How does a ghostwriter work?

Here is what happens in between, step by step, with no surprises.

Step 1: the first consultation, free

You write us a few lines about the project and we set up a video call. You tell us the idea, we tell you frankly whether it can be done, how we would do it and what it costs. If the project doesn't stand up, or isn't for us, we say so: an honest no is worth more than a sold yes. The consultation commits you to nothing.

Step 2: the contract, with total confidentiality

Before starting, a clear contract is signed: what we deliver, when, at what price. Inside is the part that matters most: the book is yours in every way, name, rights and proceeds, and our name appears nowhere, ever. The materials you entrust to us (recordings, photos, documents, diaries) are kept with absolute confidentiality and return to you when the work is done.

Step 3: the interviews

This is where the book comes to life. We meet by video call, calmly and with a method: the right questions, in the right order. You talk the way you would talk at the table, we record (only with your consent) and transcribe everything. You don't need to be a storyteller, and you don't need to leave home: only your memories are needed. For a typical book it is a few hours of conversation spread over a few weeks.

Step 4: the writing, chapter by chapter

We turn your words into narrative, written in the first person with your voice: whoever knows you must hear you when they read. And we don't work in the dark: you receive the chapters as they come, read them, request the changes you want and approve them one by one. In the end there are no surprises, because you watched the book grow page after page.

Step 5: payment and delivery

Payment is by milestones: a part at the start and the rest tied to deliveries, so you always know what you are paying for and what you receive in return. At the end you choose the finish line: the manuscript ready to submit to a publisher, or the finished book on sale, with cover, layout, publication on the stores and print on demand. If you wish, also in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

What if I already have a text?

It happens often: a manuscript in a drawer, a parent's diaries, a first draft that doesn't convince. In that case you don't start from scratch: it becomes editing or rewriting, and it can still go all the way to the published book. This too is assessed at the first consultation, free of charge.