I was abused – and now I want to tell my story
I have ghosted many survivor memoirs over the years. Perhaps oddly, it is one of the subjects I am most drawn to working on, despite the fact that these are harrowing stories. The main reason for this is that I think it is an absolute privilege to work with survivors, to help them get their story out there, and to finally help them be heard.
Some of the books I have ghosted are listed below, and I tend to take on two of these projects a year. However, I would estimate that around ten people a week approach me, asking if I can help them to find their voice. It is probably the main thing which bothers me about this job – not the stories, not what people have been through, but the fact that I can’t help everyone. If you are reading this blog because you are wanting to tell your story, it will hopefully help you see what is needed and what would make a ghostwriter or publisher more likely to come on board.
1. Is this the right time for you? Only you will know that. Some people wait years, some people wait until someone else suggests it, some people change their minds a dozen times. What I would say is, know what you want out of it. Don’t listen to other people (and I include professionals in that). This is not an easy journey – but, if you are a survivor, life has never been an easy journey. This won’t fix everything, it won’t even necessarily give you closure, so take your time.
2. What are you going to do with it? You have three options – (i) self-publish; (ii) approach publishers (with or without an agent); or, (iii) get it written and then wait to see what feels right. I don’t publish it for you, that’s not my area of expertise, but I can suggest sites and people for you to consider even though I don’t have links with any of them.
3. What makes it more likely that a publisher will pick it up? A conviction. If your abuser has been tried and sent to jail at some point (they don’t have to still be there), that makes a huge difference. If there has been a conviction, you can go public, use your own name, do publicity – all of that helps sell the book, and that is what you need to get your story noticed. Also – and it pains me to say this – there are so many people wanting to tell their survivor stories, that publishers are looking for angles which will be picked up by the media, so they do prefer something which makes it stand out.
4. How much does it cost? This very much ‘how long is a piece of string?’ territory. All ghostwriters have different rates. The fee for a proposal – which you can take to a publisher or agent to see if they are interested – is much less than a full manuscript. A proposal has a summary of your story, a chapter outline, and some sample chapters. It shows agents and publishers that you have enough for a full book, that you know the demands of the genre, and that you are committed to getting the story written in a way that will give it the best chance possible.
5. How will it work in practice? If you contact me (lwbghostwriter@gmail.com), I will ask for a brief summary. I don’t care about grammar or spelling or typos – I just need to know what you are willing to tell me. I can usually work out quite quickly if it is the right sort of project for me. If it is, we’ll schedule a quick chat because you will be nervous, I know you will. I’ll seem like an obstacle, and you’ll feel that you’re being auditioned. Really – it’s nothing like that! I just want to know that you are ready for this and that there is a story there that I can work with; after all, I want to do you justice. If we do work together, it can be through interviews where I will write the whole thing, or I can work with diaries, notes, snippets of paper, records, files, anything you have.
Most of all, I want you to know that I can’t promise you anything...
BUT that doesn’t mean your experience is irrelevant, or that no one would want to hear about it. It might mean I am too busy, that there are legal complications I can’t see a way round, or a hundred other reasons. There are many ways to find your voice, but, to begin with, I would suggest looking up some of these books that I have ghosted (you can get free sample chapters for most on Amazon); and remember – you’ve got this far. Even if this part doesn’t work out, you’ve survived and you’ll find a way to be heard.
Tell me you’re sorry, Daddy by Caryn Walker (John Blake Publishing)
Please, let me go by Caitlin Spencer (John Blake Publishing)
Groomed by Laurie Matthew (Simon & Schuster)
Please will someone help me? by Sophie Young (Penguin)
Never a Hero to Me by Tracy Black (Simon & Schuster)
The Step Child by Donna Ford (Random House)
Little girl left behind by Sheena Harrison (Simon & Schuster)
What Daddy Did by Donna Ford (Random House)