A. Co-authoring, also called "ghostwriting" or "as told to" is a partnership. I, or another writer on my staff, write your memories, feelings and message in a book-length manuscript. That book, however, is always yours. A recent client said, "This sounds like I just sat down and wrote it myself!"--and this is the go-author's goal: to find and use your sensibility and point of view--what we call your writing "voice"-- to ghostwrite the lifestory you have to tell.

Our work together has a mutual goal--to tell the story that's important to you, and to tell it in your way.

Q. How does co-authoring (ghostwriting) work?

A. Successful co-authoring has several components.

Interviews--
The foundation of co-authoring is the interview process during which your co-author gets to know you and becomes familiar with your lifestory. Your ghostwriter learns how you relate to your story and how you wish to impart it to your audience. You meet with your writer by telephone on a schedule that works for you.

Support materials--
You also send me material--perhaps a manuscript you've started, notes, lists, newspaper clippings, maps, photocopies of documents such as letters and certificates, and photographs. You and your memoir writer review these together and s/he learns how these puzzle pieces of your lifestory go together. Some of these items will be scanned to become illustrations in your printed book. Others simply serve as background info.

Filling in the gaps--
Soon your ghostwriter needs to fill in the gaps and learn the links you see between the pieces of information you have shared. This may be achieved by internet-based research to identify historical details you've forgotten, or to broaden the context of your experiences. Your co-author prepares questions for your next phone meeting and as you answer them, s/he types details into the growing document. Clients often feel that these questions prompt an interesting and creative process of re-evaluation--explaining the how and why so that your story now provides you with new, or unexpected, insights about your life.

Chapters for review as they are written--
As the manuscript grows, you receive chapters for review. (This can be done by email attachment or in hard copy.) You approve the pages or annotate the manuscript with changes and discuss them over the telephone. You may also want to fax some changes, or mail in a photocopy of the annotated text. The text is always subject to your approval.

Your story, your vision--
Your vision for the story always dominates. The process is called co-authoring because you play an active part--you are the other co-author. Your insight and point of view are constantly solicited and always stand at the core of the writing. The ghostwriter's job is to stay behind the scenes and provide the writing expertise to make your story a coherent, interesting book.


Q. "I know an English teacher who will give my memoir manuscript a read through. He's agreed to correct grammar and sentence structure." Isn't that what I need? Can't I just get away with that?

A. That's well and good for what it's worth (and good grammar is worth a lot!), but it's almost always never enough. Unless a person has written a book before, s/he will know little about shaping and pacing a lengthy manuscript, about sustaining themes and building suspense or foreshadowing. A professional co-author is experienced in just these aspects.

Being able to deconstruct a story in an English class is not anything like creating a manuscript. Your English teacher will probably get stuck in the small picture of sentences and miss the larger needs of your book.

Q. How long will it take?

A. Because each project is unique, it's impossible to predict. Some clients come with small commemorative projects for a family member or business event and have a deadline to meet. Others have an entire lifetime of experience and achievement to be recorded and explained and are not concerned about an end date.

One factor is how much of the preparation work you have already done--planned the book, assembled the photographs and support documents, written some text or even a rough draft. The project will move along more quickly if you are easily and often available for telephone meetings and for reviewing chapters as soon as they are written.

Some clients have an end date in mind--an anniversary or holiday. If you have a deadline for finishing your book, we will do everything possible to meet it. We are more likely to be able to do so if you communicate with us about your project as soon as possible.

Q. Who's name goes on the book cover?

A. That choice is always yours. As a minimum, I request that I am mentioned on your acknowledgement page with a line such as, "Thanks to Soleil Lifestory Network and to Denis Ledoux for the assistance given to this project."

Convention also allows that your co-author may be included on the cover-- "by Your Name and Denis Ledoux" or "by Your Name as told to Denis Ledoux."

The choice is yours.

Q. How do I know if you and I are a good match for such an important project?

A. You get to try it out! I offer a free 30-minute telephone consultation during which we can meet and discuss your project in detail.

In addition, if you choose to work with us, you may terminate our working relationship at any time. All the materials developed up to that date will be yours--always. Should you end our co-authorship before the publication of your book, the manuscript such as it exists will be yours to do with as you please--including passing it on to another ghostwriter.

Request your consultation now by calling 207-353-5454 or click here to send an e-mail.

Q. Will you publish my book when it is finished?

A. At Soleil Press, we do not purchase manuscripts for publication.

We do have all the technical skills to help you to self-publish your book. In addition to co-authoring your book, we can design it, do the pre-press preparation of files for the printer and work closely with the printer and binder to be sure the results are what you expect. Your memoir will have all the features of a professionally designed and published book and it will have the look and feel of you.

Click here for more info about our Book Production services.

Q. What are the advantages of hiring Soleil to prepare my book for self-publication?

A. While anyone could master the processes of book design and layout, pre-press file preparation and working with a print house, the learning curve is steep. If you are publishing just one book--or even a few, is it worth the investment of time and energy to learn these skills yourself? Our experience goes back to 1988. We've already gone through the mistakes-to-learn-from stage!

If I (or another writer on our staff) has co-authored your book, staying with Soleil for publication means you're working with people who already know you and your manuscript. It's a seamless process from writing to illustrating to design and layout.

During the later stages of co-authoring, you will gather and sort through photos and other materials that will suggest and inform the design. That's when our book design and pre-press staff, begins to think about your project and starts the creative process that will result in a dynamic cover and interior design that fits your story, your style, and your budget.