United Ghostwriters

‘… on the shores of darkness…’

November 4, 2020November 4, 2020
by Martin Toseland

Only four days in and November really hasn’t been the best, has it? Without repeating every line of the list of rubbish things that have happened and those that are, as I write, ‘rubbish-in-progress’, the first week of November 2020 is fast becoming the very model of Rubbish First Weeks. One item on that list which has really got to me is that, as a consequence of England’s second lockdown, bookshops will close along with pubs, restaurants, gyms and all other ‘non-essential’ businesses. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the decision, the prospect of the potentially terminal damage to those

October 20, 2020October 20, 2020
by PhilipWhiteley

The law’s delay and the insolence of office are listed, in arguably the English language’s most sublime speech, as examples of the natural shocks that we humans will encounter, simply through the act of being born. This has not changed since Shakespeare’s day. When the wait for justice becomes unacceptably long, people look for other ways to have their case heard. From time to time, as a ghostwriter, I am contacted by individuals who declare themselves to be whistleblowers. They have witnessed health and safety breaches, bullying, price fixing or worse, and they feel that they haven’t been heard. Each

October 14, 2020October 14, 2020
by Ginny Carter

It’s an exciting moment when you first start working on your book. And it can be tempting to dive straight in and start writing. Or, if you’re lucky enough to have a ghostwriter to do the heavy lifting for you, to pitch up to your first meeting with all sorts of ideas buzzing around in your head. However, this is the moment when it pays to step back, take a deep breath, and gather your thoughts. Because a book that’s well thought through from the beginning will almost certainly turn out to be better than one that flows from your

October 6, 2020October 6, 2020
by Teena Lyons

‘I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others….I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent.’ Thomas Edison The quest for a publisher should begin before you even put pen to paper, or more likely finger to keyboard. In fact, ‘What are your thoughts on publishing?’ is one of the first questions I ask all prospective authors I speak with. My purpose is to steer the conversation around to the commercial aspects of the exercise. While creating a book is one of the most satisfying

September 28, 2020September 29, 2020
by ShannonKyle

Before I began writing for a living, I always imagined by some miracle the journey would be simple. All I needed to do was write well and someone, somewhere, would offer a book deal, whether I was ghosting or writing under my own name. But as John Lennon once said: ‘Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.’ And when it comes to writing, especially if you have the goal of finding a publisher, lots of ‘life’ is likely to ‘happen’ while you’re trying to create a bestseller. Dammit. Turns out it ISN’T just talent and

Our Blog

‘… on the shores of darkness…’

Trial by media can be fairer

Why you need to plan your book

The secrets to selling your book idea to publishers

The Importance of Being Persistent