Bill Murphy Jr.

Bill Murphy Jr. – Ghostwriter

Author/ghostwriter. Former assistant to Bob Woodward on 2 NYT bestsellers. Focus: biography/memoir, business, self-help, family history

Overview

I'm an experienced author and ghostwriter, and I'd be happy to talk about your project.

I started out in writing business as the lead assistant to Bob Woodward of The Washington Post, helping him to write two New York Times bestsellers. From, there I was a reporter in Iraq for the Post during the war there, and I went on to write several books of my own.

I also started ghostwriting. I've worked primarily on business books, memoirs, and family histories.

I'm also an attorney and a veteran, so legal topics and military would be a great fit, too. Besides books, I've also ghostwritten speeches, articles, columns and blog posts for clients.

Every project I take on is different, but here are some things you can be assured of:

1. I work with clients to make the whole experience painless, enjoyable, and productive. In most cases, you don't have to write a word if you don't want to; I'll do all the work.

2. I adjust the time commitment to match your availability and level of interest. Usually, I'll conduct a series of interviews with you to figure out the content, outline, tone, arc, and voice. To the extent original research is needed, I can handle that as well.

3. A majority of books are now self-published, or hybrid-published. If you want to do that, fantastic. That said, there are still benefits to working with a traditional publisher, and I can guide you through that (very different) process to maximize success.

4. Depending on your goals and initial situation, I can also work with you to build your profile and platform before you write and market the book. This is often a lot of fun and very rewarding.

Whether you work with me or someone else, I wish you great success with your project.
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Business & Management Political Science & Current Affairs Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Inc.com

Jan, 2012 — Present

I've written more than 2,000 articles for Inc., which is the leading brand for entrepreneurship and small business. I'm also consistently the #1 writer on the site, in terms of visits and readers.

Self-employed

May, 2007 — Present

I've been an author and ghostwriter for more than a decade now, writing books, articles, speeches, family histories, blog posts and just about everything else — both under my own name and for clients.

The Washington Post, Bob Woodward

Jan, 2005 — May, 2007 (over 2 years)

U.S. Army

Nov, 2002 — Jan, 2005 (about 2 years)

I was a reserve officer, but spent about two years on active duty, basically at the start of the Iraq War.

Self-employed

Sep, 2001 — Feb, 2003 (over 1 year)

This is the part of my career when I decided to move to California to become a screenwriter. I went to UCLA at night, joined all kinds of writing groups, did the Hollywood thing. But, 9/11 happened immediately after I arrived in LA. I was in the reserves, and I knew I was going to be called to active duty. Hence the different path you see above!

U.S. Department of Justice

May, 1998 — Aug, 2001 (over 3 years)

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