Member Spotlight: Mela Frye
How did you land your first book ghostwriting project?
Most of my career was actually teaching creative writing—first to college students and then, for over a decade, to high schoolers. But when I burned out and wanted more time with my kids, I left the classroom for a ghostwriting gig with a hybrid publisher. My first project was a dating guide for men, written with three coaches, and, I’ll admit, I braced for locker-room advice. What I found instead were three deeply sincere experts who cared about loneliness and helping their clients build enough confidence to do something about it. I was hooked on ghostwriting. It turned out not to be so different from teaching. I’m still helping people figure out what’s at the heart of their story and how to tell it in the truest, most memorable way.
What is your favorite type of project or client?
Quite honestly, my favorite clients become friends. Interesting, funny, warm, generous of spirit—the kind of person whose stories I’d happily listen to for a year. It’s great when a client arrives knowing exactly what they want to say, though plenty of my authors don’t yet, and figuring that out together is half the pleasure. Mostly I’m drawn to memoir projects that aim to tell something true, in a beautiful way, in order to do some genuine good in the world.
What’s your favorite question to ask clients during an interview?
“Have you ever noticed that connection… between X and Y?” The process of writing a memoir—telling your stories out loud, day after day, to someone listening with fresh ears and an eye toward structure and throughline—reveals patterns the author has never seen. Deep into one client’s book, we realized together that a childhood story about chasing hyenas off her family’s land in rural Africa had taught her exactly how to hold her ground in a boardroom decades later. She’d been using that skill her whole career without being able to name where it came from.
What are the best parts of this career?
I love getting to know people and their stories. I love the intimacy and trust that comes with this unique relationship. I’m always learning, and each new project allows me to deep dive into new subjects and worlds I might never know otherwise. Also, having agency over my time and schedule is no small thing.
What’s one thing clients might be surprised to know about you?
My background is in poetry. And it turns out poetry makes a happy bedfellow with memoir—I spent years learning to compress, to build an image in place of explanation, and to find the one detail that makes a reader feel something. That’s what memoir asks for, too.
How can people reach you?
The best way to reach me is by email: fryemela@gmail.com. I offer a free, no-pressure 30-minute call to see whether we’re a good fit. I’ll hear the basics and goals of your project, then give you honest answers about the process, timeline, and cost. Even if you’re nowhere near ready to start, it’s worth the half hour.
