Speakers
Elaine Ash is an award-winning author, ghostwriter, book doctor, and editor. Whether your dream is to publish a bestseller with a prestigious award attached, a business or thought-leader book, or a memoir just for family, Elaine has proof she's done it successfully for clients.
Yetta and David Kane wanted to do a personal memoir of their holocaust experience. The book had to be as uplifting as their hundreds of appearances at high schools to give troubled children hope. The book also had to honor Kane family members, young and old. How to Survive Anything was the result: a full color, hardcover, art-quality book. Exquisitely produced with Smyth-sewn binding, 100-pound acid-free paper, and a silk-ribbon bookmark attached, it was a family heirloom that retailed at less than cost to make ownership affordable for the public.
Todd Henderson, a University of Chicago law professor, penned a legal thriller manuscript titled Mental State. He hired Elaine for development, copyediting, and proofing, but she stayed on and landed Todd an agent. When a deal with Regnery fell through over the book's controversial content Elaine found another publisher and strategically promoted the book until the title became a bestselling nominee for the Edgar Award sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America in 2019. The winner of the million-dollar Berggruen prize, Martha Nussbaum, said, "Mental State is an impressive debut [with] real human depth and significance."
As a thought-leader in the world of editing, Elaine self-published a ground-breaking nonfiction book titled Bestseller Metrics: How to Win the Novel Writing Game. It is praised by industry insiders for its practical and effective system.
"It’s Moneyball for novelists." —Dan Kelly, editing client & 18-yr Warner Bros. veteran
"Bestseller Metrics codifies insights that I have been groping toward in the dark for years." —Albert Tucher, Principal Librarian Emeritus, Newark Public Library
Elaine also spent a decade working as a Hollywood entertainment reporter, profiling the biggest names in the business, such as Academy Award winner Terry Gilliam (Monty Python, The Fisher King); producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun movies, Pirates of the Caribbean); actress Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club, Harry Potter) and many more famous names.
Specialties: Nonfiction: Books that position you as an expert; thought leadership, business, how-to, memoir.
Fiction: Mystery, crime, thriller, women's fiction, humor in all genres, faith-based & Christian.
Years of Experience: 25
Books: Please email for a pdf compendium of Elaine's best books as a ghostwriter, book doctor, and editor.
Contact: ashedit at gmail dot com. Checked hourly.
Writers of all political stripes are welcome. Freedom of speech is respected here.
Susan Baracco brings the skills of a writer, editor, project manager and executive coach to her role as Story Architect for Women. She is a passionate advocate for women and believes that putting their stories into words is a powerful tool for change. A career that includes writing, business coaching, facilitating executive mastermind groups and working side-by-side with women leaders gives her a unique perspective among professionals in the book writing industry. Since 2013, Susan has focused her energy on being a resource for women who want to tell their stories in an effective and powerful way. Her big hairy audacious goal is to help a million women become authors. To reach that goal, Susan wrote her practical guidebook for women entitled 6 Things No One Tells You About Writing a Book. Location: Maine Years of Experience: 9
Specialties:
- Developmental editing
- Ghostwriting
- Book coaching
- Fiction
- Non-Fiction
- Memoir
Books:
- 6 Things No One Tells You About Writing a Book
- Beyond Enough, Raquel Eatmon
- Third King & Guardian Angel, Brian Campbell
- Damaged Goods, Patti Fletcher
- Lifescaping, Monique Allen
- Waxwing, Kara McGehee
- Forest Bathing with Your Dog, Nadine Mazzola
- Who Will Accompany You? Meg Stafford
- 39 Summers, Bracha Horovitz
- Inward is the Only Way Out, Kip Hollister
- Like Pebbles in Water, Laurie Roy
How to reach Susan: Her website: StoryArchitectForWomen.com Via email Susan@StoryArchitectForWomen.com
Kathy Bruins has been a ghostwriter since 2000. She also enjoys writing her own projects when time allows. Kathy is the founder/director of The Well Ministry for Creatives (seeyouatthewell.net) and recently had a movie made from her book she wrote with Robert Harmon, A Moses Prayer for Easter. Kathy enjoys trying new recipes along with being at the beach in Southwest Michigan where she lives with her husband.
Brunella Costagliola is a ghostwriter, editor, speaker, freelance journalist, and author. She has ghostwritten books that have been published by some of the most prominent and successful publishing companies in the country, such as HarperCollins, and have won prestigious awards, including Nonfiction Authors Association Gold Medal. Her clients include high-ranking military leaders, US House of Representative members, highly decorated CIA officers, celebrities, and everyday heroes and heroines. She has written articles for military-related magazines and newspapers.
Brunella specializes in memoir, self-help/personal-growth, leadership, and historical fiction. She approaches every project with a profound sense of commitment and dedication and is eager to help clients discover and fulfil their book’s full potential. Her clients benefit from her ability to keep her finger on the pulse of the publishing industry, its many needs, requirements, and latest trends. Always striving to exceed readers’ expectations, Brunella is especially passionate about bringing to light marginalized and diverse voices or stories that have been lost in history amnesia.
Brunella is an award-winning children’s book author and she is represented by BookEnds Literary Agency. She is the owner of The Military Editor® Agency, LLC. Her uncontrollable and constant need to travel derives from her childhood, which she spent travelling the world on a cruise ship thanks to her father, who was the commander. She was born and raised in Bacoli, a small coastal town in southern Italy and, when she wasn’t sailing the seven seas, her childhood playground was made of what was left of the marble-floored villas, mosaic-decorated baths, and temples left behind by Roman emperors. Mother to two children and proud military spouse, she was named the 2020 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year on the base level. Brunella is the proud citizen of her two favorite countries: USA and Italy.
Jeannette de Beauvoir has been working with authors to bring their ideas and thoughts and expertise to life for over 20 years. She's worked on a wide range of projects with individuals from weather forecasters to mortgage brokers, from IT specialists to chefs, and from Instagram influencers to consultants in a variety of industries. She has helped a cellist from a major orchestra and a POW hunter to tell their stories in their memoirs, and in every instance has captured the voices of her clients so well that her work is invisible—one of the most important hallmarks of ghostwriting!
She also edits manuscripts and teaches writing. More at www.jeannettedebeauvoir.com.
Dixie Maria Carlton has been igniting and curating conversations with random strangers since she was a very small precocious red headed baby. She has no fear of striking up a conversation with anyone, anytime, anywhere, learning new things from people she meets and easily asking tough questions.
Helping non-fiction experts, people who are the trailblazers, game-changers, and rebels, but also those with a dynamic story or facts to share, sometimes need help to get their words out of their head and into shareable content. Dixie is the 'secret sauce' kind of Ghost Writer, that can tackle those kinds of projects easily. Because it's all about getting the story out, so that the purpose of your book can shine forth.
The Magic of the Word Witch…
Known to many as 'The Word Witch', Dixie seems to know how to find the right way to dive in and dig deep to get the best out of authors who will work on a collaborate process of curating the content. Sometimes it even seems a bit magical. A certified and highly trained business and marketing coach, publishing specialist, she is also able to help guide you through the decision making you need to do about getting your book ready to pitch for traditional publishing options or produced for self-publishing and has worked for nearly 20 years at a specialist level with authors before, during and after they write a book.
The Main Points:
- Dixie is the author of 20+ books of her own, across business, leadership, marketing, publishing, and communication genres, and several novels for fun.
- She has helped the publishing and development of approximately 200 books with authors from Australia, NZ, Germany, France, UK, Dubai, and USA.
- Dixie has Ghost written 'approximately one dozen' books for other authors, as well as co-authored and collaborated on many more.
- Many of her authors have enjoyed the success of being best sellers and award-winning authors too.
- Dixie is also a professional speaker and because of her experience in that area, ends up working with a lot of pro-speakers with their books.
- Sometimes, Dixie talks about herself in the third person. Hey, why not!
So, let's talk about your book project?
If you need it 'done for you' or you prefer to make it a more collaborative style project, we can explore that. First, let's find out what you want to have happen when you become an author, what kind of author or professional expert you want to be, and how I can support you in that process.
“When we stand in our power – we light up dark corners”
Let’s explore that….
As a teenager, my love for story began in the Amazon where I waterskied with piranha while learning about head hunters and curses. My first travel article about a visit to Dracula’s Bran Castle in Romania was published in The Los Angeles Times. My ghostwriting skills grew as I interviewed and reported on CEOs, celebrities, and style makers for World Travel Magazine, LA Parent, Jetsetter Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, and E! Entertainment Television. Location: Santa Cruz, CA Specialties: memoir, biography, business, self-help, global thought leaders, fiction, as well as screenplays. Years of Experience: 8 Magazines: LA Parent, World Travel Magazine Newspapers: The Los Angeles Times Networks: E! Entertainment Television Memberships: International Screenwriters Association, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Books & Screenplays: a true survival action-adventure feature about a man who nearly perished while snowboarding; a historical feature about The Farhud; a feature about a non-binary teen and his family’s journey of acceptance; a feature about a man who overcomes a life of crime to advise his state on prison reform; a historical band biopic about the most famous rock band in the Middle East; a female entrepreneur’s story of empowerment after abuse; a humorous and insightful story about a therapist’s global quest for happiness; a novel with a new twist about how to live for the moment; an inspirational cancer survival story, released in the English and Arabic languages; a fictional story of corporate intrigue set in the Middle East featuring the experiences of six women during the outbreak of the pandemic; an American woman’s quest to go all in on her lifelong dream of establishing a luxury sustainable import-export textile business in Africa where she discovers herself and must overcome her fears as the pandemic explodes; a scientist’s relatable, heartfelt story about the science behind happiness with a plan to retrain readers’ brains for better health, abundance, and happiness; a timely, gritty memoir about a Muslim man’s American immigrant experience; a book about blockchain and cryptocurrency from a minority female entrepreneur in the healthcare space; a memoir of the unlikely story of a doctor who becomes a highly successful sports and adventure photographer; an inspiring story about leadership skills from a woman who suffered the loss of 28 members of her friends and family in the 2011 tsunami in Japan; a book about lead generation; a book about how to lead and have a life; a book of fables illustrating the lessons learned on a mother’s journey to joy after her son’s suicide; a ghost story series based on a true story; and, a true-crime, star-crossed love story. How can you reach Laura: laurasmagicday.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraelliott/
https://www.instagram.com/laurasmagicday
I am a business author and ghostwriter.
I have five books about business and leadership published under my own name. I have also co-authored four books with leading management consultant Dr Mark Powell on organisational change and our concept of Performance Thinking, exploring what business can learn from the performing arts. These books have been variously translated into Chinese, Russian, Thai, Indonesian and Korean.
Most of my ghostwriting work is also around business and leadership—though I have also written books on how to buy private land for property development and on the use of venture capital techniques to drive innovation in American politics. I’m happy to take on any non-fiction project.
I have written the first volume of the autobiography of a leading businessman and adventurer, to be published in late 2022, and am currently working on the second volume.
I write a great deal of shortform work, typically in the form of op eds, blogs and articles to promote my own or my clients’ work.
My previous experience was in national newspapers and magazines. I was the publisher of BBC Worldwide’s BBC Music Magazine and the launch publisher of BBC History Magazine.
Specializing in memoirs, Sherry is a Ghostwriter, Certified Sports Nutritionist, National Speaker, and Nationally Certified Yoga/Pilates and Fitness Instructor with over 20 years of experience. She has ghostwritten over 150 books for a variety of authors including CEOs, attorneys, business owners, doctors, scientists, and clinical nutritionists including 5 that made Amazon’s bestseller list.
Sherry’s business background includes owning and operating 7 McDonald's restaurants, 14 World Gyms, and Smoothie Kings in 5 states. She also served as the On-Air Nutritionist for QVC television in the United States and the UK and hosted her own weekly “Healthy Living” segments for PBS television. Before attending Culinary School at the University of Montana, Sherry authored 2 healthy cookbooks, “Eat Right, Feel Good, Lose Weight, Have Fun – You won’t be hungry!” and “Soy You Wanna Lose Weight?”
A graduate of Michigan State University, Sherry’s experience in academic authoring includes writing books and dissertations for professors of universities, business owners, and CPAs. Specialties: Memoirs and books of any length, ebooks, e-courses, articles, blogs, and content for websites. Years of Experience: 20 Magazines: Sherry’s articles have been featured in FIRST, Woman’s Day, Better Homes and Gardens magazines and now she writes for FORBES and Entrepreneur Magazines.
Memberships: ACE, ISSA, NETA, ACSM, ASFA, BBU Books: I have ghostwritten over 150 books including 5 that made Amazon.com’s bestseller list. A list of titles can be found on my writing resume, linkedin.com or sherrywritesforyou.com. How to reach Sherry: By Email: sgfit12@aol.com By Phone: (517) 899-1451 By Website http://www.sherrywritesforyou.com or http://www.linkedin.com/sherry-l-granader.
Domini Hedderman is a ghostwriter, book coach, and editor who has guided 20+ clients through the process of creating their autobiographies and nonfiction books.
She has 25 years of experience in writing, editing, ghostwriting, coaching writing, teaching college writing, and leading life writing workshops. She is the principal of Your Book Boutique, a professional writing firm that provides one-on-one service helping people plan, write, edit, and self-publish their books. She offers her services independently and through the online freelance platform, Upwork.
With a background in writing and undergraduate and graduate degrees in English and Corporate Communications, Domini is dedicated to her vision of helping people get the books they’ve always wanted to write out of their heads and into the world. To date, she has ghostwritten seven books, which are a mix of autobiography and other topics (business, leadership, entrepreneurship, spiritual self-help, relationships, and pet care). Through her coaching and editing, she has assisted still more clients with books relating to wealth building, meditation, memoir, childhood development, teaching, and business.
Before focusing her efforts on ghostwriting, Domini spent six years homeschooling her kids and traveling the world. She wrote a memoir about that experience and has also written two genre fiction books. She soaks up the sunshine (and occasional hurricane) in southwest Florida with her husband and four (mostly grown) children.
Timothy Jacobs was born and raised in the New Haven area of Connecticut and now spends his time in New York, New Hampshire, and Florida living and working out of his Class A Motorhome with his wife. He has written and published 15 books and over 450 articles for various newspapers and magazines, including Gulf & Main magazine; Lighthouse Digest; Florida Weekly newspaper; and Connecticut Nutmegger. He is currently working on two fiction novels slated to be published in late 2022. He is the past president and past Corporate Board member of the Gulf Coast Writers Association. He is the founder and former editor for Patriots of the American Revolution magazine; former newsletter editor for the Sons of the American Revolution Caloosa Chapter; former news reporter for Shore Publishing, LLC; and has taught classes on conducting research, writing, and publishing. Besides JWC Publishing, he is also a publishing manager for the Throne Publishing Group, an instructor with the Oasis Senior Education Program of Upstate New York, and works with a private detective firm in upstate New York. JWC publishing has been a long-time goal of his and he’s excited to share his experience and help you get published. Specialties: Ghostwriting, Editing, Coaching Years of Experience: Full time since 2012 Magazines:
- Gulf & Main
- CT Nutmegger
- Lighthouse Digest
- Kracked Mirror Mysteries
- Writer’s Journal
- Common Patriot
- Patriots of the American Revolution
- Writer’s Weekly
Memberships:
- Association of Ghostwriters
- Editorial Freelancers Association
- Certified Storyway Guides Group
- Talent Council of Champions
- Scranton Writers Club
- Syracuse Business Networking Entrepreneurs
- Horror Authors Guild
Books: I’ve assisted countless authors with their books. How to contact Timothy: via email at tjacobs@jacobswc.com
Alice Lesch Kelly is an award-winning ghostwriter, book collaborator, and content marketing writer. She has collaborated on 18 books, including three NY Times bestsellers. Alice works with authors, literary agents, editors, and book packagers to create successful, life-changing books. She provides the following services: idea brainstorming, outline development, program design for how-to books, source interviews, research, proposal writing, manuscript writing, editing, proofreading, book doctoring, and coaching. She also help authors connect with agents and publishers, explore publishing options, and build their personal brand and platform. Location: Boston, MA, USA Specialties: Health, women’s leadership, psychology, business, and memoir Years of Experience: 20 Books:
- Prepare Yourself to be Lucky: Lessons and Stories from Business and Life
- The Dignity Mindset: A Leader’s Guide to Building Gender Equity in the Workplace
- The Doctor’s Diet (NY Times #1 Bestseller)
- The Lose Your Belly Diet (NY Times #1 Bestseller)
- Clean Design: A Guide to Eco-Friendly, Health-Conscious Home Decorating
- Uncovering Happiness: Overcoming Depression with Mindfulness and Self-Compassion
- Be Happy Without Being Perfect: How to Worry Less and Enjoy Life More
- Conquering Infertility: The Mind/Body Guide to Enhancing Fertility and Coping With Infertility
- Pregnancy: Your Ultimate Week-By-Week Guide
Magazine Credits: MORE, Woman’s Day, Fit Pregnancy, SELF, Shape, Prevention, Reader’s Digest, Health, Martha Stewart Living, Eating Well, and O, The Oprah Magazine Newspapers Credits: New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe Content Marketing Clients: Boston Globe BrandLab, Washington Post Brand Studio, March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, Pace Communications, Hired Pens Agency, Health Media Network
Art is an a full time freelance ghostwriter, author, conceptual/developmental editor, and publishing industry consultant specializing in nonfiction personal and business memoir and biography, as well as fiction and nonfiction novel. In a word, Art specializes in storytelling. He has ghostwritten or developmentally edited more than 30 books over the past 10 years, as well as editing articles in art, law, and psychology.
After 30 years in scholarly and academic publishing, Art left “corporate” in pursuit of his true passion for writing, ghostwriting, and conceptual editorial development. As Editorial Production Director for the world’s premier publisher of psychology and the behavioral sciences, he has edited for publication literally hundreds of monographs, textbooks, and journal articles in psychology, education, literacy and curriculum studies, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, communication, and rhetoric; topic areas in which he remains highly conversant. It was a vibrant atmosphere in which there was something new to be learned every single day!
Highly versatile with respect to writing style, Art brings a highly collaborative and compassionate partnership approach to the author-ghostwriter relationship (your story matters!), and has demonstrated a unique capacity for becoming the voice, heart, and soul of the author, in precisely the way an Oscar-winning actor becomes the role. He is the author of Nine Reasons Why You Need a Great Editor for Your Book.
You may learn more about Art’s background at his website www.artlizza.com; or contact him at artlizza@embarqmail.com.
Art studied Philosophy at St. Bonaventure University and NYU. His interests are in people and the great stories they have to tell.
Located In: Newton, New Jersey
Specialties: Nonfiction business and life memoirs, ghosting autobiography – bringing historical nonfiction alive with rich contextual content. “You sing the solo, I’ll provide the orchestra.” Fiction and nonfiction novel – providing a hybrid of conceptual editing and ghostwriting with diabolically imaginative story and character development.
Years of Experience: Editing 30+; ghostwriting 10 years
Memberships: Association of Ghostwriters; Kevin Anderson & Associates
Book Credits: Digital Context 2.0: Seven lessons in business strategy, consumer behavior, and the Internet of Things; 1825 Days of Hell: One man’s journey through the American Parole System; Branding Yourself After Age 50: Creating brand strategy for your life; Media Planning & Buying in the 21st Century; High Tech, High Touch Customer Service: Inspire timeless loyalty in the demanding new world of social commerce; United Spectrum: The unity and division of man and nature; and The Book of Zev (novel), Winner, 2017 Independent Press Award for Best Political Thriller.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Art is currently the featured writer on our Member Spotlight.
Rich Mintzer is an author and ghostwriter, with over 60 non-fiction titles to his credit. His books have been published by various publishing houses including Entrepreneur Press, Adams Media, St. Martin’s, Sterling and Crown. He is also the founder and owner of Your Book Your Way (www.yourbookyourway.net) a professional ghostwriting service.
Many of the books Rich has written are on business, such as ten books for the Entrepreneur Press “Start Your Own Business” series. He has also written, or ghostwritten, about personal finance, theater, golf, adoption, health and a variety of other topics.
Along with writing and editing books, Rich has worked with authors on numerous book proposals, tailoring them to fit the needs of the author as well as adhering to the style and format of standard book proposals.
And finally, Rich also writes blogs for business owners as well as marketing materials. Occasionally he even gets to infuse some humor into his projects, which he enjoys, having started out as a comedy writer for stand-up comics, The Rosie O’Donnell Show and the U.S.A. Network.
Rich lives in Westchester New York with his family.
Specialties: Books, book proposals, web content, feature articles, business materials, helping other people express themselves
Years of Experience: 26
Memberships: American Society of Journalists and Authors
Books Contributed to: My book list is on my website at: www.richmintzer.com
Magazines Contributed to: Westchester Magazine, Family Fun, In Style, Playbill, Real People, The Hollywood Reporter, Weight Watchers, Movie Times, Modern Maturity
With over thirteen years' experience in the fiction and non-fiction spheres, she has led teams as a senior writer, taken on roles as an editor, and worked for private clients in a range of capacities relating to the publishing industry. Her books have attracted thousands of 5-star reviews and remain some of the best-rated by readers amongst her publishing clients. She loves to tackle long-term series commitments as well as shorter term or one-off projects. Her services also include creating plot outlines and editing existing work.
Fiction Genres
Romance, Young Adult, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Historical Fiction, Erotica, Crime/Thriller/Mystery, LGBTQ+
Nonfiction
True Crime, Business, Memoir
Customer reviews
"Rhiannon is awesome! Not only is her work of the highest quality, it's also submitted quickly, well before deadline. She expertly nailed the voice I was going for without the need for any oversight, guidance, or corrections. She gets it!…and I absolutely recommend that you get her for your next project if / while you can, because surely her rates are going nowhere but up, up, up! Perfectly professional and so friendly that you can literally feel her smiles in her messages, Rhiannon is a great choice for your creative writing project. Thank you, Rhiannon!" - Novella
"It's always great to work with Rhiannon. Great writing and communication." - Historical romance novel
"Rhiannon was very easy to communicate and work with, and was a big help with editing some of the earlier chapters I had written. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for high quality editing work, and would definitely work with her again." - Fantasy novel
"Great job, as always. I love working with Rhiannon. Writing, communication and speed are top." - LGBTQ+ romcom novel
"I really love working with Rhiannon. She has a great writting style and is very professional and easy to work with. Looking forward to working with her again soon!" - Historical romance novel
"Very happy with Rhiannon's work. She has great writing style, exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!" - LGBTQ+ romance novella
Mark W. Tatge has more than 30 years experience as a writer and editor. He is former senior editor at Forbes and staff Reporter at the Wall Street Journal. He has taught business and journalism the past ten years and is author of two books. He holds an MBA from Ohio University and a Ph.D. from University of South Carolina.
Location: Chicago, IL
Specialties: Non-fiction writer with expertise in business and economics, in-depth interviews, ability to explain technical subjects simply and make them interesting. Interests include, legal, technology and medicine, corporate history, financial markets, and personal biographies.
Years of Experience: 30+
Magazines:
- Forbes Magazine, Senior Editor
- Wall Street Journal, Staff Reporter
Memberships:
- Independent Writers of Chicago
- Authors Guild
- Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing
- Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
- Association of Ghostwriters
- Investigative Reporters and Editors
- Online News Association.
Books:
- "New York Times Reader, Business and Economics."
- "In One Era and Out The Other, The Saga of Bobby D."
- "For Rent: Why Buying and Owning Rental Properties is a Proven Way to Build Retirement Savings."
How to reach Mark:
You can reach Mark via email mark@deadlinereporter.com
My Story
Featured in GQ UK Magazine and Courier's 100 Ways to Make a Living
Memoirs are about journeys, whether they be personal, professional, or somewhere in between. We all start out in one place in life and end up somewhere else. I grew up in America in a small town in northern New York near the Canadian border renting horror and sci-fi films from my local video store during the long, cold winters. After working in local TV Production at WSTM in Syracuse, I headed west where I worked for 15 years in Los Angeles in the film and television industry in various roles at small production companies before finally settling at 20th Century Fox Broadcasting. I always had one foot in the writing world on the side but, it wasn’t until I finished my Master's Degree in London that I realized how important cultural understanding and historical research is to the writing process. I completed my dissertation on the films of Kiyoshi Kurosawa in 2012 and, after a brief stint back in Live TV operations, began working as a writer of memoirs in late 2016. I became a British citizen in 2018 and now consider the UK my home where I enjoy the vibrant punk music scene.
Now with 5 years and more than 40 projects under my belt, my most valuable skill is adaptability. In my own essays, film, and book reviews, I strive to develop my own literary style. When approaching ghost and editorial projects, I research the background of the subject and write in the voice of the client. For editing projects and re-writes, I always consider the author's original intent and audience. I've worked with people from all walks of life ranging in age from 27 to 92 to help them create books both for private limited runs and commercial publication.
Melanie Votaw is a full-time freelance writer, editor, book author, ghostwriter, photographer, and publishing industry consultant in New York. She is the author of 14 non-fiction books on a variety of subjects – six published under her own name by Running Press/Perseus Books and eight ghostwritten. Her book, 52 Weeks of Passionate Sex, sold out its first printing within a week of release, and The Cocktail Kit sold more than 100,000 copies.
Business books that she has edited have won a total of 21 awards, including the Best Beach Books Festival Grand Prize, and a cookbook she edited made the New York Times Bestseller List. One of her ghostwritten business books was published by Hyperion, and three business titles that were originally self-published were released by Macmillan in seven countries.
Melanie provides services to individuals and publishing houses as a ghostwriter, developmental editor/book doctor, line editor/copy editor, and book proposal writer and editor. Additionally, she is an extensively published journalist, photographer, poet, and fiction writer. She is also a magna cum laude college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a minor in music.
Her website is http://www.RuletheWord.com. Contact her at Melanie@ruletheword.com.
Located In: Brooklyn, NY
Specialties: Popular Business, Medicine/Health, Law, Self-Help, Travel, Food/Wine, Nature/Wildlife, Sexuality, Psychology, Spirituality, Dance, Music, Film, Theater, Art, Photography
Years of Experience: 12+
Memberships: Authors Guild; Association of Ghostwriters; International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association; New York Travel Writers Association; International Travel Writers Alliance
Honors: Edited books have won 21 awards; poetry and photography awards
Books Contributed to: Besides the 14 books that Melanie has written or ghostwritten, she is a contributor to the following books: Five Minute Erotica (two stories), More Five Minute Erotica (three stories), Faces of Freedom (one story about a fallen soldier in the Iraq War), “The Exultant Ark” (one photograph), The Ultimate Bird Lover (14 photographs).
Magazines Contributed to: Melanie has written articles for a number of magazines and newspapers, including Woman’s Day, South China Morning Post, Travel Savvy, Executive Travel, Business Insider, Just Luxe, YourTango, Independent Restaurateur, Restaurant Management, Reel Life With Jane, Kraze, Copper in the Arts, Ft. Myers Magazine, Minerva Place, Super Yacht Times, Travel Mindset, Travelers Digest, Farewell Travels, and more. Clips can be read at http://www.RuletheWord.com/clips.htm.