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Frenemies with Benefits: Five Reasons Why Leaders Need Frenemies

One of the most common questions people ask me is how I find work. The answer? Frenemies. So what are frenemies and why are they so useful?

In the business world, a ‘fremeny’ is a person you regard as a friend but also as an ‘enemy’ or a competitor. Over the years my frenemies (in my case, fellow freelance professional writers and ghostwriters) have largely kept me in business not only through referrals but also by generously swapping notes and sharing information.

But it’s not only the freelance world that benefits from frenemies. Over the last few years, big businesses have overcome their rivalry to collaborate on profitable projects. (Think Toyota and Ford or Microsoft and Dell). In fact, according to a recent study by PwC, almost 30% of CEOs are in discussions or already working with their competitors. Read more “Frenemies with Benefits: Five Reasons Why Leaders Need Frenemies” →

It’s not (necessarily) about the fame …

There’s a certain mystique about writing, especially when you’ve had a book or two published. Perhaps that mystique has faded in the past few years, when it has become easier and cheaper to have a professional-looking opus produced and for sale in online bookshops, but I still feel proud to be able to call myself ‘author’ on Linked-in.

I’ve found that it comes with certain assumptions, however, not all of which apply to all authors. Above all, people have warned me that it ‘won’t make me rich’. This was the case 15 years ago when I first had a non-fiction business book published; I heard it again two years ago when the first novel appeared. Read more “It’s not (necessarily) about the fame …” →

United Ghostwriters: The hassle-free marketplace that takes the risk…

Six months ago, a group of 13 professional ghostwriters got together to exchange ideas about how we could improve the services we offer.

The number one cause of frustration for our clients? We were difficult to find. Our clients would spend many hours online searching for the right ghost to match their writing needs, before finally finding one of us. Apparently, we were as elusive as our profession suggests.

We needed to make ourselves more visible and more accessible to the people who needed our help writing their books. Read more “United Ghostwriters: The hassle-free marketplace that takes the risk out of finding the right ghost” →

Why chasing the bestseller list may cost you clients

Numbers. Sales. Rankings.

That’s all anyone seems to care about when it comes to books. Is your book a bestseller? No? Then you might as well forget it and go home.

If you’re like many business authors you’re probably assuming your book needs to get that elusive ‘bestseller’ status to be a success. And that can feel pretty daunting. Far easier not to start in case you don’t sell thousands of copies when it’s finally done.

It’s enough to make even the boldest entrepreneur feel worried and inadequate. Read more “Why chasing the bestseller list may cost you clients” →