Alex Cody Foster - Ghostwriter
Written eight #1 bestsellers, worked in many genres and with celebrity clients, and am being profiled in a Netflix film about John McAfee.
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Overview
My writing career began when I was twenty years old. I was in a cafe, painstakingly engaged in the 22nd edit of my first book — a memoir of my travels hitchhiking across country, being homeless in Los Angeles, living with one of America's wealthiest people, and sailing the Inside Passage to Alaska. Beside me, a woman asked if I was writing a memoir.
"I'm trying to," I told her, clearly exhausted.
"May I see it?"
I gave her my laptop. "Sure."
She read. Minutes passed. Long minutes. I pretended I was totally calm while her eyes zipped through the words on the screen. She kept looking at me with wide eyes, then darting back to the computer. I felt undressed, and I regretted having shown her my book in the first place. Trying to make light of the whole thing, I said, "Pretty bad, huh?"
She looked at me very seriously. "No," she said. "This is very impressive, and trust me, it takes a lot to impress me, kid. How old are you?"
"Twenty."
Her jaw nearly dropped. "Seriously?"
"Yes, why? What is it?"
"You're twenty years old and you wrote this?"
"Yep."
Turns out, this random lady was a legendary novelist who was one of the first in America to be awarded a $1 million advance. She was hugely successful, having received glowing reviews from the New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Vogue, and others, as well as having been published in over 20 languages. From that day on she became my mentor, and with her support, I went on to secure a job as an editor at the publishing company Booktrope. Then I became a full-fledged ghostwriter. My successes have brought me around the world. I've worked with princes, doctors, entrepreneurs, millionaires, billionaires, celebrities, and folks who've suffered abuse and want to empower others.
In my experience, it doesn't matter whether you're a wealthy aristocrat or a homeless person on the trash-strewn streets of Los Angeles (as I was, once). If you've got a great story, I want to help you tell it. And by God, I will tell it well.
Also, I have the experience of writing not just one, but eight #1 bestsellers. I'm an obsessive perfectionist, holding myself to a nearly impossible standard. My drive and ambition are limitless. I strive to turn each project into a masterpiece, perfecting the client's voice and using my honed interviewing skills to get to the very heart and soul of the story; telling it in a way that will capture the attention of any audience.
I love ghostwriting. It's not just a career, but a way of life. I always tell people that a great ghostwriter is like a great method actor. Daniel Day-Lewis comes to mind — a man who trained for two years with a professional boxer for one of his films, the end result being that the former champion said Day-Lewis could have gone pro and become world champion himself; a man who literally built the set of "The Crucible" using his own two hands, and who walked the wintry streets of New York in period clothing and caught pneumonia in the film "Gangs of New York." Daniel Day-Lewis doesn't play his characters, he becomes them. In a similar way, I don't just write the stories — I live them.
"I'm trying to," I told her, clearly exhausted.
"May I see it?"
I gave her my laptop. "Sure."
She read. Minutes passed. Long minutes. I pretended I was totally calm while her eyes zipped through the words on the screen. She kept looking at me with wide eyes, then darting back to the computer. I felt undressed, and I regretted having shown her my book in the first place. Trying to make light of the whole thing, I said, "Pretty bad, huh?"
She looked at me very seriously. "No," she said. "This is very impressive, and trust me, it takes a lot to impress me, kid. How old are you?"
"Twenty."
Her jaw nearly dropped. "Seriously?"
"Yes, why? What is it?"
"You're twenty years old and you wrote this?"
"Yep."
Turns out, this random lady was a legendary novelist who was one of the first in America to be awarded a $1 million advance. She was hugely successful, having received glowing reviews from the New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Vogue, and others, as well as having been published in over 20 languages. From that day on she became my mentor, and with her support, I went on to secure a job as an editor at the publishing company Booktrope. Then I became a full-fledged ghostwriter. My successes have brought me around the world. I've worked with princes, doctors, entrepreneurs, millionaires, billionaires, celebrities, and folks who've suffered abuse and want to empower others.
In my experience, it doesn't matter whether you're a wealthy aristocrat or a homeless person on the trash-strewn streets of Los Angeles (as I was, once). If you've got a great story, I want to help you tell it. And by God, I will tell it well.
Also, I have the experience of writing not just one, but eight #1 bestsellers. I'm an obsessive perfectionist, holding myself to a nearly impossible standard. My drive and ambition are limitless. I strive to turn each project into a masterpiece, perfecting the client's voice and using my honed interviewing skills to get to the very heart and soul of the story; telling it in a way that will capture the attention of any audience.
I love ghostwriting. It's not just a career, but a way of life. I always tell people that a great ghostwriter is like a great method actor. Daniel Day-Lewis comes to mind — a man who trained for two years with a professional boxer for one of his films, the end result being that the former champion said Day-Lewis could have gone pro and become world champion himself; a man who literally built the set of "The Crucible" using his own two hands, and who walked the wintry streets of New York in period clothing and caught pneumonia in the film "Gangs of New York." Daniel Day-Lewis doesn't play his characters, he becomes them. In a similar way, I don't just write the stories — I live them.
Services
Languages
English (UK)
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Management
Entertainment
True Crime
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction
Historical Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Thriller & Suspense
Work experience
Ghostwriter
Freelance
August, 2013
–
Present
(about 9 years)
I've had the good fortune to work with some truly fascinating people:
— John McAfee, founder of McAfee Antivirus
— Nicholas Guccione, scion of the Penthouse publishing empire
— Michael Scripps, scion of the Scripps' publishing empire
— the second-bestselling British Kindle author in the world
— a prince who used to hang with the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and Jimi Hendrix
— (current) the main character of one of the most infamous true crime dramas of the last twenty years, whose life made international headlines and is being turned into a film directed by two of Hollywood's most esteemed directors
What I'm drawn to are remarkable stories, brand-shaping business concepts, and platform-launching books. If you have a story to tell, regardless of genre, I'd like to hear it.
Portfolio (13 selected works)
One of the top reasons Millennials leave jobs is due to poor management. Millennials choose to work for and stay with “employers whose values reflect their own.” They place a higher emphasis on purpose as opposed to growth or profits. The three best ways for companies to provide a sense of long-term loyalty are identifying, understanding, and aligning with their values; supporting millennials’... read more
Miss Fortune
Hume Albina
Memoir Miss Fortune is a rollicking account of a woman coming of age in modern Ukraine. Finalist at the Kindle Book Awards 2016. Albina Hume is often asked the same question - how did she meet her South African husband John, a property developer and the man who bred 1,000 rhinos? She has always kept her response simple. Until now.Born with a speech impediment that turned into a childhood fear ... read more
Wise Millennial: A Field Guide to Thriving in Modern Life
Peter Noble Darrow
Who the hell is Peter Darrow? Health and wellness entrepreneur Peter Darrow thought he had life all figured out. A native of the posh and privileged Upper East Side, the young millennial lived large—attending elite schools, throwing lavish birthday parties, and spending summers in the Hamptons. Then one day his seemingly perfect, polished life came crashing down. Over the course of three hella... read more
Hands off my Sparkle: A tale of self destruction
Mandy Lange
Mandy Lange, the daughter of a pastor, grew up in South Africa before moving to the states in 1986. Her "normal" upbringing was completely derailed when she was seventeen because of a church scandal that destroyed her family. For the next thirteen years Mandy worked through addiction, mental illness, sexual assault and other kinds of trauma. She made it through it all because of her resislienc... read more
The Mansion: A Jack Nightingale Short Story
Stephen Leather
Supernatural detective Jack Nightingale is sent to investigate a haunted house. But he discovers that there is more than a ghost causing mayhem. The Mansion is a fast-paced supernatural story about 10,000 words long.
The Doll: A Jack Nightingale Short Story
Stephen Leather
Jack Nightingale thought he was on vacation, driving around America's most haunted sites to get the feel for the supernatural side of his adopted country. But when a child's doll appears in the middle of the road, the vacation comes to an abrupt end and Nightingale finds himself fighting for his life. The Doll is a fast-paced supernatural story about 10,000 words long.
The Undead: A Jack Nightingale Short Story
Stephen Leather
Jack Nightingale knows the dangers of doing a deal with a devil, but sometimes beggars can't be choosers. And when his nemesis Proserpine comes up from the bowels of Hell to ask for a favour, he has no choice other to help. Which is why the supernatural detective finds himself going up against The Undead, and putting his own life on the line. The Undead is a fast-paced supernatural story about... read more
Possession: A Jack Nightingale Short Story
Stephen Leather
Supernatural detective Jack Nightingale gets called in to deal with a particularly nasty case of possession. But he can't do the exorcism alone - for that he needs the help of a priest. A very special priest. But Father O'Grady is all too well aware of the dangers of tangling with demons and he's going to need some persuading. Possession is a fast-paced supernatural story of almost 11,000 word... read more
Nightingale - A Short Story Collection
Stephen Leather
Supernatural detective Jack Nightingale fights his battles in the shadows, in the grey areas where demons and monsters seek their prey.In this collection of nine short stories, Nightingale matches wits against demons from Hell, monsters created by humans, and Satanists who have done their own private deals with the devil.The stories are – Still Bleeding, Cursed, Blood Bath, I Know Who Did It, ... read more
Children Of The Dark: A Jack Nightingale Short Story
Stephen Leather
Supernatural detective Jack Nightingale is called in to investigate a brutal murder and savage mutilation that appears to have been carried out by children - children with dead black eyes. Children Of The Dark is a fast-paced supernatural story about 10,000 words long. Stephen Leather is one of the UK's most successful thriller writers, an ebook and Sunday Times bestseller and author of the cr... read more
The Creeper: A Jack Nightingale Short Story
Stephen Leather
Something out in the Everglades is killing people - and eating them. Supernatural detective Jack Nightingale is called in to investigate and discovers that evil is at work out in the swamps, and that more people will die unless he can stop it. The Creeper is a fast-paced supernatural story about 13,000 words long. Stephen Leather is one of the UK's most successful thriller writers, an ebook an... read more
The Asylum: A Jack Nightingale Short Story
Stephen Leather
A mysterious woman has been prowling around a derelict mental asylum hacking victims to death with an axe. A TV crew goes in to investigate and Jack Nightingale goes in with them. But the truth is more shocking than any of them realise, and not everyone will get out alive. The Asylum is a fast-paced supernatural story about 16,000 words long. Stephen Leather is one of the UK's most successful ... read more
A Change of Faith
Roger Kazanowski
As the Catholic Church finds itself losing parishioners and it’s revenue stream, Pope Peter Paul makes a decision to place women in seminaries to become priests. To the displeasure of many Cardinals in Rome, the women being ordained are being mysteriously murdered. Vicar Charlotte Kotlinski is the lone initial survivor. A Change of Faith takes the reader thru a maze of love, mystery and what i... read more
Alex Cody has 15 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
High level feedback from someone who is a top shelf professional. 5 Stars all around.
Jonathan Lipchin, February 2022
Alex was a great partner who reviewed my material in a timely manner and provided substantive feedback. He really establishes a relationship to understand you in order to find a middle ground that work best for both operating styles!
Vaughn Feighan, January 2022
I really enjoyed working with Alex. He helped bring my book proposal up to the next level. His work is professional and I will definitely be working with him again!
Melinda Esquibel, September 2020
Reply from Alex Cody Foster
I had A LOT of questions before I even decided who to hire to help me with my book proposal. Alex was extremely informative while patiently enlightening me about a plethora of details on my endless questions about the publishing industry and how it works. He described the difference in his services of writing book proposals versus ghostwriting and he answered tons of additional questions I ha...
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Donna Mee, August 2020
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Reply from Alex Cody Foster
Collaborating with Alex has been the best decision I could have ever made. I had sent my novel to editors in the past and their efforts have been incomparable to Alex's. Alex is very meticulous and will not stop until the work is finished to his standards, which are incredibly high. He has a sharp eye and instantly knew how to turn my novel into a work of art. The one thing I admire is from the...
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Shiden Mezghebe, February 2020
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Reply from Alex Cody Foster
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