THE WRITER/EDITOR RELATIONSHIP: PATIENCE

I’d say 95 percent of the clients I work with on book editing projects are filled with impatience. As a writer as well as a book editor, I of course understand this feeling perfectly. It makes sense. For the most part, developing writers approach me with a first or second or third draft, or even sometimes a memoir or novel they’ve worked on for years, and they have a specific plan for how they want that project to go.

The problems with this attitude are many-fold. For one thing, the majority of developing writers out there don’t necessarily understand how “the industry” works, and also how book editing itself works. Due to the popularity of writing nowadays, people have been told they can very easily self-publish or simply hire a book editor for a quick edit and then, ZOOM; you’re getting published!

This couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is that writing and editing (and publishing) take a long. Freaking. Time.

For me, as your book editor, I want your work to be the very best it can be. This means I want to often do two, three, even four or more (usually it’s two-to-three) developmental edits (general edit looking at plot, structure, pace, characters, setting, voice, logic concerns, etc) and then a line edit after that. This process easily can take anywhere between six months to a full year or longer. That’s right, you heard correctly; up to a full year. As you move through the process (and you’ll take time off each draft to allow your eyes to become objective with your own work again) you will undoubtedly become a stronger writer. This is part of the point. Also, you can do some research and try to understand agents, query letters (which I can help you with as well) and the market a little better so that when we’re done, you’ll have a better grasp on what you’re doing.

I do not do copy editing anymore, only developmental and line editing (line is going through the whole manuscript line by line and strengthening your writing) which means you’ll still have to then hire either a copy editor or a proofreader when you’re done with me. That’s another post. But the point of everything I’m saying is: SLOW DOWN AND BE PATIENT. Let me let you in on a little trade secret: Good novels and good memoir (I only work with novels and memoir) come from writers who take their time, slow down, and put out their very best work. Don’t rush the process! As a client, be willing to be teachable. Remain humble. You don’t have to swallow everything I tell you, and by all means, disagree with whatever you wish (and we can discuss each issue/concern) but don’t make the rookie mistake of either rushing your not-truly-ready manuscript to agents or even worse perhaps, releasing an unprepared self-published book into the digital world that isn’t your best material. We’ve all seen some grizzly stuff out there, and you don’t want to be in that category.

Instead, do the right thing and take it slow. Yes, each draft is going to cost you more money, but it’s worth the price when you consider what you’re getting back: A solid, tight, finished product worthy of readers’ expectations. I am a published writer, a freelance book editor, and a former literary agent’s assistant at a reputable firm in the Bay Area, so I know how all this works from a personal as well as professional standpoint. I have worked with clients like Christian Picciolini (“Romantic Violence: Memoirs of an American Skinhead”) and have seen clients like Lori Windsor Mohr (“The Road at my Door,” Alfie Dog Press) and Tom Pitts (“Hustle,” Snubnose Press) get their books published successfully. I worked with Christian for over a year on a book he’d been working on for a decade. Lori Windsor Mohr worked on her novel for a decade. Tom Pitts I worked with through the agency I was with and we went through several drafts.

The point? You don’t need to spend a decade on your book, or even half that. But you do need, in my opinion, to spend some real time going over your material to make sure it shines brightly and performs its main functions: to entertain, to teach, and to enlighten.

Are you ready for me to help take your novel or memoir to the next level? Got the patience? Give me a try.

Write on.

“You said it. Let’s edit.”

Michael Mohr

***

Have a project for me? Send me the first chapter as a word.doc, a description (short) of the book and of the author, and a basic description of your desires and goals as pertaining to the project to michaelmohreditor@gmail.com. Also, I have some interest in performing my first ghostwriting project of a memoir. If you are interested in this, I am willing to charge the low rate of .25 cents/word for this service (about $20K for an 80K word book). This would be my first ghost book and would take probably the better part of a year when you factor in interviews, research, notes, phone conversations, and the actual writing drafts and arriving at the final draft. Pitching this project to agents and help with query letters, synopses and proposals could be negotiated as well for an additional [hourly] rate.

NEED A GHOSTWRITER?

I want to talk about ghostwriting. I am considering getting in on the practice of doing it. It is far more lucrative than book editing, and far simpler in terms of 1-2 contracts per year and 1-2 clients per year, versus half a dozen or more for book editing clients.

Doing research, I located an experienced ghost writer, Laura Sherman, “The Friendly Ghostwriter,” and emailed a bit with her. Based off my experience as a book editor and published writer, she said, I could reasonably charge .25 cents a word. So, for an 80,000 word book, say, that’s $20K. A heck of a lot more than the $1,600 a book editing charge (for an 80,000 word book).

But it’s not just the money, of course. I think I’d be good at it. And the benefit goes to the client, also, in terms of them getting their book ghostwritten for less than it’d cost to go to a seasoned pro. It’s like working with a psychotherapist intern versus a seasoned, licensed therapist. One isn’t necessarily “better” than the other; they both bring things to the table; the real question is, Which one is a fit for you?

Mainly I’d like to try my hand at ghostwriting a memoir. Possibly fiction—adult or Young Adult—but I’ve been hot on memoir lately so I think that might be a good choice. Let me give you my reason for why I think I’d be a great ghostwriter for you.

Number one, I am a former literary agent’s assistant with a big Bay Area firm, so I learned the inside of the industry in terms of why writers are rejected, how to query agents, book editing style, and what makes a good novel or memoir. Number two, I have been a successful book editor for several years now, working with both published and unpublished authors in fiction and memoir. My latest memoir was Christian Picciolini’s “Romantic Violence: Memoirs of an American Skinhead,” the true tale of an ex neo-Nazi skinhead who changed his life for good and became an activist for love and truth, which has been selling well and has been garnering appearances on major news networks like CNN, NBC, CBS, as well as forums like Glen Beck TV Program, VICE Magazine, etc. The foreword was written by Joan Jett.

Number three, I am a published writer. I have had over a dozen short stories published in various literary journals and magazines, fiction and memoir, and I have written five full-length novels. Also, I am in the process of writing my own memoir as we speak.

So, as you can see, I would be a pretty good candidate for ghostwriting. Actually, I have had several people approach me over the years and inquire into me doing just that. And at the time I said no. But now, I have started to shift my perspective and am currently interested in giving it a shot.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the art/practice of ghostwriting, it is simply when you bring your idea to me and I do the actual writing. I write the book, but it’s your story and your name only on the cover (unless we agreed my name would be included). I would begin as all ghostwriters do by interviewing you, taking notes, reading any primary and secondary documents and already written material you may have. And then, after we’d signed a contract and you’d paid me the first half or partial payment we agreed upon, I would begin the actual writing of the novel or memoir.

The procedure would be that I would write a chapter and then submit it to you for review. If you liked it, we move on to chapter two. If you have minor issues, we go over them. If you have major issues, we stop and go over the chapter, getting it right before moving onto the next chapter. So by the end of the project we have a book we both love (more importantly that you love) and an agreed-upon total fee based off word count not hours (which means the fee remains constant; also, the fee is based solely off the final word count, not any extra words I come up with pre-final draft. So if you pay for 80,000 words, that’s final. Also, we might wait until the end to see where the word count lands, versus coming up with a pre-determined word count to land on).

So if any of you out there would like to try me out and give me a shot, I would be happy to hear your idea. Again, I have the background and skill set to do this, and the client would save between $10-30K on the book because this would be my first ghost-book. We’re talking most likely 6-9 months for a project to be completed, so please do keep that in mind.

Ready to get your ghost on? Email me at: michaelmohreditor@gmail.com.

Write on.

“You said it. Let’s edit. Or ghostwrite.”

Michael Mohr

THE PRACTICE OF WRITING

I think one of the hardest things for a writer is discipline. If you’re serious about writing—like I am—then you’ll set a schedule for yourself. Stephen King says ‘If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.’ That’s true. You need to read a lot and write a lot and, mainly, you have to set aside time for the art and craft of writing.

Many people out there, frankly, call themselves writers but don’t actually write very often. That’s fine. I’m not judging here or talking trash about those people. Do what feels right for you, always. What I am saying is that, again, If you’re a serious writer who wants to get published in today’s tough marketplace, then you seriously need to find that discipline and run with it.

My advice is to set aside an hour each morning. Start with that, or even forty-five minutes. Turn the inner critic off. Let go of the editor’s brain; allow yourself to simply write. Maybe you write about your work day yesterday, maybe you write about your kids, your husband or wife, your education, your personal issues, your internal struggles, your pain, your love, etc. It doesn’t matter. The point is to get that pen moving or those fingers typing each and every morning. Or middle of the day, or night, or whatever works for you with your particular schedule.

Nicholas Sparks, author of The Notebook, says that if you are a serious writer you will write every day. He says he wrote several ‘starter’ books that will probably never get published because he simply needed to get them out of his creative womb and experience what it was like to write a novel-length work. I have done the same. I have written five full-length novels to date. My suspense novel is ready. This time I have done the editing, rewriting, and revisions, and I know the market. I’ve done my query, synopsis, and have researched prospective appropriate potential literary agents and know what to say. I am excited by this!

One of the key things I can relate about writing a book is that it takes time and patience. I wrote this current book three and a half years years ago. I have been editing, revising, redrafting, etc, since then. Originally I wrote the first draft in about nine months. About a year ago, I received some harsh criticism on the book and decided, partially as a result, to go back in and edit. I ended up rewriting the entire book. Yup. From start to finish. It was really fun, actually, but I then ended up with 110,000 words, which is way too long for a [debut] novel. So I went back in and cut. Anything not directly moving the plot/story forward, I cut. Now it’s down to 87,000 I love watching a book whittle down to its appropriate size; it’s a fun experience.

If you are an aspiring writer with a novel or memoir and need help with it or just need a new, fresh pair of professional eyes, please contact me. I am a freelance [developmental] book editor and former literary agent’s assistant. As a published writer myself (see my fiction at Alfie Dog Press), I know what it takes to get your work tight. As a former lit agent’s assistant, I know what agents’ seek and how their brains’ work.

Email me your project and a query if you have one to: michaelmohreditor@gmail.com. Make sure to check out the EFA (Editorial Freelancers Association) for pro rates and other info helpful to writers, as well as Preditors and Editors, a site that keeps us all honest by exposing fraudulent agents, editors, and publishers out there. Never pay an agent money! They get paid via your advance and royalties (a percentage).

Write on.

“You said it. Let’s edit.”

Michael Mohr