FAQs

A. Yes, we will give you our opinion as to the marketability of your book. This opinion is based on our years of experience in the industry. We can also sometimes give you ideas as to how you can alter your book to make it marketable.

Q. Do you recommend that I try to get a publisher or self-publish?

A. This depends on your situation. Generally, unless you're certain that you have an audience/market that will buy your book, we don't recommend self-publishing - whether physical book or e-book. However, if you do have a market, self-publishing has its benefits, and we can discuss the pros and cons with you based on your specific circumstances.

Q. Can you get my book published?

A. No. You need a literary agent to find you a publisher. While we know people in the industry, if we were to personally submit every client's proposal, publishers would stop wanting to hear from us.

Q. Can you get my self-published book in the bookstores?

A. No. Amazon.com allows you to list self-published books, but Barnes & Noble and other bookstores almost never put a self-published book on their shelves. The reason for this is that the quality of self-published books varies so greatly.

Q. How much information do you need from me to get started?

A. This depends on the subject matter. We generally don't write books from nothing. We prefer to work with authors who have expertise in their topic. We can certainly bring more to your work and add research-based material, but the majority of the information should come from you and should be original. You can provide this to us in any number of ways: through notes, materials that you have compiled over the years, or through interviews that we conduct with you.

Q. How long will it take you to finish my book?

A. This varies from book to book. The time can be as little as two months and as much as a year or more, depending on many variables. If you only require editing, the work can sometimes be finished in a week or two.

Q. Can you write my book by just talking to me on the phone or Skype?

A. Yes! This is absolutely a viable way to complete a book. We can record our interviews with you and use them as a basis for the chapters of the book.

Q. Will you ghostwrite my book for a percentage of royalties?

A. No. When you sign a publishing contract, you are given an advance. That advance is against future royalties. So, you don't make any royalties until the publisher has made back that advance from the sales of the book. For this reason, few authors ever actually make any royalties. Their only payment is the initial advance they were given by the publisher. Bear in mind also that this is our profession. We don't have a day job and ghostwrite on the side. We are writers and editors full-time. Therefore, we are not in a position to offer free work to anyone. We're very benevolent, but we have to eat.

Q. How much do I need to be involved in the ghostwriting process?

A. Your involvement is necessary because otherwise, it isn't your book - it's our book. That isn't how we like to work because if we can write it without you, why shouldn't we put our own names on it? The book needs to reflect your expertise because a book sets you up as an expert. If you aren't an expert on the subject of your book, you are misleading your readers. So, in order for us to write a book that's in your voice and based primarily on your expertise (perhaps with some additional research, if necessary, that we can perform), you will need to be involved. That said, hiring a ghostwriter does significantly reduce the amount of time you need to devote to completing a book.

Q. How much do you charge?

A. Please contact us regarding our rates. We can work on an hourly basis, or we can occasionally offer a project rate. Every project is different because no two books are the same. Due to our years of industry experience, however, please note that we don't work for bargain rates.

Q. If you project manage my book, do I have a say in who is chosen as a designer, typesetter, and print-on-demand publisher?

A. Of course! We will never impose our ideas on your book. We'll just assist you in getting all of these things taken care of. We can make recommendations, but it's your money, which means that you should absolutely have the final say over the designer, typesetter, printer, and everything else.

Q. Can you write my 200-page e-book for $200?

A. Sorry. No, we absolutely cannot. We can't write it for $500 either or even $1,000. A good 200-page book - whether e-book or print book (a book is a book is a book) - requires a lot of time and effort. We're not interested in churning out work that is below par.

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Q. I want to write my life story. Can you do that for me?

A. Only if you're willing to spend the money necessary for such a project and understand that unless you're well-known or you find a commercial publisher, it's unlikely your book will make many, if any, sales. Memoirs and autobiographies of unknown people - particularly self-published memoirs - are very hard to sell. We fully understand that some people just want their life story down on paper for their descendants, and this is definitely a worthwhile endeavor.

Q. Will you ghostwrite a novel for me?

A. No. We believe that ghostwriting fiction is unethical. This is because novels are primarily about the writing, not just about the story, and readers assume that the person whose name is on the cover is the person who wrote it. Non-fiction is different because it isn't as much about the way the story is told as it is the information within it. As long as the author is an expert on the subject and just needs help to make the message clear and cohesive, ghostwriting is fine. Fiction is another animal altogether. If you have an idea for a story, and you want a writer's help, you should put that writer's name on the cover as a coauthor.

Q. Do you guarantee that my book will sell well?

A. No. There is no one who can guarantee that your book will sell well - not Random House, not Penguin - no one. If someone makes that guarantee, they're lying - pure and simple. Many of the top publishers have released books that they thought would do very well, only to be disappointed. Just think of all of the movies that fall flat despite the big names involved. There's a limit to how much anyone can predict the marketplace. That said, we do come from an educated vantage point.

Q. Can you introduce me to literary agents or publishers?

A. We can make some recommendations for possible agents and publishers, but we don't generally make introductions. It could harm our relationships with these people so that they no longer want to hear from us.

Q. Can you help me with the marketing of my book?

A. We can make recommendations as to how to market your book and point you to some great books that teach you about marketing books. We can also write press releases and point you to PR representatives, but we don't do public relations work ourselves.

Email Melanie Votaw or call at (718) 382-4530

Email Deborah Grandinetti or call at (856) 222-9191