YES, YOU CAN WRITE A BOOK! – Part two

If you think you have an idea that has real merit but you are not confident as a writer, you might consider hiring a ghost writer.

This is not writing with someone whose name is also on your book. This is a paid person who writes as a “work for hire.” They will charge by the hour, including personal conversations with you and/or by the page. Projects can take six months or more, depending on the length of the work.

But even if you end up on Oprah and make millions, they generally do not get paid any more than was originally contracted.

The exception is if you are a famous person or have a well known story. Many of these books have been ghost written. Usually this financial arrangement is negotiated by the publisher who has a contract with the writer.

There are many ghost writers listed on the Internet. Do your research. It would be convenient if they lived in your area so that you could meet with them periodically to discuss how it is going but much can be accomplished by telephone or email.

Talk to them first. See if you like the person. And give them a general idea of what your book is about. Some people worry about their idea being stolen, which is not likely.

If that concerns you, you can register a rough outline, giving details about the story with the Writers Guild of America – West. Go to their site for their guidelines at www.wga.org. Note that you cannot register a name or an idea. It has to be something that is written. They suggest that it should be at least two pages of copy.

That will give you protection without going to the trouble of copywriting which is usually done after a work is finished. The cost is $20.00 and is good for five years which will stop you from worrying. You will get a registration certificate with a number. Tell the person you hire what number has been assigned to you for your work. Ghost writers do not want to wrangle with the powerful WGA.

The WGAw says the following. The work-in-progress is what I want you to notice.

Even if you have copyright through the Library of Congress, registering with the WGAw Registry creates a separate legal record for your material. In addition, you may consider registering treatments or drafts of your work-in-progress with our Registry prior to registering your final draft with the Copyright Office.

You should ask a ghost writer for several samples of their writing and see if their style coincides with the way you feel your book should sound. You want to find your “voice” in theirs. Perhaps, someone who writes like you talk. There is usually no fee for this initial contact.

Then, make sure that they have some background with your topic. You don’t want a technical writer if you are composing a romantic novel.

You do have to give them something to start with. If only the outline, or what is referred to as a “storyboard.”

So much for ghost writing.

More likely, what you will need after you make real headway or you think it is finished, is an editor.

And, after that, possibly a “book-doctor.”

Here is the difference.

An editor will check all your grammar and your punctuation and most will tighten up what you have written.

A common problem with most new writers is they do not know when to stop a sentence. By the time they are done, you have lost track of what they started out to say in the first place. They are masters of the semi-colon. Everything is grammatically correct but very hard to read.

I have seen sentences that go on for a full paragraph that need to be chopped into ten different sentences. And, probably should be several paragraphs.

Steve from “Write A Book Now” is generous with advice. He summed things up recently with this comment. “No sentence longer than 11 words, no paragraph longer than seven lines, write in the past tense always” Thanks, Steve. I always enjoy your newsletter.

If you get nothing else from this article, remember short sentences and lots of white space keeps your reader reading. Your motivation is to keep the readers interest.

I do editing for writers. It does involve some re-writing but you are using their material.

Then, there are people who are “Book Doctors.” You might consider bringing one of these in after you are completely finished with your book.

(N.B. You might be surprised to hear that we never feel we are finished! As your book is going to press, you will find yourself saying, “Wait a minute. I just want to change one thing!)

I used a book doctor on my last book. What she did is read the whole book and gave her recommendations on where things should be shifted around in sequence.

For example, I put poems in my books. She took one poem from the middle and suggested I put it at the end. She eliminated a couple. She called my attention to areas of my story which she thought things could be more fully explored and expanded.

Everything she told me made perfect sense. It is good to have another pair of eyes.

It is hard to critique your own work. It’s like trying to find a typo that someone else can spot in a second. Book doctors usually do not rewrite, They analyze your book and make suggestions. Good ones are relatively expensive. She was worth every penny. I sold the book!

I am looking forward to your doing the same! Let me know how you are doing on your book. The comment page is below!

For the first segment of this article, click here.

For the third segment of this article click here

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