Ghostwriting Your Manuscript

Development

I’ll evaluate your manuscript and provide an Analysis & Recommendation to pinpoint the “gold” and other strengths, while also determining the obstacles there may be in the market. This will allow me to provide a plan to address these matters before determining the most effective template and conceptualizing an outline. At that point, an interview schedule will be determined.

Your close involvement in the process will give you the security you need to have confidence in your ghostwriter’s ability to effectively convey the story you’re trying to tell in your voice. Having this confidence will make marketing your book an easier process, as you will have a clear direction, and idea, of what agents and publishers would be interested in your title.

Structure

Structure is the number one thing that can make or break your manuscript. That “something isn’t right” feeling is often a case of incorrect structure The lack of flow is jarring and can often put off a reader to the point of putting down the book (what you don’t want). It’s also the reason most agents and publishers reject manuscripts.

We will:

Organize all your original and our mutually developed materials into an easily-read flow
Extrapolate character profiles from the material (Background/perspective, Motivation, Agenda, Personality, Mannerisms, and Attitude)
Determine logical chapter breaks for the greatest impact

You will:

Promptly review and approve your nonfiction outline, approach, tone, and sequence
Work with your ghostwriter on character studies and action map

Ghostwriting

The first draft is your heart on the page and will include:

Your experience and learning
Your theory
Your story
Your ingenuity

And it will read exactly as you envision it:

Your words
Your tone
Your intent
Your perspective

It will be your vision in its entirety.

You will receive the manuscript on a chapter-by-chapter basis, giving you the opportunity to read and comment on:

What you like
What you don’t like
What you forgot to add
What you want removed
Or if you want to take the project in an entirely different direction

Your ghostwriter will make the changes and send the chapter back to you again for review and approval. This process will continue until you are 100% happy with the chapter, before moving on. This will continue for each chapter until the manuscript is complete.

What do we add to the manuscript?

The dots that might not be obvious to a cold reader, such as:

Missing information within explanations
Links between examples and illustrations
Supplementary illustrations that support your thesis or examples
Scene expansions to heighten chapter impact
Segues and cliffhangers that keep the reader turning the page
Perspective, motive, and agenda that provide extra character depth

Once the First Draft is finished, your manuscript will be edited.

Editing

Tier 1: A copy edit with an independent editor who is under a non-disclosure contract with Kingdom Wordsmiths. This will address syntax, grammar, punctuation, and other standard editing issues.

Tier 2: A cold-eye proofread performed by an independent editor under a nondisclosure contract with Kingdom Wordsmiths. This addressed minor text and formatting issues.

Submissions and Strategy Plans

Our role in your author dreams doesn’t end with producing a manuscript. We will guide you through the process of getting published. We will work with you to brainstorm the best course for your manuscript’s future.

Traditional Publishing

This option requires the least financial investment, industry knowledge, and distribution/marketing effort on your part, but requires the most time and patience.

You sell all rights for a specific amount of time to the publisher
The publisher packages and distributes the book however it deems best
You receive 7-12% of the wholesale price (50-55% off the retail price)

You need:

An Industry Standard Book Proposal (nonfiction and memoir)
An Industry-Standard Synopsis (fiction)
The full manuscript (memoir and fiction)
A literary agent, who will take 15-25% of all advances and royalties

No one can predict what kind of deal an agent will make on your behalf, but standard deals fall into the following ranges.

Nice deal	$1 – $49,000
Very nice deal	$50,000 – $99,000
Good deal	$100,000 – $250,000
Significant deal	$251,000 – $499,000
Major deal	$500,000 and up

Service, “Indie,” and Hybrid Publishing

This is a faster option but it requires a cash investment, along with a decision as to how much control you will or will not give up. Hybrid publishing is gaining more and more traction in the industry as small, determined companies develop strong distribution chains and push to get their titles into as many global markets as possible. Remember to do your due diligence before you sign a contract.

You partner with the publisher to split all costs and profits
The publisher packages and distributes the book with your active input
You receive a larger percentage until your investment is paid off, then, typically, a 50/50 split of all proceeds

You need the full manuscript (nonfiction, memoir, and fiction).

Self Publishing

Depending on the amount of time, effort, and cash you invest, this can be the least or most lucrative publishing avenue and can come down as quickly or slowly as you want. You retain and must therefore exercise all control, rights, and profits.

You need the full manuscript (nonfiction, memoir, and fiction).