An audio message from nycghostwriter (3 minutes 51 seconds)
ABOUT WRITING
Aristotle made it sound so easy when he said you need a beginning, middle and end. But where exactly are the beginning, middle and end?
Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t know the answer. You might be brilliant at saving people’s lives or creating great companies. Writing, though, is a whole other kettle of fish. It takes lifelong education and training to know what to say and how to say it.
I’ll be honest. There’s a ton of stuff I cannot do. I cannot fly an airplane, remove a gall bladder or write an algorithm. Fortunately, I can rely on highly educated and well trained pilots, physicians and computer scientists to perform the tasks I cannot do myself.
When it comes to expressing what’s deep in your heart and mind, you need the right professional too.
Why is it so important to choose the right writing partner?
Every book is a courtroom. When your readers enter it, they will judge you on the basis of your expertise. They will question your credibility. They will sentence you to irrelevance for the slightest misstatement. You’d never go it alone in a real courtroom. Don’t go it alone with your book either.
How do you know which ghostwriter is right for you?
You wouldn’t hire a criminal defense attorney to close on your house. Likewise, you wouldn’t hire me for a book about fly fishing, football or Miley Cyrus. Other writers are much more familiar with these subjects than I ever will be. But given my long experience as a business writer, novelist, non-fiction writer, book reviewer and audio podcaster, I can bring definite assets to your project:
Industry knowledge. I have written newsletters, columns and blog posts for companies and not-for-profits in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, information technology and education industries. I have also reviewed hundreds of books on diverse social, literary and historical topics for The New York Times, Newsday, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Plain Dealer, The Chicago Tribune and many other newspapers.
A conversational writing style. I have helped executives in banking, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, education and information technology write books, personal memoirs and speeches. I have also produced their audio podcasts on healthcare, technology sales and book publishing.
Organizational and research skill. Through regularly scheduled interviews (in-person or Skype), I have helped many professionals and business people communicate their expertise and values. Among my interviewees: Electrical engineers, war survivors, entrepreneurs, recovering drug addicts, novelists, journalists, educators, patients, physicians and industry CEOs. As the holder of an M.A. degree in English, I am a trained researcher with access to hundreds of databases, including: Public Library of Science; National Bureau of Economic Research; LexisNexis Academic; AidData; ACM Digital Library; Dissertations and Theses Global, and EBSCO.
Relationships with a community of writers and subject matter experts. My professional network includes other authors, ghostwriters, writing coaches, corporate communicators, attorneys (labor, immigration, environmental and public interest), healthcare providers, architects, computer scientists, psychologists, engineers (civil, software), not-for-profit executive directors, research librarians and start-up entrepreneurs.
A dedication to continuous improvement. That means rewriting, editing and incorporating your changes into the text until you are satisfied with the final product.
A belief in the power of synergy. Working together we can produce a book, blog or audio podcast that neither one of us could do alone. This is true for the bankers, CEOs, physicians, educators, estate planners, computer scientists and war survivors I have worked with.
A commitment to discretion. Once the project is complete (and paid for), it’s yours. You don’t have to acknowledge my authorship or editorial assistance anywhere in your book. I am honor-bound to take no credit for your book unless you request it. (Keith Richards openly credited James Fox with ghostwriting Life, Richards’ autobiography.) Please note: I do not publish my client list anywhere on this website. I would be happy to share client testimonials with you.
Will I take on any kind of writing project?
No. I do not write film scripts, novels or short stories for hire. I will not write your master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. Please take a look at my Samples page for an idea of the work I have done in recent times.
Keep in mind that a ghostwriter might be perfect for one project but unsuitable for another.
Will your book be a bestseller?
No ethical ghostwriter will promise to place your book with a mainstream publisher. I can help you write query letters to literary agents. I have professional relationships with e-book publishers and book designers and can serve as your liaison with them.
ABOUT ME
My name is Barbara Finkelstein. Please call me Brook. I have worked as a contractor with BusinessGhost, Gotham Ghostwriters and Michael Levin Writes — three excellent training grounds for the ghostwriting vocation.
I have also worked as an employee, contractor or freelancer for Oppenheimer Management Corporation, Ciba Geigy, Medicis Pharmaceuticals, Montefiore Medical Center, IBM, IBM Research, McGraw-Hill Education Labs, Teachers College/Columbia University, Columbia University-Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing, College of Education at Lehigh University, The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Plain Dealer, New York Newsday and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, among others.
I have a B.A. in English from Rutgers University and an M.A. in English from Fordham University.
I am a member of Phi Kappa Phi and the Authors Guild.
Gotta give a shout out to Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). The music at the beginning and end of my personal message is his. It’s called “The Builder” and it’s licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
