Twelve Tips from Thomas Hauck, Ghostwriter and Book Editor, on How to Structure Your Self-Help Business Book
A popular (meaning non-scholarly, non-MBA program) book that’s aimed at business professionals must satisfy a few very basic requirements. Here’s an outline of what you must accomplish with any business book, regardless of length or complexity. 1. As you create … Continue reading
My Five-Step Guide to Getting Started on Your Self-Help Book by Thomas Hauck, Ghostwriter and Book Editor
Recently I received an email from a prospective client. Here’s what he said: “I want to write a book about passive income in real estate for the busy professional. Can you help me with my outline? I would like to … Continue reading
When Writing Your Book – Plan Ahead! Advice from Ghostwriter and Book Editor Thomas Hauck
I’m often approached by potential clients who want to write a non-fiction self-help book, or have me ghostwrite a book for them. Sometimes the author has a very good idea of what they want, and sometimes they have no idea. … Continue reading
Developmental Editing for Novels: What You Need to Know, by Thomas Hauck, Ghostwriter and Book Editor
Book editors talk a lot about developmental editing. This is the process whereby the editor reads your manuscript from a “high vantage point,” considering only the basic building blocks of plot, character, voice, pacing, and so forth. It’s like a … Continue reading
How to Structure a Self-Help Book – Advice from Thomas Hauck, Ghostwriter and Book Editor
If you go on the internet, you’ll find all sorts of editors who talk about developmental editing. This is described as being the process whereby the editor takes a long view of your book and critiques how it’s organized, the … Continue reading
Why It’s a Bad Idea to Hire a Low-Bid Ghostwriter – Advice from Thomas Hauck, Professional Book Editor
Okay, I’ll come right out and say it: there are plenty of ghostwriters who charge less than I do. (There are some who charge more, too, but I’m talking about my market.) You can see them on Elance, when they … Continue reading
The First Step to Writing Your Self-Help Book: Get Organized! Advice from Thomas Hauck, Ghostwriter and Book Editor
Let’s say you’re a professional in practice, or you’re someone who has a message to share with your audience. You may be in marketing, sales, finance, healthcare, public safety, or nutrition; or perhaps your message is spiritual in nature. And … Continue reading
Verb Tenses: Simple Past and Past Perfect – By Thomas Hauck, Author and Editor
One of the useful tools that can help you tell your story–most often as a novelist, but sometimes as a self-help author–is that you can take the reader backwards and forwards in time. Nothing is quite so boring as simply … Continue reading
Transforming an Academic Text Into a Mass-Market Book: Not an Easy Task!
Clients sometimes contact me about jobs where they want to take an academic manuscript and transform it into a popular book. Here’s what one Elance client said recently: “I would like to keep an ‘academic tone’ in the language, but … Continue reading
Writing Your Book: Start With the Outline
Many of my non-fiction and self-help clients are first-time authors. To them, I say congratulations for taking the first step towards becoming a best-selling author! But the process of writing a book – or hiring a ghostwriter to write it … Continue reading