Answers to questions I'm often asked about book collaborating:
Who do you work with?
I work with leaders, visionaries, creatives and game-changers desiring to amplify their voice, empower humanity, and step more deeply into their destiny.
Best fit:
Aspiring authors seeking an experienced writer who understands publishing and can partner with them from ideation, through the book proposal and book-writing processes, while we thought-partner to elevate their ideas and fine-tune their message to maximize its impact
Books requiring deep thought and or expertise in African American health, life history and culture
Projects whose budget supports paying the writer a full-time professional salary. I am not the low-cost option.
Not a good fit:
Books intended to be a “better business card,” or to improve the author’s speaking opportunities, or to drive clients to their business, or to help the author build their brand or become an influencer
Books on a crash deadline, or whose authors are newsmakers, celebrities or influencers seeking to capitalize upon a fleeting cultural moment
Those seeking a scrivener to transcribe their ideas and polish their expression without bringing their intellect to bear, or supporting and even challenging the author to deepen or more fully develop their ideas
How are you different from other ghostwriters?
I don’t consider myself a ghostwriter, per se. To many, ghostwriting implies a more passive process of receiving information from an expert and transcribing and organizing their words. Consistent with this, the average ghostwriter spends between 15-20 hours with their client. I engage with my clients at a deeper level — from my industry expertise, to my previous accomplishments, to the depth of my thought partnership. Instead, I consider myself a book collaboration specialist. By this, I mean I often help aspiring authors flesh out a commercially viable book concept. I write a very “mean” book proposal, if I say so myself. I can help you secure a literary agent, participate and advise you as your agent shops and editors assess your proposal. Obviously, I will write your book. I will also partner with you through the entire book editing process, until your manuscript is ready for the printing press.
Experience. I’ve been collaborating on nonfiction books for more than 20 years, writing 18 books about African American life, history, culture, health and wellbeing. I’ve worked with all the Big Five publishers. Among them, a New York Times bestseller, an Amazon bestseller (back before people began gaming the algorithm), two NAACP Image Award-winners, several young-adult books that received both Kirkus Review honors and acclaim from various reviewers and tastemakers. Though most ghostwriters focus on one genre of writing, I’ve written so many books that crossing categories both intellectually stimulates and challenges me. I’ve written women’s health, sexual health, diet/nutrition, memoir/hybrid memoir, parenting, self-help, relationships, history, spirituality, young adult, and even a picture book.
Marketing expertise. Many writers fear or even hate writing book proposals; I love them! For 13 years before becoming a writer, I held increasingly responsible sales, marketing, and general management positions with Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson and Pepsi. I bring well developed persuasive selling and marketing skills to every book proposal and project, allowing me to align an author’s story, vision, and expertise with both the zeitgeist and reader’s needs, allowing me to maximize the advances my authors receive.
Thought partnership. Many ghostwriters act as mere scriveners, extracting the author’s story, downloading their ideas, organizing their thoughts and beautifying language. I thought-partner with my clients, leveraging my intellect to explore and elevate their creative vision and bring what one agent has called my “intellectual heft” to any partnership—deep thought, genuine curiosity, strong research skills, analysis and synthesis, the ability to connect seemingly unrelated information, and a love of both history and intellectual challenges.
Transformative listening. Most ghostwriters interview their subjects in order to extract information from them. I listen beyond that. As a writer who’s also an International Coaching Federation-certified executive coach, I’m trained to ask empowering questions and listen not merely to get through my list, but to hear you in a way that leads to transformation. In a world where multitasking is the norm, I give your your dreams my undivided attention, engaging with you to explore more deeply, and ensuring your ideas hold up to the highest scrutiny.
Executive coaching skills. I also coach C-suite leaders to connect their inner visions and dreams to external plans and strategies, supporting them to reach beyond their current abilities, and helping them stay connected to their moments of high resolve as challenge arise and life’s storms rage. In addition to coaching being a deep listening practice, going public with your ideas through writing is far more emotionally challenging than the average person would believe. Even people at the top of their field can question themselves, become a bit anxious, fear their thoughts may not be good enough, develop “imposter syndrome,” wonder what their critics will say, and/or worry their words might have an unintentional negative impact. I’m trained to help you overcome your inner gremlins, surpass your limit lines and push more deeply into your destiny. I call people into their highest vision, help them navigate fears and overcome limit lines, TK and leave a project a more powerful and well-developed person than when you entered the project.
Are you available to collaborate on my book?
Collaborating is time consuming and laborious -- a full-time job and intellectually a full-contact sport. I can only take on a select number of projects. If you aspire to be published by a major publisher, there are two parts of the process:
developing the book proposal, which is a business plan that includes both chapter samples and an outline of the book. Publishers evaluate writers’ proposals to assess whether they want to invest in the project.
writing the book itself, which entails extensive interviews and research about the subject, as well as a lot of back and forth involved with writing, editing and fine-tuning the work. This takes many months and perhaps a year or more.
If you think you’d like to hire me as your writer, please read the rest of this page. If you’re still interested, email me at habeard [at] comcast [dot] net
How long does writing a book take?
That depends on the nature of the project and what else we're both working on. I've written books in as few as six months and as many as two years.
How much does it cost to hire a collaborator?
I charge the equivalent of a full-time salary for whatever period of time I'm engaged in the project. If the book gets picked up by a publishing company, the publishing contract usually covers my pay. However the cost of the book proposal will likely come out of your pocket, typically a multiple five-figure investment. You can learn more about ghost-writing rates from this infographic.
How far in advance do you book your clients?
It varies, depending upon what mix of projects I'm working on and the nature of your project. Often at least six months to a year in advance.
Will you look at my manuscript?
Trust and believe, you don’t want me to read your manuscript. As much as I am a nerd who loves to read, for some inexplicable reason I do not enjoy reviewing manuscripts. If you need a professional editor or book doctor, I recommend Todd Hunter, a former Simon & Schuster editor, or Taiia Smart-Young, a former editor of Essence and Latina magazines.
How do I book you for speaking?
By emailing me at HilaryBeard [at] mac [dot] com
What is a Faith Walk?
Faith walk (noun). The uncharted journey between the familiar spiritual, emotional, mental and/or physical space that you now occupy and the place you need to reach to become person you envision in your mind's eye.
Faith walker (noun). A person who steps out on faith against the odds to follow their spiritual Calling, vision or passion.