees, finding the time, knowing which steps to take, to mold their literary vision for a specific title from an idea to a published work reaching its highest potential readership—a marketable literary property. As a certified ghostwriter, I will partner with you to put the endeavor on the road. All final decisions are yours: content, structure, characterization, tone, and language. In fact, I sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) up front, right away, so we can comfortably settle in to assess the project’s strengths and market viability, your concerns, questions and inspiration. If you choose to work with me, we will communicate weekly—by Zoom, phone, email, or text message—to organize and focus your material, write a first draft chapter by chapter, then a second draft, line by line, making the words flow with verve, understanding and engagement. Finally, I will hire a professional proofreader to polish the final manuscript. From there, we can navigate your project’s path through today’s complex publishing world. I can provide a professional proposal to submit to agents and publishers, or a bestseller strategy plan if you want to self-publish.
Already Have a Manuscript?
If you have already done the hard work and have a manuscript in hand, great! Now you might be wondering: How far can I see this going? What is my book’s potential and what would stand in the way of success? I will read your manuscript, evaluate that potential with a keen eye on the industry—agents and booksellers, printers and publishers—and point out any obstacles to success. I can offer services in guiding the writing, the developmental editing, line editing, and proof-reading, all that is needed to get your manuscript ready to reach its highest peak as a marketable literary product. And always working in close collaboration with you, retaining your voice, inspiration, ideas, characters, structure and content.
Ready to Publish?
Navigating the publishing industry can be a bit like going to the dentist, pulling teeth! How many options are there today for bringing a book to market, to actual readers worldwide? Considering the various paths, their hybrids, the various printing methods, and the risk/reward calculations of them all, the answer is—a lot! There are about 150 million books in print, audio, digital and about 600,000 more coming out every year, just in the U.S. How will your literary work find an audience, be brought to the markets you want to reach? We can discuss the various publishing options and sort out the financial risks and rewards. I can write a proposal for the right literary agents. Or I can create with you a bestseller strategy marketing plan for self-publishing. While the sheer numbers of books vying for attention may seem daunting, there are many that are selling and a few selling well. We can look at the industry in all its facets and decide the options that work best for your goals, for your book.
Why Hire a Ghostwriter?
How does the process work? What’s a certified ghostwriter? Explore more FAQs to learn how and why a ghostwriter is a busy author’s secret solution:
Kind Words from Authors
“As I was finishing the first draft of my fourth novel, The Accidental Oligarch, I asked Jeff to be one of my readers. He came back soon after with a comprehensive analysis of the changes that would strengthen the book. Oh my! He had me change the order of the chapters, focus on fewer point-of-view characters, and massaged the plot. I showed his analysis to my $200/hr New York editor, a former chief editor at Random House, and he was simply stunned, said it was the best editorial critique he had ever read. Jeff hit the mark in everything he suggested. He has mastered the elements of a great novel, and was brilliant at dissecting obstacles in the reader’s path that would slow down the reading. I recommend him highly. He can take your book to its greatest potential. Enjoy this world class expert support.”
— David Hoffman, founder, Internews
Internews Inc. is a non-profit incorporated in California
which has worked in more than 70 countries and trained more than 80,000 people in media skills.
