The traditional process for getting a nonfiction book written and published looks like this: 1) Author refines original idea into a written book proposal. 2) Author finds an agent who likes proposal. 3) Agent sends proposal to acquiring editors at publishing houses. 4) Book deal is negotiated with one of these houses. 5) Author writes full manuscript. 6) Manuscript is edited (hopefully) at publishing house. 7) Book is published!

Here again are the two key points in this sequence where a freelance editor or book doctor can help, with additional detail as to how and why:

Creating the book proposal. A good proposal doesn’t just describe a book idea, it sells it—first to an agent, then to an editor. So although good writing matters, what matters most is that you answer all the questions agents and editors will ask: Who will buy your book and why? Why are you the perfect person to write it? How it will be different or better than other books on the topic? And what marketing will you do on your own to help sell it? Typically, a sample chapter is also required. You may never have done any of this before - but a book doctor will have done it often.

Writing the manuscript. You might think that once you have a book deal, you’ll get all the editing you need from copyeditors at the publishing house. This is only is true sometimes. If you’re a star author or you’ve landed a deal at a big publishing house, you may well get very good editing help. But if you’re not a star, or if you’re working with a small publishing house—an academic press, say, or a niche publisher—then you may not get good editing, or much editing at all aside from checking for punctuation and spelling and format. Unless you do something, the result will be a published book that is far less readable than it ought to be. That can hurt both your sales and your future as an author.

The solution is to hire a good freelance editor. This person can coach you through the writing process, critique chapter drafts as you write them, and suggest practical, easy-to-implement ways to make sure readers will understand and enjoy the book all the way through.

Levels of service

I offer several levels of help, depending on your need and budget.

Critiques. These are an economical way to get a tremendous amount of value at every stage, from book proposal to sample chapter to full manuscript. You do all the writing; I provide you with detailed feedback and recommendations, both in writing and in a follow-up phone call. I charge project rates for critiques, based on page count and my estimate of the difficulty involved. (I usually ask to see the material before I provide an estimate.)

Coaching. If you’d like concentrated advice separate from a critique, I can provide it at an hourly rate. Quick questions are usually free.

Editing. You get the same feedback and recommendations as in a critique, but now I also help with editing. We work out whatever arrangement you’re comfortable with in terms of who does what. Because more of my time is involved, this gets more expensive. I charge either an hourly rate or a project rate, depending on what works best for both of us.

Ghosting. I do the actual writing, working with you as the content source. Ghosting is something I enjoy, but you need a substantial budget to afford me or any other ghost: a full manuscript can easily run $40,000 or more, while a book proposal alone is $7,000 or more.

Co-author. I’ve co-authored a couple of books; this can be a great way to write a book quickly, provided the subject is not too technical. You get top billing as the expert; I get secondary billing as co-writer. Generally I get paid by receiving a percentage of the advance, if any, and often a percentage of royalties. In some cases I might require a fee up front, for example if there were no advance.