I have worked for almost four decades – from 1980 through January of 2020 – on the editorial side of the decision-making process, at the biggest and most prestigious trade publishing house in the world. I have reviewed literally thousands of proposals, selecting the few that I have urged that we pursue, and convincing our publishing team to bid on and acquire. Some 55 have gone on to become New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers. I can help you to shape an idea, create a proposal, and write a manuscript that will not only excite publishers, but speak to the broader public you hope to reach.

In addition to my freelance work, I recently joined Kevin Anderson & Associates as a Senior Executive Editor, working with their talented group of writers, editors and publishing professionals. See my contact information at Kevin Anderson & Associates on the Contact page.

Proposals Crafted

The Future Self:  The Science Behind Better Anticipating the Person You Will Become, by Hal Hershfield, Professor of Marketing, Behavior Science and Psychology at the Anderson School of Business, UCLA, sold to Little Brown in 2021.

All In: How Values Create Value, and Other Lessons I’ve Learned in Launching Startups, by JET.com founder, Walmart President and CEO of U.S. eCommerce, and serial entrepreneur Marc Lore, sold to the Crown imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, Penguin Random House in 2022.

Breathing Free: Lessons in Living from an American by Choice, by renowned quality guru and business consultant Subir Chowdhury, based on his hugely popular commencement address.  Received a six figure offer from one of the five major publishing houses.

Books Ghostwritten

Inside the NRA: A Tell-All Account of Corruption, Greed and Paranoia Within the Most Powerful Political Group in America, by Joshua L. Powell, former chief of staff to NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre.  Published by Twelve, an imprint of Hachette, in September of 2020, with a major marketing and publicity campaign and a six figure first printing.

The Little Book of Big Ethical Questions, by Susan Liautaud, Professor at Stanford University and advisor to global leaders and corporate and government institutions on ethical matters.  Published by Simon & Schuster in April of 2022.

The 10X Mentor by bestselling author and leadership guru Grant Cardone.  Cardone Enterprises has several million followers, and his books and the audios of his work have sold hundreds of thousands of copies.  Published as an Audible original in June 2022.

Books Edited

Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West, by Calder Walton, Professor of History at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.  To be published for Father’s Day.  I worked closely with Professor Walton for a year on the development, shaping and refining of the manuscript.  This is Simon & Schuster’s lead nonfiction title for the summer of 2023.

Creating Book Proposals That Sell

I will work with you to create a proposal that will light up the eyes of editors, publishers, and publicists alike. Look, it has never been harder to sell a book proposal than it is today. Projects that a decade ago sold for solid advances are routinely passed on, as editors look for that one gem that has the potential to break out in a big way and dominate a category.

It all starts with the idea, the conceit of the book. It must be fresh, compelling, offer a unique perspective and voice, and ideally present a surprising take on a topic. I know what has sold, and what ideas publishers have seen a dozen times before, and simply turn down. What distinguishes a run of the mill negotiation book or memoir from a project that can become an instant classic.

Next, I’ll help you to craft a killer synopsis and sample chapter, so that publishers can see the project’s potential on the page, rather than having to reimage what it could be with the right guidance and development (which too often today results in a rejection).

And I will work with you on strengthening your platform. After the idea itself, publishers look to the author’s platform – his or her ability to help publicize the book and drive sales. In this market, the stronger your platform, the better the odds are of your book becoming one of the one-in-ten that actually sells in the bookstores and makes money.

Ghostwriting/Co-authoring manuscripts

I have worked closely, story by story, line by line, in shaping manuscripts, re-writing chapters and turning projects that are sometimes seemingly unworkable into bestselling books that others go out of their way to recommend through social media and word of mouth. It can be done. But how much better is it to work together from the onset to create an engaging narrative with unforgettable stories and insights. It is always your book. But I can serve as the handmaiden to your literary efforts, in creating a logical structure and framework, in establishing the narrative arc, in drawing out scenes and characters, in creating takeaways for the reader where appropriate, and in keeping the focus constantly on the potential reader.

Editorial Services

Again, I’ve been doing this for almost 40 years, in categories that range from leadership to history, behavioral psychology to journalism, theoretical physics to the science of motivation, memoir to politics. First, I’ll review your manuscript to determine what level of editorial input your project needs. And then together we can determine how to get the manuscript to where it needs to be, whether than involves tightening or modifying the thesis, altering the structure, adding more stories or supporting data, clarifying your voice, or deciding what should stay and what needs to go. Some manuscripts benefit from a close line by line polishing and tightening; others require simplifying abstract concepts to make them more digestible to the general reader. We’ll figure out what your manuscript needs, and come up with a plan to take it to the next level.

Editorial consultation

A lot of what we do as acquiring editors is to determine which ideas are the most saleable, identify who the target audience is, and figure out how to create a page turning narrative from the opening paragraphs of the book. If you are a thought leader with any number of potential ideas, who would like an experienced and respected publishing executive to bounce ideas off of, and get in-depth feedback from to determine which direction to go in, I’m available for consultation at an hourly fee.