I can help you tell your story or share your hard-won expertise in various ways.
First, I can edit a piece of work you have already written.
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There are various levels of editing.
Copy Editing or Line Editing is going through a text checking grammar, punctuation and basic style points such as repetition, inelegance and obvious inconsistency or lack of sense. Most written work benefits from this.
My favourite kind of editing is Developmental or Structural Editing. This does the copy edit, but also looks at the structure of a piece as a whole. Is there a narrative drive to the piece, and if so, is it being followed? (All writing, even the most technical, is in some sense a journey for the reader.) As a Developmental Editor, I look for holes in the plot of a story or how the argument in a piece of non-fiction is constructed. I contribute ideas, suggestions for words, sentences or whole sections (I'm used to these being turned down - it's your book!) I take the side of the side of the reader - it's easy for a subject-matter expert to assume readers will know things that they actually don't. I see a good Developmental Editor as a co-writer who has joined the creative team late.
How much does it cost? The answer is that it depends on how clear the writing is and how logically the piece is structured. I prefer not to charge by number of words, as the amount of work that needs to be done on a piece varies so much. My rate is £50 per hour (or part thereof, though if I spend 64 minutes on something, I won't charge you £100!).
Proof Reading, going through texts purely in search of misspellings and incorrect punctuation, is a third type of editing. I don't do this, as it's a specialist skill all of its own.
I can also do writing coaching.
If you have a good idea for a book (of any length), but don't know how to get going, I offer a coaching service. After an initial (free) chat, we would meet to scope out the book. What do you want to say? How do you want to order those thoughts? A session sorting this out costs £130.
You would then go and do the writing. I will work with you as you write, reviewing chapters and being on call to discuss any issues you encounter. I can help you with your writing skills if you like.
When your draft is finished, I will then put my developmental editor's hat on and work through it.
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As with all books, the work will probably go through at least two drafts (see my blog from November 12th, 2018, on the actual process of how a book gets written).
Finally, I can do full-on ghostwriting, where the writer meets with the expert, talks through the kind of book they want to write, agrees a structure with them, then does a series of recorded interviews or attends talks that they give. The ghost then writes a book based on those interviews / talks. This process is iterative. The ghost will write a chapter based on the first interview (or part of it) and run it past the expert. Changes may be made. Once the expert is happy, the next section gets written. The expert never has to put a (nowadays metaphorical) pen to paper.
This process takes a lot of the ghost’s time – allow six months for this process. Expect to pay at least £20,000, and more if the book is long or if a large number of changes to written text are suggested.
It’s up to the client whether the ghost gets a name-check or not. There is a range of options here, from being named as a co-author to anonymity and a promise of silence.
I specialize in business writing, especially telling stories of businesses, or sharing knowledge about entrepreneurship. If you want to get a sense of how I like to write, please 'Look inside' The Beermat Entrepreneur, here.
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Please, please, please note that I cannot guarantee publication or success once published. Anyone who says they can is a liar! I can point you in the right direction and give you advice based on many years' experience, but I don't have a magic wand.
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If I can't help you with ghosting, I know people who can. Over the years I've worked with some amazing ghostwriters and editors, and can put you in touch with them if I'm too busy or if you would like some other options to consider.
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