Ghostwriting

In addition to writing her own books, Taylor ghostwrites for senior military, political, and business professionals—all of whom served in the military during the Vietnam era. She specializes in military non-fiction, but also writes leadership legacy books and memoirs for CEOs and political figures.

What is ghostwriting?

Ghostwriting is the art of writing books for other people. When you see a book that is written “with” or “as told to” someone, that usually means the book has been “ghosted.” Politicians, actors, professional athletes, and business CEOs frequently use ghostwriters to get their books written. In fact, it is estimated that, on any given week, most of the books listed on non-fiction bestselling lists are written by someone other than the author listed on the cover. Sometimes the ghostwriter is given credit on the cover and sometimes contributions are anonymous. All of this is negotiated between the client and the ghostwriter.

Taylor specializes in military non-fiction, and typically assists military veterans—primarily Vietnam-era—who want to write their memoirs or chronicle their leadership legacies. Simply put, she transforms proven leaders into thought leaders. She also occasionally ghostwrites feature articles and editorials. You can read some of them here.

What can you expect if you hire a ghostwriter like Taylor?

Ghostwriters are typically paid a flat fee (based on an hourly rate) to research, write and edit a client’s book. Taylor requests a portion of the fee at contract signing and the balance of the fee upon satisfactory completion of the work. Ghostwriters do not work on contingencies; they are not paid book royalties nor do they own the intellectual property rights to the work they create. A client should be willing to spend dozens—if not hundreds—of hours with his or her ghostwriter. A ghostwriter will spend thousands of hours writing the book; it can take a year or more to complete a full book (50,000 words or more). This all depends on the expected length of the book, as well as the availability of the client and other source material. A client’s time and feedback are the most valuable contribution to this process.

If you are interested in securing a contract from a traditional publisher for your non-fiction book, you will first need to create a book proposal. This is the business case for your book and includes a detailed outline, a well-defined target audience and marketing plan, and a few sample chapters. Taylor has written many book proposals that have been accepted by traditional publishers and can assist clients who are interested in pursuing this route. Ghostwriters are not responsible for getting your book published, nor do they typically provide the services offered by an agent or a publisher.

What clients should expect from a ghostwriter is a fully defined scope of work—based on the client’s detailed input and description, a series of deadlines that are met, and a complete proposal ready to be submitted to agents or a manuscript that is ready for publication. Clients should also expect a ghostwriter to write in the client’s preferred “voice,” and to be collaborative, supportive, resourceful, discreet, and dependable. You can take a look at some of the books Taylor has ghostwritten and what clients and reviewers have said about her work here.

Ghostwriting Testimonials

find out more about the books Taylor has Ghostwritten