The Privilege of Ghostwriting
The number one requisite to being a good ghostwriter is having effective listening skills; it is essential that you’re able to home in on the subtle nuances of what your client is telling you and use that to find the words that communicate that they need to say.
One of the many services that we offer at The Book Whisperers is ghostwriting: the act of writing material for someone that is officially credited to another person as the author.
The number one requisite to being a good ghostwriter is having effective listening skills; it is essential that you’re able to home in on the subtle nuances of what your client is telling you and use that to find the words that communicate what they need to say.
Recently, I decided to interview one of our clients specifically for the purpose of writing an article for The Book Whisperers Community Platform and Mark McKechnie kindly agreed to step up.
I first want to say what an absolute privilege it’s been to work alongside Mark on his book, Little Billy Grey Rat. Most of the writing had already been done by Mark, and I simply acted as the steadying hand overseeing the course and tone. I feel incredibly honoured to have helped bring Mark’s story to life in what has been, I hope, an equally rewarding process.
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So, Mark what made you want to write a book?
I had been talking to friends about my life, particularly as my life is coming to an end with the dreaded Cancer. A lot of them suggested I write a book, so I decide to give writing a sort of biography a go.
Did you find the process an easy one?
No. working on the book wasn’t easy – the last time I wrote anything was a letter that was roughly 3 pages long. The writing, combined with my illness, made it more difficult – trying to write while dying.
The checking, and double-checking became a major problem and soon anxiety and stress started to set it to the point I was left thinking was it worth it.
What changed for you?
I had heard the term ghostwriter before, but I wasn’t entirely sure what it entailed. When I started working with my ghostwriter it was like a hand from heaven with a pen in it appeared…for a complete novice your help was immense.
What did you find the most helpful?
The fact that she didn’t know me – this helped me greatly as she was coming at it with fresh eyes, particularly given I was trying to write about some extremely serious and emotive situations, and she really helped guide me through it.
Her way of thinking, putting words on a page, forming a sentence – helping me to express myself on all aspects of my life. I never expected this amount of help.
To this day I thank my ghostwriter helper and would highly recommend anyone taking one on.
What was one of the standout moments for you with the process of writing the book?
Seeing the finished product in print. This was unbelievable. I had started a project and finished it. When I got my book, I sat down and read it. It made me cry and made me happy and it made me laugh.
The combination of all these aspects of a man’s life, everything looked as if my life, all the pieces, slipped into place and at the end of these weary days I’m a very happy chappy.
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Mark’s book, Little Billy Grey Rat is available to purchase on Amazon: CLICK HERE
The Book Whisperers ghostwriting work is growing and expanding at such a rapid rate that we plan, in the future, to recruit writers interested in developing this skillset and working as ghostwriters.
If you’re interested, please email leataylor@thebookwhisperers.com with your name and contact details.
Your details will be stored safely and securely on our database so when we begin expanding our ghostwriting team, your name will be top of our list as a potential recruit!
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To see some more books penned by Lea Taylor check out the titles below on Amazon, click on the title below to see more:
Malaky Midge and the Loch Ness Monster
The House Beside the Cherry Tree
Animals, Beasties and Monsters of Scotland: Folk Tales for Children