But that’s the best part!

Just spent multiple happy hours working on a friend’s book proposal. Doing work for friends can be tricky, mostly because if you feel nothing for the material or the approach, you know you can’t do it justice as an editor/consultant. And how can you say, “Well, sorry, but what you’ve been working on and agonizing over with so much passion just doesn’t, um … speak to me” to someone you love and like? It would be tough to get away with the old “it’s not you, it’s me” argument with someone who knows you too well fall for it.

Fortunately, that has never happened yet, with either a friend or a client. It was a wonderful relief to dive into TB’s (not my friend’s real name or initials) proposal and be delighted and intrigued with what was there already, so much so that spending lots more time with it than planned or promised was no trouble at all.

The really interesting part of the experience for me, though, was getting to these four paragraphs in the middle that suddenly sounded exactly like a real person. The whole thing was well put together and well written — but those paragraphs were riveting. Different somehow than everything that came before or after. Why? These were the parts he had written as placeholder text, as if he were hanging out with me over a glass of wine or cup of coffee, that were never intended for the “actual” proposal. You see where I’m going with this, right? Since he was not on stage (so to speak) at that point, he gave himself permission to sound like himself instead of trying to sound like what he thought a writer was supposed to sound like.

As a result, the best part of the entire proposal was the part he wrote thinking that no one would ever read it. The part he wrote to be deleted, the part he was embarrassed to show even me, was the gem shining out in contrast to everything around it.

The brilliant Brenda Ueland once wrote, “Pour out the dull things on paper, too — you can tear them up afterward — for only then do the bright ones come. If you hold back the dull things, you are certain to hold back what is clear and beautiful and true and lively.”

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That has to be the best email subject line I’ve seen in ages. Sounds almost like a Zen koan, doesn’t it?

The email came from writer and friend Elizabeth Clarke. She went on to explain, “I got a puppy…” and it seems the lively little guy is getting in the way of her good intentions to stick to a writing schedule.

Being more of a cat person than a dog person, I am biased about this, but I consider cats better pets for writers because they’ll sit in your lap and purr while you sit at your desk and write. I imagine fish would also be good writer pets. And maybe rabbits–they’re nice and quiet, right?

I have no pets at the moment, but I am plagued by five — yes, I’ve counted them  — squirrels who chatter and squeal and scramble back and forth and back and forth across the rattly tin roof over my porch. They drive me nuts. I have a water pistol and am actually getting good at hitting one every once in awhile.

It’s so distracting, all that racket and all the time I spend trying to chase the little bastards away. Then again, writers are easily distracted. In fact, sometimes anyone watching might even jump to the conclusion that we’re intentionally even looking for ways to avoid writing. Can you believe that?

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I had a great conversation with a book design expert last week. Nick Zelinger has designed covers and interiors for many, many books over the last 20 years, most of them for authors who self-publish. I asked him for some tips about how my clients and I could prepare our manuscript files to prevent hang-ups and help him get the job done right and done smoothly.

I was expecting him to talk about formatting or fonts or the like, so I was really surprised when he said that the single biggest mistake new authors make is not hiring an editor(!) “That’s where a lot of money gets wasted,” he observed.

Nick is a conscientious professional, so when he gets a “bad book,” he’ll politely suggest having it professionally edited before he sets it.  But often, new authors will insist on skipping the editing step in an effort to save money.

The trouble is that when the interior is done and the client sees the manuscript all laid out and looking like a real book, the flaws and errors are suddenly obvious. The end result? Not only do they end up having to hire an editor after all, they also end up with the expense of having the designer do the book over.

According to Nick, a professionally edited manuscript is what “separates the one-timers from the people who make writing a vocation.”

Good advice, I’d say. I’ve seen how subtle revisions can make a big difference and prevent those little mistakes that can be so embarrassing. But being an editor and book doctor myself, I am admittedly biased on the subject.

So don’t take my word for it — take Nick’s. And while you’re at it, hire him. He does great work.

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Over the past year, many of you have been following my news about my client and friend Marc Warnke, who has had the vision and commitment to make the journey from hatching an idea, to creating a manuscript, to becoming a published author. The journey reaches its culmination today, folks – the book is now available on Amazon!

It’s called ONO, Options not Obligations.  The subtitle is, Enrich Your Personal Life by Rethinking Your Financial Life. ONO promotes Family First Entrepreneurism and teaches a lifestyle that will help create financial options rather than obligations.  The launch of ONO is today–April 22^nd. You can read excerpts and testimonials, as well as see and interact with Marc live on the 22^nd at www.ONOBook.com.

Marc did so many things right on this project. He engaged a great team of professionals to help with every phase, including a kick-ass editor (!) along with the amazing Maryanna Young to mastermind the launch and smooth the way with Marc’s publisher, Morgan James.

Marc is a shining example to aspiring authors everywhere!

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What comes to your mind when you hear the word “ghostwriting?” I recently had a great conversation with social media maven Jen Harris on the subject that really got me thinking about it.

People outside the world of creating, writing, editing and publishing books tend to think of it as something clandestine and maybe less-than-ethical.  They picture a scenario wherein some celebrity claims to be the author of a book, when really someone else — who gets no credit — did the actual writing.

But that’s not exactly how it works in my experience. Working with a ghostwriter is usually a highly collaborative process. And a good business move for a client who has knowledge, information, insights, or unique experiences to share with the world — but they’re not skilled at writing. Or maybe they are skilled at writing, but can’t take 6 months away from their business to put a book together.

So is hiring a ghostwriter cheating? Not by a long shot. For example, I’m now working as a ghostwriter on a book with a brilliant academic and businesswoman. She has already written a dissertation, collected mountains of research and case studies, and developed seminars and presentations on her topic. And she writes beautifully with an easy flow.

So where do I come in? My job is to help her turn that wealth of source material into a focused, relevant, highly readable book targeted to a specific audience. The information is hers, the voice is hers, the ideas and stories are hers; I’m technically the writer, but my role could also be described as the translator, the scribe, the reader advocate. I’m also the project manager who is responsible for making all of this happen in time to meet our deadlines.

My client has spent the last several years developing the source material, and after a few weeks of intense planning and collaborating, I will spend 3-4 months writing and organizing it into a book. In my mind, this is unquestionably her book, not mine.

Do I feel used? Not at all — it’s a joy doing this kind of work, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to contribute and to be paid for doing work I love.

Maybe what we need is a better word for the job, like co-writer or collaborator or writing partner…but my object is to use a title that will make it easy for clients to find me, and right now, that title appears to be “ghost.”

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