Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Ghostwriting & Editing Business

On Wednesday, 11/14/07 Staff Writer Andy Humbles of the Tennessean Newspaper (Davidson AM) wrote a terrific article that featured my writing and editing business. I'd like to share it with you. Here is the the full story: http://www.tennessean.com


Ghostwriter authors own book on stem-cell debate Yvonne Perry runs a writing-editing company out of her Donelson home

DONELSON — Yvonne Perry can write just about anything you want.

She opened her own writing company in 2003 that has ultimately led to her new book on stem cell research now available in bookstores. Perry's Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America is being published by Nightengale Press.

Perry began her company, known as Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services, out of her home in Donelson in 2003 after working as an administrative assistant.

"I was already writing a lot, and I wanted to see how I could make money at that without being part of corporate America,'' Perry said.

"An absolute risk,'' Perry called it, but she took the leap.

Writers in the Sky offers ghostwriting books and any written material for individuals and businesses. Perry and her team also write brochures, press releases, case studies, resumes, business documents, bios, advertising copy and newsletters. She also offers editing and proofreading.

"A lot of businesses like to outsource their writing,'' Perry said.

Business made profit quickly

The availability to self-publish and print on demand have created a market for individual authors to write. A ghostwriter writes behind the scenes for another person or entity. Sometimes the ghostwriter is credited and sometimes not.

Writers in The Sky was profitable by its second year, Perry said.

About a year and a half ago Perry was able to add a team of writers she contracts with for such specialties as editing, press releases and character development for non-fiction stories. There is also a graphic designer. Four of the team members live in Nashville, one in New York and another in Kansas City.

Business comes locally and around the country. Perry has also done work for a client in England.

"She pulled ideas out of me,'' said James Whitley of Portland, Ore.

Whitley found Perry online after an extensive search on his book called Whose Rump Are You Roasting, a pragmatic lighthearted look at life. He credited Perry's questions and collaboration for bringing the book along.

Prices vary according to services requested.

She'll write from scrap paper

Perry can do the interviewing and research for written material. She also works with audio recordings, rough drafts and other ways stories are presented to her. One book was written from scrap paper presented in a shoebox, Perry said.

Perry's self-published book, Email Episodes, a compilation of humorous stories she started in 1995, gave her the confidence to start the business. It was published in 2004. Perry self-published More than Meets the Eye: True Stories About Death, Dying and Afterlife in 2005. Perry has also written a collection of children's e-books called The Sid Series.

Right to Recover is her first book picked up by a conventional publisher. Perry met with owner Valerie Connelly about a year ago about the idea and signed the contract the next week.

Being an author "was one of the reasons I got into this,'' Perry said.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yvonne, it was so wonderful to see the nice article in the Davidson AM paper about you and your writing services. They even had your picture on the cover. I certainly hope the mention of your book inspires more folks to pick it up as well. It's such wonderful education on the subject of stem cell research.

Congrats again on being featured.

Unknown said...

Thank you, MaAnna. You are such a wonderful support person in my life. For those who didn't know it, MaAnna is the one who edits Writers in the Sky Podcast shows each week.

Yvonne