MEMOIR GHOSTWRITING

You’ve thought about writing one for years. Don’t put it off any longer. Share your life story with the world.

A memoir can immortalize your experiences, provide a literary heirloom for your family, celebrate your achievements, and help you remember and relive your experiences.

Unfortunately, most memoirs are not well written. It is an art form that demands a professional’s touch as much as any other book. A ghostwriter takes your life experience and converts it into a narrative that will interest a wide audience.

How Does It Work?

We’ll start by discussing your ideas for the book, your goals, and your target audience, and then the ghostwriter will shape a book plan (a detailed outline, basically) crafted to enable you to tell the story you want to tell.

When that is finished, the writing begins. Most of the content will be gathered from interviews between you and the ghostwriter (about one hour per chapter), supplemented by outside research as needed. You’ll have to chance to review each chapter and give feedback to make sure we get the voice, style, and content right. For an extra fee, we’ll also take care of proofreading, typesetting, formatting, design: everything you need to get your book out into the world.

What Does It Cost and How Long Does It Take?

For a typical 45,000-word book (around 175 pages printed), the cost is $32,000 (paid in installments).

We can start with a test chapter first for $2000 so you don’t have to commit to the whole project all at once.

It takes four to six months to complete the book though shorter time frames are possible.

Can I Use a Memoir to Promote My Business and/or to Publish for a Wider Audience?

Certainly. In fact, some of the best books on the market (and the most rewarding projects we’ve personally penned) have combined some elements of “business book” with “memoir.” Coaches or speakers, for example, and other folks involved in the business of inspiration and personal empowerment often use their own life story as a means to express an important message and attract new clients and better opportunities.

Whether you are writing primarily for friends and family or whether you hope to share your story with the world at large, our approach at Oceanside is the same: to help you create the best memoir possible, one that even a stranger would be eager to pick up, and which friends, family, and colleagues (bless their hearts) are not reading merely because they like you but because they genuinely find the writing engaging.

What Makes a Good Memoir?

The ingredients for writing a good memoir are much the same as a good novel. Compelling characters. A riveting story. An engaging style and voice. And a powerful theme to tie it all together.

One thing a memoir is NOT is a complete narration of everything that happened from birth until now. It makes for rather boring reading. So one thing you plan with your ghostwriter is which stories to include, and which to leave out.

Also, think more in terms of “people” than “events.” Who have been the influential, inspiring figures in your life? Who has made you who are you? Who were your adversaries? Every good story has good guys as well as bad guys.

Ultimately, your memoir will succeed or fail in your ability to create memorable characters and explore their relationships, as that is the emotional heart of a story.

Who Is Your Audience?

At Oceanside, our philosophy is simple: whether you’re writing for an intimate group of people who know you well, or for a wider audience, whether you self-publish or pursue a book deal with a traditional publisher, we will create an excellent book, one that people read not because they know you, but because they enjoy it.

That said, the story you craft will be different depending on whom you’re trying to reach. When writing for people who already know you, you have more leeway to talk about episodes that might not be as interesting to the general public. Some memoir authors face a dilemma around how to address topics of an intimate nature, or speak candidly about friends and family who may have wronged them. This may be an essential part of your narrative, but it can be tricky to figure out how to put unflattering truths about real people in writing. Even if you fictionalize the name, they may know you’re talking about them. Sometimes, however, the project calls for candor. There is no right or wrong answer. It is up to you. Your ghostwriter will counsel you on this part of the process too.