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Professional Ghostwriting: What is it?
THE FLOWING INK.
You have a concept for a book and would like to commission a professional author to compose your story—in your voice—and bring your vision to life. Joey Quince and his team will work with you to achieve exactly that.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
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As a professional ghostwriter, Joey and his team can be commissioned to write your complete book from scratch.
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From the very first interview, Joey will work with you to brainstorm the structure of the prospective manuscript. Like any good treasure hunt, we will use this map to reach the chest of gold, keeping in mind that at times we may redirect our approach.
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This will be a journey. As a seasoned editor and ghostwriter in the trade publishing industry, Joey’s ideas will transform your own, and be informed by your desired market and the commercial appeal that that market demands.
CAPTURING YOUR VOICE:
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A ghost must be able to visualise the spine of the book form early in our brainstorming.
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The next stage will be achieved through a series of taped interviews. To get your story on tape we will spend time together to discuss all of the raw matter.
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Joey will listen and you will talk. Depending on the story, this can take from anything as little as 5 hours to as much as 30 hours, and often in chunks of two to three hours. During this stage you will be interviewed and offered as much time as possible to present your vision for the book.
YOUR PRIVACY:
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Confidential disclosure agreements will be drawn up before our first session.
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You will have complete control over the text. Nothing makes it out until you have okayed it.
WHERE CAN THIS HAPPEN?
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This can be done at a place of convenience for you. The most rich and organic environment is that familiar to the author. So, for example, if you are a boxer I will be at your gym; if you are an entrepreneur, I can accompany you during your business trip; more simply, Joey can come to your home. If a more neutral environment is preferable, our office in Geneva’s Old Town has high ceilings to think, comfy chairs to shit, and plenty of tea to keep you refreshed.
IF THE BOOK IS A MEMOIR:
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Questions will be professionally structured to uncover important episodes, cajole the memory, and properly understand your story.
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During the writing process we might ask to arrange further interviews if ever Joey strays down a wrong path, comes to a dead end, or simply wishes to chart the progress.
AND AT THE END, WHEN THE FIRST DRAFT IS WRITTEN:
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Finally, a first draft of the book will be presented for approval. This is your opportunity to make any revisions and ensure that everything is consistent and in the right order before the manuscript is handed over.
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For commercial collaborations where we target a publisher, please read what steps a project in this manner may take...
HIGHLY COMMERCIAL COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS
What steps might a highly commercial collaborative project take?
The aim will be for Joey to see you, isolate a story, then he will write a synopsis and sample chapter of the packaged concept. Using his contacts he will then hope to find an agent to represent it.
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The above steps cannot always be achieved, but it is a structure we aspire to achieve for our clients who we collaborate with from start to finish. From spark to sale, the book will take shape following these publishing steps. If in my contact book of publishers and agents there is someone who will love your story too, I will mediate. If a book deal is already in place, I know the industry and can liaise with your publisher to see the book through to market. If you are a self-publisher, I'll hold your hand and lead you through the process.
We will work together to find creative ways to structure the book based on three things:
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The author’s vision of what story they want to tell;
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The genre’s demands upon a book that falls into it; and
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The valuable advice of agents and publishers that we consult.
Joey Quince will then spend between two to six months writing—in some cases this might be less or more. As with all the authors we ghost for, you, the author, will have complete control over the text at all times. Once we have spoken, Joey Quince will write a synopsis and sample chapter. Once this has been read and approved by the author, we will do one of two things: either we will look to find an agent to represent it in the hope of selling the rights to a publisher; or if the story requires writing first, we will commit to writing the book and then look to sell it on completion.
Our contact list uses experts in PR, marketing, production, design and distribution.
INTERESTED?
STILL NOT SURE?
If you have your manuscript, but would like Joey and the team to provide editorial work such as Manuscript Assessment, Copy-editing and Developmental Editing, or Query Letter Review, click on the button below.
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If you want Joey in your corner to offer guidance on all of the above, see Author Coaching.
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If you simply have an idea and wish to transform that idea into a rigorous structure as an entry point and map into your own writing, click