Member Spotlight: Stephanie Smith
How did you land your first book ghostwriting project?
In 2020, my friend, entrepreneur and author Tina Wells needed someone to write her middle grade fiction series, “The Zee Files.” I’d always wanted to write children’s fiction so I jumped at the opportunity. One book turned into six in that series. From there, we’ve written ten books together, including her self help book, “The Elevation Approach: Harnessing the Power of Work-Life Harmony to Unlock Your Creativity, Cultivate Joy, and Reach Your Biggest Goals.”
What is your favorite type of project or client?
I am drawn to book projects where the subject has an unorthodox story or challenge that ultimately proves to be their superpower or secret sauce to their success or expertise. People who are underdogs or who’ve overcome significant life challenges have learned hard lessons that can be impactful. I also love a client who knows what they want to say, but is still open to figuring out how best to explore their ideas. I find these clients are more understanding to the ebbs and flows of the creative process. Books are not churned out like widgets in a factory!
What’s your favorite question to ask clients during an interview?
What music do you listen to? Music reveals a lot about a person’s taste, influences and connection to culture. Also, what do you do to work out–do you yoga, lift weights, meditate? I want to know what people do for recreation, and what those endeavors help them discover about themselves. I’ll ask these in various ways, not always straightforward. I also pay close attention to people in action while we’re getting to know each other. I pay attention to how people treat the waiter at a restaurant, or their assistant, or how they answer phone calls or e-mails. Those behaviors are all very telling about one’s personality, and also let me know if what they are telling me for their book truly aligns with who they are in real life.
What are the best parts of this career?
I truly love meeting new people and hearing about people’s journey to their success. We all have so much to learn from one another that I truly enjoy hearing about people’s backgrounds and how they landed where they are. I also love when people come to me and say, “I don’t know if I have a story,” because those clients often have the best stories. People who say this often knock me sideways with how rich their story actually is and how much impact they could have on others by sharing it.
What’s one thing clients might be surprised to know about you?
That while I can cheerlead and sell anyone I think is great to the rest of the world, I am the absolute worst at self-promotion.
How can people reach you?
You can contact me at stephanie@stephaniesmithwrites.com and check out my website and portfolio at stephaniesmithwrites.com. You can also see me in my latest adventures on IG at @stefsmith
