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Six rules for collaborators on books and other projects
Rule One: Don't undertake a book or other project unless you have the time to do it properly. Even a ghosted speech will  require some consultation with David to make certain it reflects your thoughts. He knows how to research and write; he cannot, however, do ESP. Plan ahead and carve out the time in your schedule so David can give you the most for your money. He's great with email, if that's your thing, and also can work well over the phone.
Rule Two: Make certain your book, article or other effort is different enough from existing ones on the same topic. As part of his books proposal services, David can help you research the competition for comparision's sake, though he does not guarantee to uncover all rivals. In some cases you may want to ask others within your field.
Rule Three: Try not to run out of steam once you and David are actually working on the book. Keep a notebook or recorder handy to preserve your thoughts as they come to you. And bone up on your topic and subtopics, if you don't already know them cold, rather than just expecting everything to come from your friendly ghost.
Rule Four: Let David do his professional best--don't expect every word to be yours. Otherwise why pay for editorial services? A writer or editor is just that--and not a transcriptionist. Let a pro improve the odds. If you and David are writing for a trade journal, then the information will probably count more than the style anyway.
At the same time, yes, the general tone and language of should be credible. Madonna shouldn't sound like Jack Welch and vice versa. And speeches? They should sound closer to you than books and articles do.
Rule Five: If you're paying for a speech, then get your money's worth--by way of full text, not just index cards or PowerPoint slides. You can post the words on the Internet, send out copies to friends and business associates and perhaps convert the speech to a trade magazine article.
For the actual delivery, you can use index cards or PowerPoint. David's fees will be for the writing and perhaps the research of actual speech rather than for the visual aids. He can rough out the speech in PowerPoint, of course, but will leave the graphics to you.
Rule Six: All along don't stint on candid feedback. David hates surprises and hopes that you do, too.
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Jack Welch, Madonna, Lee Iaccoca, Hillary Clinton--they've all have used ghostwriters. But the most useful ghostwriting and other collaborative work may be for people you'll never find in People.
A Washington consultant learned first-hand how valuable David Rothman's help could be. He expected to pay thousands of dollars to publish his book himself. Instead David and the consultant split a five-figure advance from a Dow Jones subsidiary. And each got his name on the cover. The man ended up in both the Washington Post and on public television--and gained new attention and more credibility within his profession. Usually David will charge for book proposals, but in extremely rare situations, if the project impresses him as sufficiently commercial, you won't pay him a nickel. He'll then share the possible advance and the possible royalties from the publisher.
A versatile ghost with his own public credits
David's collaborative services come in many flavors.
He's a quick study and can work with you on books and book proposals, authorized corporate biographies, family histories, articles, speeches, sales letters, you name it.
David has written six books and is experienced at both narrative and straight exposition, especially the how-to variety. He has published with Ballantine Books, St. Martin's and other fine companies and has authored books and articles on topics ranging from laptop computers to financial planning.
"Sprightly, thorough"
The Washington Post praised David's Silicon Jungle for "sprightly, thorough reporting on a fast-changing industry," and the New York Times described his XyWrite Made Easier as "a first-rate guide to a first-rate word-processor."
What's more, David can not only write or help write your book but also can promote it on the Web and through other means such as fliers. That can improve your book's odds in the marketplace.
At the same time David will not promise riches for you from ghostwritten books or other collaborations. Publishers churn out tens of thousands of books each year, and only a few sell well enough to make truly serious money. Ignore the con artists who guarantee best-sellers. The odds are just too fearsome.
David as your career builder--or business builder
Still, a book can enhance your career and maybe boost your income that way. A former Washington journalist used his already-honed editorial skills--no, David was not involved--to build up a financial planning firm with $1.5 billion in managed assets.
Of course speeches and trade magazines articles can also look good on your resume. And David will be there to provide friendly assistance through ghostwriting and related services.
Bottom line? Forget about Oprah and get practical. David's editorial savvy will strengthen your existing credentials as a top executive, manager, consultant or other professional.
And if you're an entrepreneur? Then a collaboration with David could be one way to grow your business.
Services
David can do the following:
- Offer friendly and confidential feedback on your ideas, not just your book or article or other project. Yes, you could consult with a friend or professional colleague, but David is a way to enjoy feedback without risking loss of face. What's more, while hardly omniscient on any topic, he is strong in such areas as the Internet, high tech in general, media and finance. On other topics he'll function simply as an open-minded layperson. Remember, even the best-written nonfiction will be useless if the facts and ideas are wrong. Beyond evaluating your ideas as ideas, David can also give you a feeling for the salability of your project to publishers, magazines or other outlets.
- Determine which medium is best. What you think is a wonderful book idea might actually work out better as an article for a trade journal in your field. Besides, if the article is a hit, you can then go on to a book. In the other direction, David may suggest that you turn your speech into an article.
- Ascertain the best kind and level of assistance. David can provide services ranging from editing to a full-fledged collaboration, with a byline for both him and you. He'll determine if the project would be suitable for a commercial publisher; and, if not, he will explore ways to self-publish--either in print or electronically. For clients wanting the most inexpensive form of publication, David can investigate the possibility of a Web site selling copies of your book. You might even charge people by the chapter, just so you understand that the Big Money is far from guaranteed.
- Work with you on an outline. The organization of a book or article is a highly subjective process, but as a professional with decades of writing experiences, David can speed up the process. Book proposals will include at least one sample chapter--a "must" in most cases if you truly want a sale.
- Get your thoughts down on paper himself, via notes. On long projects David will use a professional transcriptionist. David can also work with researchers or in many do his own research to augment yours, just so it's understand that you bear the ultimate responsibility for the facts in your work.
- Write the first draft and weave in your suggestions. He'll do books chapter by chapter and make certain you are happy as he goes along. David can work via email and use Word, WordPerfect or other formats available through Microsoft Word XP. Or he can team up with you the old-fashioned way--via paper and fax. But if you're comfortable with the higher-tech approach, you'll save time and money. For fast transfer of files, David can benefit from a high-speed Internet connection.
- Help you decide which publication or publisher might be most appropriate. For projects with sufficient commercial potential, he'll work with a top agent.
COSTS
Contact David for the specifics since a number of variables exist, such as the additional time needed to research or write about a complex or obscure topic. But here are a few examples: $500 and up for the creation of articles, at least $750 for speeches, $1,500 and up for writing book proposals, and $25,000 and up for books done for flat fees. These costs include only David's fees. Payment will be 50 percent up front for minor projects and on a chapter-by-chapter basis for work-for-hire books, with each chapter paid for in advance. This last requirement will actually be to your advantage since book projects should not be undertaken with less than full seriousness.
As noted, in extremely rare cases, if David thinks the commercial odds are good enough, he will do a book proposal at no cost in return for a share of the advance and royalties.
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