Yes I do. Many so-called "writing
services" farm out writing assignments to
God alone knows who, some college freshman who
did well in a creative writing class in high
school or something. Not me. I do all the
writing myself. If I accept you as a client, you
and I enter into a one-on-one professional
writing relationship. If you e-mail me or call
me on the phone, you are communicating directly
with the person writing your assignment, not
with some subcontractor — a ghostwriter’s
ghostwriter’s ghostwriter.
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Ah, now we get down to the nitty gritty.
Unfortunately, I cannot give you anything more
than general guidelines in this context. You
see, I treat each job on an individual basis and
try to estimate how much time it will require of
me. Only then can I give my client an honest
quote.
I will say that writing a book (I will use a
book as an example) is not a trifling amount.
Pursuing dreams rarely comes cheap -- one way or
another. Perhaps as in most other contexts, "you
get what you pay for" is a truism here.
However, I must be equally quick to note that I
am not greedy. Who needs the bad karma that
comes with greed? Not me. I believe that my fee
is fair and honest, taking into account my
skills and ability. You may find someone who
will ask less than I do. You can, of course,
also find someone who will ask for much more.
I work on a flat-fee basis. I offer my clients
the payment options of 1/4, 1/2 or the entire
book. This works quite simply. I receive the
payment for whichever increment we’ve
agreed to (1/4, 1/2, etc.) and I write a number
of pages commensurate with that increment. I
send you what I’ve written and you review
it. If you are satisfied, you send me the next
increment and, in this way, we continue through
the entire book.
I do not write on a percentage basis. Although
this option has the greatest potential for
riches, it is no way to run a business. I am
happy for you to become wealthy from your book.
You deserve it. It’s your book.
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No. Emphatically, no! I understand and respect
that a healthy dose of paranoia is part and
parcel of the creative soul. I urge you to feel
comfortable with whomever you work with. If you
cannot let go enough to trust someone to work on
your material, don’t!
I am happy to sign non-disclosure agreements
or in any other way reassure you that you can
trust me with your thoughts, characters, ideas,
etc. However, if you are a non-trusting type
then the likelihood is that there is little I
can say or do to reassure you. Sorry. I am a
writer, not a psychologist or a magician.
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I’d like to but I can’t. You see,
being an agent or a publisher is a
more-than-full-time job (just ask anyone who
does either of those things). I am a writer. I
write your material in a professional manner
which will give it its best chance for
publication or production. (I do include a
sample query letter with the finished manuscript
to assist you in sending out your book or
story.)
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Generally, less than six months. However, you
should note that this time frame is the time I
actually have the book to write. In other words,
if we’ve agreed to move forward in
increments of 1/4 and I have sent you the first
1/4 but you take three months showing it to your
wife, husband, mother, father, sister, brother
and then send me the payment for the next 1/4,
those three months do not count toward the six
month time frame. I guess it’s a little
like the clock at the end of a sporting event.
Ever notice how those final few seconds can
translate into a half hour of real time?
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Sure. Lots of them. I won’t write things
that are hateful or hurtful, which misrepresent
people or which seek the downfall of legitimate
governments.
By the same token, I am not judgmental. I have
had many, many clients who have come to me after
a lifetime of being put down for their dreams,
their sexual orientation, their politics, or
their ideas. I have written for the full
spectrum of people and experience. I don’t
shy away from sexually explicit material but I
will not write things that are degrading to
people or animals. I have written for ministers,
rabbis and priests. I have written for doctors
and psychologists, for freaks, fools and
fetishists. I love the range of human experience
and I glory in bringing it to the page.
If you aren’t looking to hurt something
or somebody then I will likely be happy to
consider your assignment.
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Yep. Sure have. However, as I promise each of my clients absolute
confidentiality, I cannot brag about those successes. It is something
of a "Catch-22", and something which causes me to lose some
potential clients. Those are the breaks. Your book is your
book. Other than you and me (and anyone you tell) no one knows my
involvement with your material.
My only claim to your book is our
agreed-upon fee. That’s it. It’s your
dream. Your book. Your name on the cover.
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I offer a full range of writing services.
Speeches, short stories, scripts and full-length
books. I do not ghost poetry though.
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