Besides the over-100 books I’ve had published, I also write business materials, charitable appeals, and more, and I also ghostwrite books. There are people who have ideas for books but lack the writing skills to turn their idea into a salable book. And there are people who have a message they want to deliver to the world but, again, lack the necessary skillset to take that idea and turn it into a marketable book.
In addition to writing, I also edit, and there again I also find myself helping people who have ideas for books. While my editing encompasses magazines, business materials, books that publishers hire me to edit, and more, some of my editing is done for people who have written books but know their grasp of grammar, spelling, and sometimes the actual writing, too, is not up to par. Whether they are self-publishing or submitting the book to an editor at a traditional publisher, they know the manuscript needs to be “clean” (error-free) and well written.
Where am I going with this? My point is that in my ghostwriting and in my editing for individuals, I have seen that not everyone who wants to write a book sees themselves as An Author or is seeking an authorial career.
I have, for example, helped clients write autobiographies or memoirs not intended for mass distribution but rather for only their families or close friends.
I have also helped clients write books whose purpose was to further the authors’ careers. By putting themselves forward as experts in their fields, knowledgeable enough to have had a book published, they increase not only their visibility but their status as knowledgeable experts.
I have helped clients who felt that a book on a subject related to their businesses would be a valuable adjunct to the business, bringing in additional revenue.
I have helped clients whose books were intended to glorify God.
Then there are those who have faced illness, hardship, or other challenges and want to write about it to give courage and hope to others facing the same challenge.
In short, there are many reasons for writing. Not everyone who wants to write a book has visions of becoming a famous author.
And many of these people, while recognizing that their writing skills (or their grasp of such necessities as grammar, spelling, and punctuation) are not up to speed, don’t let that stop them from moving forward with their writing projects.
I am not the only ghostwriter or editor out there. If you have something you want to put into book format, don’t let your lack of writing expertise get in the way of getting your message out to the world. One of us—if not I, then one of my fellow writers or editors—can help you
Don’t let your words, your thoughts, your message wither away forever locked inside you. If you have something to share with the world, or simply memoirs to share with your family, get the message out there.
What’s YOUR reason for wanting to write?