GHOSTWRITING WITHOUT A PUBLISHING CONTRACT. I can only ghostwrite a book without a publishing contract if I am paid during the course of the writing. Please do not ask me to work on your project without payment or in the hope of royalties in the future. I make my living as a writer and don't have the luxury of working for free. For payment, I can also edit a manuscript for you to prepare for submission to publishers or for self-publishing or assist you in writing a book proposal. But bear in mind that most people cannot afford to hire a writer to ghostwrite an entire book.

FIRST TIME BOOK AUTHORS - WRITE A PROPOSAL, NOT YOUR ENTIRE BOOK.  If you are a first-time book author and are looking for a ghostwriter, please search the internet to learn how the industry works. Rather than write your entire book right away, it is advisable to prepare a book proposal to submit to literary agents and publishers in order to receive an advance of monies prior to finishing the book. There are many books on the market about how to write a book proposal, and you must learn the format for a proposal - it's an art in itself! If you need a writer to help you with your proposal, you can contact me about helping you with that for hourly payment. Otherwise, the cost to you up front for me to ghostwrite an entire book would be substantial, and publishers and agents only want to see a proposal at first anyway.

NO WORK ON SPEC. Please do not ask me to work "on spec" or provide work for you as a sample. There are numerous samples on this website, and I have five books available on the market. Additionally, there are testimonials on this site, and I can provide references for you. If you want to see my work more specifically, I will sometimes agree to do a one-half hour sample for you if prepaid for that half hour.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Beware of writers who are willing to give away their work or work for very low pay. These are non-professionals who are "hoping" to make their writing and editing a business. While these people can be talented, they are inexperienced. No experienced writer/editor will give away their work or work for wages under their worth. More often than not, you get what you pay for!

I DO NOT PUBLISH BOOKS. Please understand that I am NOT a publisher or a literary agent. I do not publish YOUR books, nor can I help you find a publisher (you need a literary agent for that.)

I DO NOT PAY SOURCES. If you have a book or article idea, note that writers do not pay you. You may be paid by a publisher if the piece is sold, but writers make a living by SELLING, not buying.

NEVER PAY A LITERARY AGENT UP FRONT. Beware of literary agents who charge a reading fee. This is not a reputable way to do business. They receive a percentage when they sell your book to a publisher! Any literary agent who charges you a fee will get you absolutely nowhere because anyone can claim to be a literary agent! In short, reading fees are a scam! Here is a website where you can find a reputable literary agent: http://www.aar-online.org/

SELF-PUBLISHING. If you are looking to self-publish, understand that it requires you do all of the marketing to sell the books after they're printed. This is not easy! Self-publishing, in my opinion, should be a last resort, as you could easily end up with a garage full of books and no one to read them. Note that I can edit books which will be self-published and that I only ghostwrite self-published books that are non-fiction (but not biographies) if I am paid hourly as the work is being done.