Food recipe ghostwriter reveals all

I had no idea that celebrity chefs use ghostwriters to write their recipes, but really, why am I surprised? Denise Vivaldo, seasoned food professional :), makes a full disclosure about writing the "Infamous Kwanzaa Cake" recipe for Sandra Lee (Semi-Home Made, Food Network) in this Huffington Post article.

Now I believe that ghostwriters should stay behind the scenes, but in this case I make an exception.

A Kwanzaa cake? Really?

Here's the controversial video that started it all.





Was Sandra's use of brown frosting strategic? Maybe she was trying to get the African American vote for her significant other, Governor Andrew Cuomo!

Source: The Huffington Post

Donna Marie

My Sarah Palin dream: how to ghostwrite for celebrities

Sarah Palin doesn't speak to me, even though I have been hired to write her next book. Without communication, the project fails. She must know this, but she just stares warily at me and makes sure I don't hear her secret discussions with others.

Yes, this was a dream, but it made me recall a ghostwriting experience I had years ago. I was hired by a PTB publisher to ghostwrite the autobiography of a famous celebrity. In accordance with the ghostwriter's code, I won't mention names.


Now I've been able to forgive low down dirty men who hurt me, but not this celebrity. The thought of what I went through still pisses me off. Get over it? Maybe writing about my horror story of a ghostwriting job will prove a cautionary tale for writers who are interested in this line of work -- and help me send this ghost into the Light.


This celebrity has a life people gossip about, but what excited the PTB publisher was this person's awesome brand and marketing platform. In addition to an outline, my proposal for the book included a scheme of metaphors and symbols that would play off the celebrity's brand. (See, I was thinking about branding even before I knew what it was!) I got the job.


I flew to Los Angeles to meet and interview this star. Contractually we were obligated to meet 10 times. I'd call the assistant every morning to try and get on the celebrity's calendar, but every time there was an excuse. Ultimately we met 2 or 3 times in all. So instead of interviewing this person, I went shopping, hung out with my cousin, and drove to Mexico. At every stage I let my agent and publisher know what was going on. 


At the end of the 3 weeks all I had to show was a bad case of food poisoning and a lot of miles on my rental car.


I was mad. The publisher was mad. My agent was mad. With no access to the celebrity, there was no communication. With no communication, there was no information. With no information, there was no book -- at least not by me.


The book was eventually written by someone who had access, someone in the celebrity's inner circle. I went on to ghostwrite several books for stars you may never have heard about but who are respected in their fields.


Lessons
Ghostwriting can be a lucrative way to earn a living, and good writers are always in demand. Self-publishing and the public's fascination with celebrities have opened up many opportunities for writers. If you're interested in this line of work, here are some things to keep in mind.


1. Don't be star struck. Celebrities are people too. If you go into a project goo goo eyed, you lose respect. Come to the project as a peer, an equal. 


2. Expect ego explosions. 


3. Make your ego invisible.


4. Respect the client's creative input. You're the expert, but still, clients will have ideas, and rightfully so. It's their book. Your job is to shape their ideas if good. If the ideas are not workable, you'll have to be straight with them, but be respectful. Ultimately however, if they insist, you'll have to make it work.


5. Insist on open, honest, and ongoing communication. If information is not forthcoming, consider exiting the project. It's your reputation on the line.


6. Creatively incorporate the client's brand into the book.


7. Keep secrets, and honor the celebrity's privacy.


UPDATE: I'm happy to report that I've finally sent this ghost into the Light. In writing this post I realized I learned what I needed to learn from the experience. R.I.P.!


Donna Marie

Secret weapons of successful self-publishers

A hot topic on many online writing and publishing forums is whether or not to self-publish. The naysayers complain about lost money, poor quality, low sales, and the many other challenges that go with publishing your own book. 

For the past few years I've provided editing, ghostwriting, and production management services to self-publishers. We've pretty much accepted that there always will be challenges. That's just part of the process. 

However, from writing to print-on-demand to marketing, my clients and I have stocked our self-publishing arsenal with a few secret weapons to help facilitate a successful experience.

1. Invest in editorial quality control. When my clients invest in my services they know they'll receive the benefit of my 20 years of publishing and corporate experience. I work with pastors, education consultants, social service providers, educators, child advocates, and activists. Because I have strong content knowledge in these areas, I add value to their projects beyond editorial.

2. Become a shameless self-promoter. Through their ongoing public speaking engagements, my clients aggressively market and sell their books. A couple of my clients love to give away books, too, which further endears them to their audiences. Self-published books that fail usually lack a strong marketing plan and push. I've learned from my writing stars that you must be a relentless marketer. You can never rest or give up.

3. Don't skimp on services. My clients may not have the deepest pockets, but they would never skimp on services that compensate for the skills they lack. Self-publishing projects fail when authors overestimate their skill sets. There's no shame in asking for help. Because my clients know I respect their genius, vision, and mission, they don't mind me seeing their raw, unvarnished work. They enjoy brainstorming with me about ideas that may not be fully formed.

4. Publish through inexpensive online self-publishing platforms. My clients and friends have published through iUniverse.com, Lulu.com, and Selfpublishing.com. They have used traditional printers as well, but the online platforms provide A-to-Z services, including editing, proofing, layout, design, filing with the U.S. Copyright Office and the Library of Congress, securing ISBN numbers, setting up distribution through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. When you're just starting out, this is a good way to go.

5. Diversify your revenue streams. My clients don't depend on their self-publishing projects alone for income. They pastor churches and teach on college campuses. They are regulars on the lecture circuit. They produce CD's and DVD's. If they had day jobs, they wouldn't give them up. And even when the work is slow, they keep working. 

6. Give of your information, time, talents, and products. My clients are generous to a fault. They believe in "give and you will receive."

7. Self-publishing projects must offer value to people's lives. According to Publisher's Weekly, "764,448 titles were produced in 2009 by self-publishers and micro-niche publishers" while the output of traditional books slipped to 288,355. There's a reason for that. Self-publishers have identified needs that traditional publishers couldn't or wouldn't touch. My clients wouldn't continue to self-publish if they weren't meeting needs (and making money). 

Self-publishing projects fail when authors cut corners on content development, editing, design, and marketing. I'm an advocate of self-publishing and would strongly encourage anyone considering this approach to start raising money right away to ensure a quality product. I can't say how much to raise because I don't know your circumstances, but investigate the online services mentioned in this article. Get estimates from professionals in the field. Put together a budget. 

When venturing into a self-publishing project your mindset is all important. Keep the faith without going overboard. Set small, manageable goals regarding book sales. You may not sell millions, but what if you sold 2,000 or 3,000 books? Could you consider that a success? Definitely. Be inspired by the stories of big sellers, but don't lose your head, as Jody would say. Define success according to your own terms. You can do it!

Donna Marie

Self-publish your autobiography

Has your life been full of drama? Want to share the lessons you learned with others by writing your autobiography?

It’s very hard to get personal memoirs published by traditional publishers if you’re not a celebrity on the level of a president or movie star. Your life story may be riveting, but publishers are only interested in the bottom line. Will it sell?

I originally wrote Sensual Celibacy: The Sexy Woman’s Guide as a self-help book for women who were in between relationships. I realized early on that I would have to include some autobiographical elements so that women could relate. If I had pitched Sensual Celibacy as a pure memoir, I don’t think Simon & Schuster would have bought it. Why? Because my marketing platform wasn’t all that strong. I suspect they picked it up because the content was controversial (and still is, to tell the truth). It was so controversial that Playboy did a tongue-in-cheek review of it.

If you want to publish your memoir through a traditional publisher, my advice is to develop a strong marketing-oriented proposal, get a good agent, and then wait and see what happens. Parallel to that, build your marketing platform online and offline. As speaker James Malinchak likes to say, “Always be marketing.”

Also, have a back-up plan. If your memoir doesn’t sell, don’t lose heart. Self-publish!

Writing the story of your life can be cathartic and possibly revenue generating (as long as you’re ruthless about marketing and branding). Here are some things to keep in mind when writing your autobiography.

1. Fact check. When writing Sensual Celibacy, I was fuzzy on the time frames of many of my life events. Reading over my resume, of all things, helped a lot. I also talked to the people who knew me best. Suppose your autobiography lands on the New York Times Bestsellers list? It could happen. Make sure your content is accurate.

2. If needed, include a bibliography. Carroll Quigley, historian and President Bill Clinton’s college professor, wrote his 1,348-paged Tragedy & Hope: A History of the World in Our Time with no footnotes, no bibliography, no nothing. I always wondered how he could do such a thing. Was he everywhere present during all historical events? Stay on the safe side. You don't want to be accused of plagiarism. Provide citations for quotes, passages, etc. Also, your readers will appreciate a bibliography, especially if you're combining self-help with your personal life story.

3. Be careful about naming names. A friend asked me to help her write her autobiography. She did have an interesting story to tell, but the worrisome thing was that she wanted to call out, by name, every person who had slighted her over the years. Read here how Mark Twain told his publishers to release his autobiography 100 years after his death. Why? He didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings! I'm more concerned about getting sued. If you insist on naming names, which may be appropriate, get a good lawyer who will tell you exactly how to go about it (and who will protect you if you have to go to court).

4. No down low writing. Tell the truth. Read here for a gallery of author liars. You don’t want to be in this club.

5. Phrases to avoid when writing: I believe, I think that, my opinion is. It’s your book. Your readers will know it’s all about your experiences, beliefs, and opinions.

6. Working with a ghostwriter:

• Ghostwriter’s responsibilities – Write in the author's voice, not your own. Clearly organize the author's life events chronologically in a way that makes sense for the book format. Manage the project, and meet deadlines. Remember that the author is the client. Stay calm. Keep your relationship with author professional.
• Author's responsibilities – Be available for interviews. Answer the phone when the ghostwriter calls. Be forthcoming with materials and information. Allow ghostwriter creative space. Meet deadlines. Help with research. Be open and honest. Keep your relationship with ghostwriter professional.

7. Edit your Acknowledgments page. The purpose of this page is to humbly thank only those who helped make your book possible. One of my clients doesn’t do Acknowledgments pages at all; another client thanks everyone in creation, including dead people not in his family. Make sure your Acknowledgments page just gives credit to whom credit is due. I understand that speakers, entrepreneurs, etc. have legitimate political and business agendas for their books that may differ from literary memoir writers, but still, keep your autobiography on a high level.

8. Author branding. One of those legitimate agendas for the entrepreneurial writer is that every book produced must flow out of and strengthen the author's brand. Read here for more info. Your autobiography will be the manifesto of your author brand, so make sure both you and your ghostwriter, if you're working with one, are on the same page. If something doesn't feel authentically you, throw it out!

I encourage you to read memoirs by other writers to get a feeling for the genre. Donald Trump's books are some of my favorites, more for the lessons in business he provides than the autobiographical aspects, although as far as interesting personalities go, he's "huge." 

For some online publishing services and resources, read this article about services I’ve either used or know a little about.

If you're working on your autobiography and plan to self-publish, or if you have questions, drop me a note. I'd love to hear all about it.

Donna Marie