United Ghostwriters

Starting from Scratch

August 24, 2020August 24, 2020
by SpencerHonniball

I’m often asked about the best way to start working on a manuscript, and have lost count of the amount of people who claim to have a bestselling story in their heads, but have yet to write a single page. Understandably, the unrelenting pace of life – pre-lockdown, at least; and, for many, during and after it – accounts for so much time that getting things going seems nigh on impossible, let alone establishing some kind of rhythm when settling into the writing process, albeit while managing the precarious balancing act that is the work/life balance. The truth, as

August 4, 2020August 4, 2020
by CherylRickman

Good News for the Publishing Industry In between the headlines, amid the doom, encouraging whispers of the book-trade bouncing back from the Covid crisis are buoying the publishing industry. Signs of an upturn have replaced the initial downturn, which came from the surge of shuttered shops as bookshops and libraries closed their doors; author engagements, trade fairs and commissions were cancelled and industry staff were furloughed and sent to work from home. Some publishing firms, like Bloomsbury, have weathered the impact of the Covid storm well, even reporting a rise in sales. Others have been able to partially recoup losses

July 27, 2020July 27, 2020
by Ben Jeapes

I don’t know about you, but my splinter of ice has never been more icy or splintery. I try not to feel guilty about it. That is, the splinter of ice that lurks in the heart of every writer, according to Graham Greene. No matter how terrible the tragedy, there is a small part of you tucking it all away – the thoughts, emotions, feelings, impressions – for future use. When I was starting out as a writer I heard an author talking about how she had had a blazing, ding-dong row with her partner – yet even then, with

July 15, 2020July 15, 2020
by Susan Feldstein

‘The thing that fascinates me about what you do, Susan, is how every time you’ve finished ghosting a book for a client, you go through a whole worrying process – speculating about whether they will like what you’ve written, and whether you’ve done justice to their story. . . And then every single time, the client comes back to you to say that they love it! Why do you put yourself through it each time, when you know it’s most likely going to be ok? Surely you know by now that you always do a good job?‘ This observation was

July 10, 2020July 10, 2020
by Martin Toseland

I’m just finishing the first draft of a book I’ve been working on since January. To get to this stage, the author and I have had to improvise slightly. Pre-lockdown we followed normal procedure, meeting in Starbucks in Westfield Stratford City (the glamour), a standard London-hour commute for both of us; post-lockdown we switched to a meeting place called ‘Zoom’ which turned out to be a doddle to get to. Now, as I add the final notes and comments to the draft, I’m taking the first tentative steps with a new author. We’re setting up dates and times for interviews

Our Blog

Starting from Scratch

Book Industry Bounces Back

Splinter of Ice

What ghostwriters really worry about . . .

Interview styles and the temple of Zoom