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
A Book Editor’s Job: Watch That Continuity! – Advice from Thomas Hauck, Ghostwriter and Book Editor
Everyone is familiar with the idea of continuity in movies. You don’t want the clock on the wall to read “4:30” in one shot and then a moment later read “11:45” even though it’s the same scene. Film fans love … Continue reading
Be an Active and Engaged Book Ghostwriting Client! – Advice from Ghostwriter Thomas Hauck
Recently, a gentleman contacted me about his novel. He wanted to know about the differences between editing and ghostwriting, and how much it might cost to finish his 80,000-word novel. He had hired a ghostwriter to write the book for … Continue reading
The Power of Punctuation – Advice from Ghostwriter and Book Editor Thomas Hauck
If you don’t think that correct punctuation can make a huge difference in the meaning of what you write, consider this unpunctuated sentence: A woman without her man is nothing. OK? Here’s another version with the same words and different … Continue reading
How Much Editing Is Necessary Before You Publish Your Book?
For first-time authors, publishing a book can seem like a mysterious and risky process. You want your book to be the very best that it can be, but once you reach a certain point in its development it’s hard to … Continue reading
Copyright, Fair Use, and “Spinning” – Advice from Thomas Hauck, Book Editor and Ghostwriter
I edit many personal self-help books. My valued clients are consultants, coaches, and personal development experts who write books in order to educate and uplift their readers, and also to attract clients. The self-help universe is surprisingly small, and many … Continue reading
How to Write a Great Business Book – Advice from Ghostwriter and Book Editor Thomas Hauck
A popular (meaning non-scholarly, non-MBA program) book that is aimed at business professionals must satisfy a few very basic requirements. Here is an outline of what you must accomplish with any business book, regardless of length or complexity. 1. As … Continue reading
Citations in Self-Help Books – Advice from Thomas Hauck, Ghostwriter and Book Editor
I edit many self-help books. My clients – the wonderful and conscientious authors – often refer to other sources or discuss ideas that are circulating in society. They often ask me about citations. When should you give credit to another … Continue reading
Fiction: How to Address Your Characters – Advice from Ghostwriter and Book Editor Thomas Hauck
A wonderful and valued client of mine is writing a novel that is set in fourteenth-century Ireland. The protagonist is a young common woman named Mary who falls in love with a titled lord, and he with her. The story … Continue reading
Thomas Hauck, Editor: Capitalization of Job Titles and the “Janitor Rule”
I subscribe to the New Yorker. It’s a great magazine and I look forward to every issue. I’ve noticed, though, that they have a odd approach to capitalizing job titles, specifically that of the president of the United States. Let’s … Continue reading