Dear Friend, I'm going to tell you the two main reasons most people never write their memoir. But before I do, let me tell you something about myself. I am author of the novel The Graffiti Sculptor (available at Amazon.com) and a full-time ghostwriter and editor. I typically ghostwrite books for national speakers, consultants, and entrepreneurs. My specialty is memoirs, what I think of as “personal experience / lessons learned” books. These are books with a personal narrative—an interpreter in the Afghanistan War, a boy growing up in a depressed area of Chicago, doctors struggling with a callous health care industry, an executive recruiter who makes good—and blend these personal stories with the lessons learned along the way. You know it takes knowledge, dedication, and effort to write a memoir. You know it isn't going to happen overnight. And anybody who tells you so shouldn't be trusted. I'll bet you know a lot of people who want to write a book, but it just doesn't happen. The first reason most people never write their memoir is this: it takes time. The book writing process is slow. It takes time for reading, planning, note taking, research, writing, editing, and polishing that final draft. More than any other resource, it takes time to turn the most interesting events of your life into a marketable memoir. That's why I'm offering to help. As a memoir ghostwriter, here's what I've learned from helping authors write, edit, and publish their books. The little guy, with the right help, and the right tools, and the right attitude, can succeed. I take on only few projects each year, which gives me the time to take you by the hand and literally lead you through the ghostwriting process. Many authors like you have a ghostwriter like me in the background coaching, writing, and editing. I can promise you that Lee Iacocca didn't write those two best-sellers by himself. Iacocca was the author, but he wasn't the writer. Satisfied Clients Read what some of my editing and book coaching clients had to say about me: "Latham writes with grace, humor, and a shrewd eye. He helped me do three things: find my voice, make my book stand out, and emphasize a clear and unforgettable message." —Sherri Elliott, President Optimance Workforce Strategies Author of Ties to Tattoos "Thanks to Latham for enhancing the narration and polishing the rough edges." —Michael Poss, Attorney & CPA Author of Ebby Halliday “Latham poured his heart into my book. His knowledge of story design exceeded my expectations, and his understanding of deep character made my memoir more successful than I imagined.” —Dean Smith, Evangelist Author of Forgiveness: A Memoir of Faith "Latham was a huge help in getting the book organized. He brought a breath of perspective to the material and was invaluable in helping me hone my message and speak directly to my readers." —Dave Brennan, President, Brennan Financial Services Author of Wishing Won't Do It "Latham helped me get unstuck. His positive personality and writing savvy helped me finish my book. I wholeheartedly recommend him." —Brent O'Bannon, Cofounder of Brief Therapy Author of Balance Matters Choose me as your memoir ghostwriter, and I can show you how to: —Make your book stand out —Speak directly to your audience —Create reader-friendly chapters —Make your message unforgettable Recent Book Projects Here are just a few of my recent editing and ghostwriting projects: a memoir about an Afghan-American female interpreter assigned to the "death zone" of war-torn Afghanistan, a memoir about the struggles of a wife left broke and nearly homeless while her husband spent three years in prison, a memoir about a young boy whose father murdered his mother and how forgiveness has become the guiding principle in his life, and a medical memoir that reads like a thriller. I recently developmental edited a handful of other books: a business biography about Ebby Halliday, founder of Texas ' largest real estate company, a medical memoir about three generations of surgeons, a motivational story about growing up fatherless... And that's not all... Just this month I completed editing an inspiring book about achieving peak performance for an executive coach, and before that a book about retirement planning for a financial advisor and Dallas-area television personality, a book about sustainable competitive advantage for an HR consultant, and a book on how to hire superstars for the CEO of an executive recruiting firm. Hot Off the Press I believe we all have a unique story to tell. So my purpose, my mission, my inspiration is to help you tell yours. Just how good a story can you expect? Keep reading and find out...   "To me, an editor's two most important responsibilities are to preserve the author's message and keep the story line on tract. Latham does both with sensitivity and deftness." —Robert M. Tenery Jr., M.D. Author of Dr. Mayo's Boy     “Unexpected…Latham turned my rough draft into a compelling story. I had friends read the book before and after editing and the feedback was nothing short of extraordinary.” —Mark M. Tavakoli, M.D. Author of Dead Man's Alive "My experiences with Latham have been wonderful. He saw the book within the manuscript and in no time, we were ready for publication." —Byron Ricks, President, BRS Seminars Group Author of Searching for Dad   How to Accomplish Greatness The second reason most people never write their memoir is this: you get what you expect. Another way to say this is: you get what you believe. And I'm willing to bet you don't believe you can write this book. You may not believe you have a compelling story. You may not believe you have the talent. You may not believe you have the wherewithal to sit for hours, weeks, months, and actually finish writing the book. The way to overcome these beliefs is to work with a ghostwriter who can coach you through the process. I'm looking for people who have a burning desire to tell their story. I look for people who understand the enormous value of working closely with a professional ghostwriter, and are willing to be led, step-by-step, through the book writing process. You don't need to have the intelligence of Einstein. And I don't care if you don't know anything about writing—story structure, controlling idea, scene design, story conflict, progressive complications, turning points, grammar, or even spelling. If you can listen, learn, and apply the information we will share, then I will guarantee this book is written on time and on budget. Let me share with you my 10 Tricks for a Great Book. Start with a dramatic hook or concept Write an introduction that highlights benefits Use a unique and fresh writing voice Create a sizzling first chapter Use active language, avoid passive sentences Write in short, snappy sentences Be specific, avoid generalities Slash away all adverbs Create an emotional reader experience Leave out the parts readers skip Let me stop for a moment. I must mention the cost. A memoir based on your life experiences, the good times and the hard times, of approximately 250 pages, will take me four months to ghostwrite and edit. My fee ranges from $150,000 to $175,000 depending on my estimate of the time involved. I believe your project calls for extra time and attention to achieve the quality you deserve. The fact you're still reading means you know this can work. I typically conduct a series of meetings, either face-to-face, or more commonly over the phone. I record the calls and have the audio transcribed by a professional transcription services firm. My fee covers all transcription costs, which can run to hundreds or thousands of dollars. Here's What I Expect of You You must be open, coachable, and ready to begin. You must be willing to be interviewed, to review the drafts I send you, and to make constructive comments to improve the manuscript. You must be ready to write this book. Are you ready? I'm excited about your story, so please do let me know if I can help in any way. Please contact me with any questions, and I will gladly provide reviews, recent writing samples, bio, and resume at your request. Call now. 903.271.7770 For additional information, please visit my Web site at www.lathamshinder.com. Payment You may have come across cheaper ghostwriters. And there's a reason they are cheap. In order for me to develop and deliver the kind of memoir you deserve, it requires preparation, research, and a huge investment on my part. If you are ready to take this on, I encourage you to let me know as soon as possible. The fact of the matter is that I wish I could help more authors…but I can't. I'm looking for one more author to add to my current schedule. I hope that author is you. Go for it, Latham Shinder Memoir Ghostwriter 903.271.7770 latham@lathamshinder.com Please check out my Web sites: Main Web Site: www.lathamshinder.com Book Site: www.thegraffitisculptor.com Blog: http://lathamshinder.blogspot.com/ P.S. Excuses are another one of the reasons most people never write their memoir. While the excuses seem legit to the person saying them, they are virtually all hogwash. If you buy into them, you're stuck. The "reason" keeps you from getting the results you want. People say they can't write a memoir because they don't have the time, or they're too old, or too young, or too married, or too single. Are you going to let "reasons" and "excuses" stop you? Don't! Don't make another excuse for why you can't do it...or why having me help write your book won't work for you.