Friday, February 8, 2019

'Authors, Here's What You Should Know About Ghostwriters!

February 08, 2019 | Posted by Mark R Morris Jr |

There are a lot of options out there if you are looking for a ghostwriter. I’m not the only one. I’m probably not the best, or the fastest, or the cheapest. If those are the things you’re looking for, let me save you the trouble, it’s probably not me. But if you’re looking for a good writer, who specializes in getting your voice down so the book sounds like you on your best day of writing, done on time, for the agreed upon price, then I’m your guy!

Ghostwriters are not one-size-fits-all though, and there are definitely some things to keep in mind when searching the world wide web for that just right ghostwriter. So, from my own business practices I’ve put together a few tips I think can save you time, money and heartache. They’re things I’ve heard from clients and other ghostwriters, and things I’ve also experienced as a self published author. Take it for what it’s worth, here is what I recommend.

Find someone who cares about your story!

Sure, there are a lot of well credentialed ghostwriting teams out there. They’ve all got some guy from Harvard, or a New York Times bestselling editor. But, do they really care about your book? The reasons to write a book are so personal. Can you trust them with your story, or will they turn it into another pop-culture, literary fast food piece of junk that will be on the bargain table in a month?

The big firms are like any other big company. They operate on volume. They have a deep bench of writers. They crank out books like Ford cranks out cars, it’s an assembly line. They build formulas and models and templates. Sometimes this can even get you to the top of the charts, but those books frequently don’t have staying power. Are you looking for a flash in the pan, or a well written book that will stand the test of time?

A sure fire way to tell who cares is how long they’ll talk before asking for money. If that’s the first thing, before they even know who you are, or what your story is about, please, do yourself a favor, and disconnect. Block that email, hang up the phone, whatever you have to do but please don’t go down that road.

Find someone who will build a relationship with you.

Ghostwriting is an incredibly intimate profession. There’s a reason that we sign Non-Disclosure Agreements and contracts and it’s not because everyone is out to steal your story. In the course of helping authors craft their books, I’ve literally been told, “I haven’t even shared that with my therapist,” more than once. In fact, I just had a client share potentially incriminating evidence about an event long ago that harmed no one, but still…

To really write a book, you’ve got to bare your soul a bit. You’ve got to be willing to spill a little blood on the paper, and even if you’re not the one holding the pen, it gets real. It’s up to you who you want knowing those intimate details of your story. Make sure you trust them on a personal level.

Make sure your writer really “gets” you

Sure, a cold, calculated professional can do an adequate job. But, tell the truth, can any surgeon ever approach the beauty of a Michelangelo in their work? Or a Davinci? In my own practice, I choose clients I want to spend time with, because your stories become a part of my life. They haunt me. I’ll be living with the knowledge of your life long past the point your book goes to press. That’s why my first interaction with any potential client is an interview, in which I decide whether to offer my services or not. Yes, I am for hire, but I am not for sale, and I don’t write for people that I do not feel will make the world a better place with their work.

Does that mean I have to be moved on a deep level? No, but I need to like you and believe in what you’re doing enough to take on your imagination, see through your eyes, and tell your story with my fingers, using your words and style. And, I’m told I’m really good at that. One reason is likely my background as a theatrical director and actor. I take on each client in a similar way to preparing for a role. I need to embody your story on some level.

Get the contract right

Beyond just finding a writer you click with, you’ll need to know exactly what you’re getting. With a solo ghostwriter like myself, you’re probably getting a straight “work for hire”. That means I own nothing. I generally request the right to share untitled samples with future clients for marketing purposes, but once we’ve completed your book, it is yours.

Here are some things to watch out for. Some agencies ask for a percentage of sales, or royalties, in addition to their fee. They may also hold a claim over your work, story, or ideas if you decide not to complete the book with them. A true “ghostwriter” will sell you their sword. That’s it. We write, you publish (with our help if you choose) you reap the profit and royalties, we cash the check and find our next project. It’s as simple as that.

Pay as you go

This should go without saying, but never pay in full up front, and don’t pay anything until you have a signed contract outlining your responsibilities and rights as an author, and the services, schedule and methods the writer is agreeing to abide by. In most cases, one third down is fairly standard. You shouldn’t pay the final installment until you have at least the first draft, depending on what services your ghostwriter is providing.

I often work with solopreneurs and people starting out in new careers, or expanding into fields such as public speaking. Be sure your contract is flexible enough to fit your ability to pay and availability for the workload. I allow changes with appropriate notice, many ghostwriters and ghostwriting agencies do not.

Read their samples and ask questions

Any freelancer who’s been at it long enough has likely had their work presented by another “writer” as their own. I’ve been sent articles and blog posts that I know damn well I wrote, from people who were looking for a writer and ended up with a scam artist who sent them my work as samples. Read the samples. Go with your gut. Do you like the writing style and energy? Did the writer provide several samples, of differing style to show use of multiple voices? How did it feel to you?

Never feel pressured to use a writer just because they are with a great company, or have an amazing resume. If the samples don’t feel right, ask for more, or politely decline, but this is your book, not theirs, no matter how many bestsellers they’ve published. Ask them to explain the samples, and if they seem unsure, move on. There are plenty of writers available.

Take a little time, but not too long

I suggest clients at least think about it overnight. It’s a big commitment. You’re going to spend a lot of money (for most people) on this, and you’re committing a lot of time and energy, even though we ghostwriters do the heavy lifting. But, remember, if your writer is good, they’re also in demand. Once you’ve decided to write, it’s best to start, and a good ghostwriter won’t be available for long.

So, why does it matter if you wait? Waiting a little while is a good idea. See if your writer can wait a day. If they seem desperate or anxious, ask why. If you wait too long, it’s likely you’ll lose the urge. Yes, I know you’ve wanted to do this forever, that’s precisely why it can wait. It’s waited before, but once committed, I’ve never had an author not complete their project with me.

Ask questions, educate yourself and be comfortable before you pull the trigger

Ghostwriting is a tough job, not everyone can do it, but, Iike I said, I’m not the only one, and neither is that agency telling you they are. Be sure you’re reasonably comfortable before signing a contract. Read it thoroughly and know your way out if you decide it’s not a good fit. There is always more than one way to get your book written, and although you’ll probably be nervous, you should also be excited.

When you find the right fit, go for it. I’ve never had a single client ever say they regretted writing a book. The process is so revealing and enlightening and the outcome brings rewards in ways you’re not imagining now. So, make a smart choice and then jump. You won’t be sorry you did.

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Thoughts on Thought Leadership

January 08, 2019 | Posted by Mark R Morris Jr |

Everybody wants to be a thought leader, but I wonder, with all of these "leaders" all pitching the same thoughts, who's following?

I was a thought leader once

Honestly, it was more like one of those "I'm not a thought leader, but I play one on the internet" situations. Here's how it happened.

A friend of mine is a spokesperson in the HR field. She wrote a social media guide a few years back that kind of catapulted her into minor internet celebrity status. I won't tell you who she is, because, well, I'm a ghostwriter. Once this happened, all kinds of interesting opportunities exploded for her and she took on more consulting work than she could manage with a full time job, so she made a career change to consulting and speaking on HR.

As happens, she got really busy

Her consulting took off, and to keep it going, she had a huge need for content. She wasn't in the position to attract high level guest bloggers yet and wanted to establish her own byline, so she turned to me to produce posts for her from her bullet point outlines.

That's where it gets interesting. Sure, I'm a writer. But the thing is, I've never, like ever, spent any time in a traditional office. I spent about three months one time as a telemarketer, and one of the cabinet shops I worked in when I was young had an HR department. That's the extent of my experience with HR.

But it didn't really matter, because, as it turns out, being a thought leader really just means synthesizing what others say and having an opinion. So, I followed her bullet points and crafted what she kept insisting was really great content, and apparently it worked, because now she can attract the kind of high profile guests she needs to drive more traffic.

What's my point?

I'm getting to it. Here's the thing, you think you know who you're listening to. You think that pastor, or speaker, or CEO is BRILLIANT BEYOND WORDS! And, maybe, like my friend, they are. It may also be that they have some help from an outside voice in the form of a ghostwriter. Way more of the "bestsellers" than you would believe are not crafted by the "authors" themselves. Neither are the speeches they give at conventions and workshops that draw thousand of dollars in entrance fees.

Nope, more often than not, it's a guy like me, sitting at a keyboard, wherever he wants to be in the world, synthesizing the information into a palatable form. Of course, without my friend, I'd never have even considered writing about HR, because I lack experience in the field, but with the right resources, even you could become an expert that people will not just listen to, but share with others.

Writers, Hate Editing? Why? You could choose to love it!

January 08, 2019 | Posted by Mark R Morris Jr |

Writing a novel is like taking a vacation to a world you know better than anyone, where you can
read the mind of every person you meet. It’s an amazing escape from the day to day. Then comes
the editing.

A lot of authors hate it, but here’s my question, why? Did you not write a story you love? I don’t write
anything I wouldn’t read, over and over. To me, the editing process is like preparing for guests, that
I really like, to come over. Sure, it’s work, but it’s not the same as just cleaning the house to have the
family come home and dirty it again, it’s exhilarating,

I get to meet those characters again, and clarify their actions and words before the audience arrives.
Maybe it’s the stage director in me, wanting the lights, the set, the costumes and finally the
performance, to be perfect for that audience. I want them to experience it the way I experienced it,
immediate, and powerful, exploding in the mind, seeing every scene as if they are standing right there
as it happens in real time!

So, if you ask me to delete my extra “that”s and commas to keep from confusing the audience, great,
let’s do that! If I need to polish a character’s dialog to make it funnier, more brutal, or just make it
make sense, why wouldn’t I be excited about that?

With every edit I complete, I’m getting one step closer to lifting the curtain, to revealing this amazing
world that didn’t just pop into my head, but stayed there until I had no choice but to share it.

What I’m trying to say is this, I think editing is only a chore, because we think of it as being one. When
we’re in the creative flow of the first draft, no one’s complaining about the drudgery. No, we get lost
and spend hours without realizing it, tapping the keys, turning the pages. So, why should our attitude
be any different in editing?

I think it’s because we take it personally. Although every well paid, famous writer on earth tells us that
the real work is in the editing, and rewrites, we think our work springs out of our butts fully formed and
ready for the Pulitzer committee. Am I right? I think the key may be in thinking of the story as “finished”
when we type the last sentence of the first draft. That’s silly.

That would be like saying a house is complete because you built the frame. No roof, no walls, no
windows, carpets, or hardwood floors, just the outline of a house. The first draft is often like this. If
you’ve done this a lot, you may get a lot closer to a finished product in your first draft, but nobody
hangs the drapes and touches up the paint, installs that last switch cover, in their first pass on
something as complex as a novel. Nobody.

So, next time you’re in that editing mode. Here are two things to try. First, you could try seeing the first
draft as laying the foundation, it’s a proof of concept, you’re making sure your story and characters
hold up. Second, you could do what some do, and edit as you go. I don’t recommend it, but if having
an unfinished product after finishing the first draft is a bummer for you, you might try it.

Either way, the one thing you should never, ever do, is insist that the audience just deal with your
idiosyncrasies. Sure, you’re unique. You may have a style all your own, and that’s cool and all, but
writing it in all caps, and not spell checking, should never be an option, unless you want the well
deserved criticism that comes with it.

If you want to be a writer, create a healthy relationship with editing. You’re going to spend a lot of time
there. Find a way to make it a good thing. .

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

December 19, 2018 | Posted by Mark R Morris Jr |

There are only two choices in life. You can be yourself, or you can be a cheap imitation of someone else. It’s up to you.

It was August, the year after I was forced to close my own theatre and I was up for a part in Shakespeare in the Park, in Oklahoma City, one of America’s longest running Shakespeare companies.

Since the last time I’d auditioned for anyone else, I’d outgrown the male love interest and come of age to play fathers. So, small as it was, I was up for Montague in Romeo and Juliet. I stood in the hall, going over the sides they’d handed out for study. As an acting coach, I knew I needed an angle.

Once I was comfortable with the lines and they were starting to call in actors to read for Montague, I positioned myself as near the door as I could get.

Montague: O thou untaught! what manners is in this? To press before thy father to a grave?

Not much to make an impression with, is it? Montague has just lost his wife and Prince Escalus is bringing more bad news on top of it, Romeo is dead. As I listened to the readers, to a man they played it the same way. They raged! I could feel the door vibrate with their shouts of agony.

Now, if you knew me, you’d know, I’m a shouter from way back. I’m loud. But, I had a choice to make. I could either wade in their and try to beat these other, known actors, at their own game, in their own house, or I could flip the script a bit and do something unexpected, so I chose the latter.

In my book, there are two American actors who’ve played rage well in my lifetime, one, the inimitable Jack Nicholson in movies such as The Shining and A Few Good Men. Then, there’s Clint Eastwood, in Dirty Harry and Grand Torino, among others.

Nicholson is a rager. No doubt, had he strolled into that room and lost his shit, they’d have given him whatever part he wanted. But Clint, Clint would have delivered that speech nice and slow, in a growling whisper that would leave you breathless with a tingle down your spine.

So, that’s what I did, and two days later, I had the role.

As I was getting ready to write this piece for today, I did a little digging on what Linked In likes. What kind of articles are getting shared? What will help build an audience? I found out a lot of stuff, but I’m not going to share it with you. If you want that route, you can Google it. I used “Linked In Article Statistics 2019” as my search terms.

I got a whole bunch of statistics. Some I agreed with, some I thought were misinterpreted, but then I realized, I was about to wade into their theater, with actors the director knew, and try to outrage them all. (translation, I am competing against known Linked In article publishers on their home turf)

But, I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’m going to share what I think you should do. And it’s mostly because of one really stupid piece of advice I found in one particular article that said:

“Don’t get your audience all fired up”

Yep, turns out, their research has determined that posts that hold no particular point of view at all, neutral posts get shared more, and get more comments. But, I wonder about this. I’m sure it’s true overall, but what about the influencers? Are they neutral?

So, I looked it up.

I found a list of the top 20 influencers on Linked In in 2018, a who’s who of business thought leaders. To be honest, I didn’t know who half of these people were. I should probably find out. I’m sure they’re brilliant and say a lot of amazing stuff, but who did I find at the top of the list?

Richard Branson

That’s the author of this book

“Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way” by Richard Branson

Funny, doesn't sound much like a guy who doesn't get his audience all lathered up, does it?

When you Google Richard Branson quotes, literally the top one you find is this.

Well, maybe this is just a coincidence, I'm sure the rest of these folks are pressed down, pinstripe, English executive types with droll little accents who never raise their voices, right?

So, I go down the list at little further, and there I find, Gary Vaynerchuk, a man who seems to be trying to single handedly make the F word okay in polite society.

Here’s his top quote from Goal Coast

PASSION is priceless

Then, as I was editing this article, I also found this, that I thought was even more fitting!

I think this may be the biggest key to all of this. The site I found my advice on is making their money off of analyzing what people do, not doing.

Further down, a guy whose name I don’t care about is the current CEO of Paypal, founded by this guy…

Elon Musk, a man famous for his brashness! Just this past year, he apologized for calling a Thai cave diver a pedophile for his plan to rescue juvenile soccer players in a flooded cave, by carrying them out next to his own body. His mouth is a trainwreck, but when he talks, people listen.

I’m sure many of the other fine folks on that list are just as opinionated as these three gentlemen, but they’ll do as examples of what I’m talking about.

My point is this, do your own thing. You know your business. You understand the passion behind what you do. You know how to tell your story, so do it!

Stop waiting for permission to think your own damn thoughts. Aristotle didn’t become famous quoting some stone age monk, did he? No, he branded his thoughts and he had them literally etched in stone.

There’s nothing wrong with finding out what people who came before us thought and said. And quoting them can be a great way to get a point across, but I think too many people put an awful lot of stock in the thoughts of a bunch of men and women, who were dead long before the digital reality our kids are inheriting was even dreamed about.

The same thing is true about tracking how many letters should be in your headline, or knowing that 8 images is the optimum number you should have to get the most shares of your articles on Linked In!

So, what is important? Five things you need to know to make your voice count!

Writing a headline that makes people pause is the single greatest skill you can learn. Period. Everything that comes after it is secondary to the headline. Why? Because without the headline, no one will ever see it. There are four main things you can do with a headline.

Make a promise
State a fact
Draw a picture
Ask a question

Choosing an eye catching image that will draw people in is the next most important thing you can learn.

Make sure your first image is sized properly so it looks good in your newsfeed.
Only use images that belong to you, or you have permission to use, Pixabay is a great source Gratisography.com has amazing humorous images.
Choose pictures that add something to your content. They’re not just decoration.
Graphs, charts and infographics are great too, if they really do add something.

Write a brilliant opening paragraph. It’s all that matters in the body of your text. Seriously. Without that, no one reads to the bottom. Ever.

Know your audience and their pain points, appeal to one or more.
Hint at what you’re going to share up front if possible.
Tell a story, hook them in, if they read past the first two or three paragraphs, you’ve got them.

You might want to post your videos separate from your article content. Among the statistics, this one was useful. Articles with videos get less love.

Videos are best shared as links from Youtube, instead of the native Linked In format.
If you follow guys like Gary Vaynerchuk, you know this, but video is a great way to recycle, or upcycle content ideas.
Repeating the same ideas in multiple medias is only valid if you also duplicate the post into another point of connection with your audience.

Write, write, write. While the entire rest of the world is shrinking down their thoughts, to the point it feels like we are going back to hieroglyphics, Linked In likes 1900 to 2100 word posts.

These five things, and consistency!

Ordinarily I would tell you flat out, that this content you’re creating needs to go on your own blog. There are some really great reasons for this.

Reasons your blog should be the hub of your content marketing

Your website is literally the only piece of real estate online you can control. Everywhere else you publish, the rules could be changed tomorrow and the entire distribution matrix could change with them.
It gives you a central place to share your ideas and drive your traffic.
You have total control of the design and branding for your website. This is true nowhere else. Sure, you can choose headers and avatars, but beyond that, you’re very limited.

But, if you don’t already have steady traffic to your website, I’m going to suggest a way of building an audience that may help you.

Start on Linked In.

It has a built in publication matrix
Your content leads back to your profile, with your resume and hopefully a link to wherever you actually do business online.
The competition is lower.
Linked In’s Google and Alexa ratings are perfect. It’s a high authority site, so sharing your content here is better than good for business, it’s great!

Here's the opportunity this represents!

Out of 500 million regular users, only 260 million (just over half) log in each month. Out of those 260 million active users, only 1 million have ever posted an article. That’s significant, what it means is, you’ve got an audience of business people who 91% say they come to Linked In for content, and fewer than half of one percent of all active users are posting any original content besides posts, on the platform itself.

Won’t you just get lost in the shuffle?

First of all, that's what your great headlines and images are for, right?

It also turns out, the odds may be in your favor! Last year, of the top 30 shared articles, only half were written by “influencers” like the ones I talked about at the beginning of this article. The rest came from people like you and me! Of the 10,000 top shared articles of all time, only 6% were written by influencers, meaning 94% of the top shared content came from nobodies, who have a better chance of becoming somebodies on a platform like Linked In, with relatively low competition, than almost anywhere else online.

But, what about my website?

I’m getting to that. I’ve always believed in repurposing content, and after reading Gary Vaynerchuk’s amazing slide deck on how he syndicates his content, I’m convinced. So, here is a strategy I’m recommending.

Start with a single piece of “pillar” or “skyscraper” content. This is a big chunk of information. It can be written, or video, or podcast on your personal website.
Break that content into smaller, related pieces, shorter videos, a podcast if you start with writing or video, and even quote memes from the content.
Share these pieces, along with links to your larger content here on Linked, and ultimately, back on your website, wherever you can.

*I shared Vaynerchuk’s slide deck on my profile, you can check it out there, or go here to get more ideas about how to create your own “viral web” effect.

So, that’s it. Day two of the content challenge is in the books. Check out my profile for today’s writing prompt and if you’d like a free audit of your content here, on your blog,or anywhere online, PM me for details. I’d love to help.

If you agree that more people need to think their own thoughts, click "like" leave a comment, or share my article. I'll return the favor on your next great piece of content.

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