Creating Authors Out of Storytellers

“Passion is the powerful and emotive current of Divine grace that allows you to become a privileged conduit of service for the manifestation of Divine creativity.” – Yomi Garnett

David Llewelyn-Jones belongs to my exclusive club of highly-esteemed protégés. He is a fairly unassuming, yet rather well-heeled member of Britain’s aristocracy. Transatlantic calls are a regular feature of our interactions. A couple of days ago, he called me from his elegant pied-à-terre in London’s smart West End.

“Top of the evening to you, mentor! How are you today?” he intoned in his clipped, and singularly upper-crust British accent and inflection.

“I am in totally capital form, my dear fellow,” I responded, echoing his BBC accent to the dot.

“Sometime ago, you celebrated the tenth year anniversary of your firm, Royal Biographical Institute. My good friend, Lord Richard Stewart-Clark, read that post and was rather intrigued. Apparently, he entertains the notion of writing a book on the history of his 700 year-old dukedom in the British West Midlands, but hasn’t the faintest clue how to go about it. He wondered  if that sort of thing might quite possibly be right up your alley.”

“Indeed, David, Royal Biographical Institute, ROBIN, is a world-class ghostwriting service and Creative Communications Consultancy. It is in the business of writing books for and on behalf of people. We put our discerning clientele through the paces, and before you can say ‘Jack Robinson,’ they have become published authors!”

“How perfectly intriguing, mentor. I intend to record this conversation, if you don’t mind, as I’m sure His Lordship will want to know more about your services.”

“I haven’t the faintest aversion to being recorded, my dear fellow.”

“How exactly would you assist an aspiring author like the duke achieve his literary objective?” David asked.

“To put matters in a nutshell, I would receive his thoughts and ideas, synthesize them with such creativity that the entire narrative is translated into words that reflect his own ‘voice,’ and then present him with his own manuscript.”

“My interpretation is that he will be listed as the author of the book, is that correct?”

“Absolutely! Especially if the manuscript is written in the first person narrative. However, some people want their biography written, rather than an autobiography, in which case the ghostwriter is listed as author, since it is written in the second person narrative. The choice is entirely up to the client.”

“I can now see why it is called ‘ghostwriting.’ Would you like to tell us more about it?”

“David, you’d be surprised at just how many people wish to tell their personal story in book form, especially if their life has been characterized by some life-transforming or epochal event. Some others wish to tell a story of entrepreneurial success, either to promote their brand, or simply to inspire others. I deploy the combination of relevant and accurate research, and language proficiently delivered with superlative fluency, to arrive at a literary outcome that is, not unexpectedly, written and finished in exquisite literary taste.”

“How does the process start?” David asked, by now totally entranced.

“We would start by focusing on an outstanding introduction, which is the foundation for a great literary effort. It can be likened to the road map, guide or navigator’s Northern Star, if you like. Your introduction will answer three vital questions. What is the book all about? Who am I, the author? Why would you, the reader, wish to read my book? The next major task will be to help you think of your reader. A great mistake most authors often make is talking about their life, business or the lessons they’ve learnt without first relating with their reader on an emotional level. So, to engage maximal reader attention, I will assist you in drawing your reader to you by telling your story in such a compelling manner that your reader can relate with you as a kindred spirit. Everyone has a unique legacy. I would highlight yours. I would also highlight the most significant moments, the best moments, and the worst moments in your story. Remember that your challenges are a learning tool for someone else, and will also help others know how to handle obstacles on their own personal journey. Ultimately, the vital question will always remain; ‘what is that legacy, passion, gift, challenges, or life vocation that you fervently wish others to learn from?’ Another thing that will provide your book with an incredible readership leverage is a synopsis. This is a beautiful and concise two-paragraph summary that will convey the message of the entire book. An art in itself, it gives your book a ‘powerful pitch.’ Then, as soon as we sign a contract, I would guide you in crafting a befitting book title, and an outline of the chapters.”

“Surely, putting together thousands of words must be the greatest challenge in writing a good book. How do you manage to achieve that feat?”

“Although that may well be true, David, the entire enterprise is inalienably obligated to present you as someone with the inexhaustible store of words that will adequately convey your thoughts, emotions, and overall message. During the writing process, I would ask you leading questions that will draw out inspired thoughts from your mind. As long as you are absolutely clear about what you want to write about, my role will be to encourage you to simply focus on the message you wish to convey to your reader. You’d be surprised at just how beautifully those ‘thousands of words’ will roll out as long as we focus exclusively on your message. Yet, my dear fellow, even a million hollow words would be merely engaging in the ill-choreographed and bizarre dance of a dysfunctional masquerade at a village square if they do not speak directly to the reader’s heart. To that significant end, one’s deployment of an innate strength of expression with prose and dialogue essentially also translates to a proficiency at putting interactive dialogue together in such a way as to poignantly bring raw emotions to the surface in any encounter. What is more, all these occur at a speed that does nothing to impair the average client’s insistence on relevant research, which itself is conducted with a rare combination of literary acumen and accuracy. “

“How long does it take to write the average book?” David asked.

“Most people think it takes ages to write a book. Nothing could be further from the truth. Quite frankly, as soon as the first sentence is written, the book is as well as finished. This is because, in the right hands, it is nothing short of a magically seamless and divinely-creative process.” 

“Mentor, you live in the United States. His Lordship lives in England. How much of a challenge does this distance pose in the ghostwriting process?” David asked.

“David, if the internet has reduced the world to a global village, the miracles that are smartphones, Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp and email have constricted the world into a mere corner in a room. These days, it is not only of little or no importance to live close to your ghostwriter, it might, in fact, be actually cost-effective if you don’t.”

“What sort of fee might one be expected to pay, Doctor?”

“Ghostwriters tend to attract premium compensation. That should hardly surprise anyone. No professional service of superlative quality is cheap. Generally, though, the fee will depend on the size of the book, client accessibility, and certain peculiar requirements, such as intensive research, transcription services and travel expenses. These usually attract fee considerations. In my own case, however, I am more inclined towards a specific billing arrangement that charges by the size of the project.”

“Sir, do you provide some latitude for negotiating the fee?”

“Of course! My policy is to try to seek a common ground with a potential client. I try my best not to decline potential clientele on financial grounds. Somehow, we ought to be able to arrive at an equitable arrangement. That is because I view creative writing more as a life calling in which I am purposefully invited by the Divine to co-create the universe by assisting others achieve their own life purpose. Yet, I think the fundamental constraint with most people is that they tend to see ghostwriting as a hobby that some people indulge in. That perspective is as faulty as it is fatally presumptuous. Professional writers are just like everyone else. They need to earn a living.”

“Do you have anything to do with publishing a manuscript?”

“Decidedly not. I am exclusively focused on writing. However, I could suggest possible options for the publishing of a manuscript.”

“Mentor, your passion is infectious!” 

“My dear fellow, it cannot be otherwise. The passion of which you speak is actually a powerful and emotive current of Divine grace. In sacrosanct truth, I am merely a conduit of service for the manifestation of Divine creativity.”

“Thank you, Mentor. Something tells me my own book may come before His Lordship’s!”

Baking Your Literary Cake

A master baker is a consummate culinary professional who deploys fresh and innovative concepts to the art of pastry making and cake baking. No aroma quite surpasses the heady and totally delectable fragrance of freshly baked cake. 

By the same delightful token, nothing quite beats the sheer feeling of literary intoxication that overwhelms one when one reads the superlatively-written manuscript that is the handiwork of a master ghostwriter. That is because the master ghostwriter is a master baker of sorts.

Your ghostwriter not only bakes a sumptuous literary cake with his incomparably rich vocabulary, he embellishes the outcome with an icing on the literary cake he bakes for you with the vast repertoire of words, phrases and metaphors that afford him the luxury of creatively manipulating language in such a way as to bring raw emotions to the surface in any encounter, and in such a singularly unique manner that your ‘voice,’ as the ultimate author of your own book, is decidedly not subsumed by his.

Yomi Garnett MD