Lori DeBoer - Ghostwriter

Overview

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Thank you for considering me to help you with your writing project. I enjoy collaboration and have a pragmatic and organized approach that is based on more than 30 years as an award-winning writer and editor.

I am particularly adept at finding the heart of any given story and skilled at making complex subjects interesting and understandable. I've won awards for both my fiction and nonfiction and can change up my writing to suit any style and genre, from hard-nosed journalism to urban fantasy.

My clients say I am warm and reliable (I grew up on a farm in Iowa) and make projects enjoyable. I have an understanding of how to keep everyone on a project motivated, based on my informal studies in coaching and management. My creativity is balanced by my sharp entrepreneurial skills: I have a background in marketing and have run my own business for more than two decades. Most recently, I helped my husband launch a highly successful food truck and catering business.

You'll want to know that I've ghostwritten, coached, coaxed and edited more than 30 nonfiction and fiction books into existence, as well as helped clients launch their own freelancing careers as magazine writers. I’ve been a developmental editor and writing coach for numerous thought leaders, executives and subject-matter experts. I have a teaching approach, so the clients who want to learn to fly solo are empowered to do so. If you just want me to do the work without teaching you how to do it, that's good, too.

Most of my work with clients is confidential and cannot be disclosed but I am free to say that my clients have been published in The New York Times, Glamour, Elle, National Geographic, Salon and more. Their books have been published by Candlewick, Greenleaf, Yotzeret, Melange, WiDo and others. (You can see a few of the books I've worked on by scrolling to the portfolio section; please note that only a few of them were ghosted, the rest I worked on as a developmental editor/book doctor/writing coach.) My clients have won many awards, including a finalist slot for the Flannery O’Connor Award, a CIPA EVVY Award, a Glyph Award and a Pushcart Prize nomination.

I honed my interviewing and writing skills as a journalist, having written more than a thousand articles for publications that include The New York Times, Arizona Highways, Working Woman, America West Airlines Magazine, Black Enterprise, PHOENIX Magazine, ITS World, Arizona Business Magazine, The Business Journal-Phoenix and Arizona Attorney. I've been the editor for Boulder Magazine and a contributing editor for America West Airlines Magazine.

I’ve also worked in public relations at several colleges and a scientific institute, where I helped translate the work of academicians and researchers into accessible stories. My book projects, on topics like energy usage for utilities, climate change, evolution and computer science, have deepened my ability to break complex topics into understandable components, while engaging an audience in a lively, interesting style. I still do some content marketing work for select corporations and nonprofits.

I have an MA in United States history and my nonfiction writing niches include business, healthcare, technology, spirituality, architecture, art. education and agricultural, radio and women's history. I've written on AI, cannabis, liquid crystals, smart cars, smart homes, smart highways, forest fire preparedness, restaurant trends, consumer electronics, laparoscopic surgery, natural supplements, sound healing, genetics, air conditioning, architecture, historical sites, urban planning, tax increment financing and much more.

While I have special training in nonfiction research and writing, I also draw on my experience as a fiction writer to write lively prose and recreate each client’s unique voice and personality. I have an MFA in creative writing and have written literary fiction, short stories, young adult fiction, middle grade fiction, chapter books, romance, thrillers, science fiction and urban fantasy.


THE NEXT STEP

If you'd like me to bid on your project, please email me through Reedsy to set up a time to talk so I can learn more about the scope of work involved and see if we'd be a good fit. Please also look at my rates (below) to see if you can afford ghostwriting or if you'd rather work with me as your developmental editor and writing coach. I've also ghostwritten parts of client books, so you are able to pull me in if you are having problems with a section, need something revised or would like me to develop a benchmark chapter for you to emulate.


MY RATES

My rates are competitive but reflect the market for someone with my expertise and experience. Depending on the genre, scope of work, deadline and other factors, I charge between $15,000 and $60,000 to ghostwrite a book. A book proposal, chapter-by-chapter synopsis and two sample chapters can range between $4,000 and $10,000. For ghostwritten articles, blog posts and other material, I charge $85 an hour or can quote you a flat rate per piece. If you do not have the budget to have someone ghostwrite your book, I can also offer you highly collaborative coaching and developmental editing services.


MY APPROACH

Because each client's project is unique, I tailor my approach to suit those individual needs. Generally, my process includes understanding the client's personal or professional goals and learning how the writing project or book fits that vision. I also find it important to get a grasp on similar books or pieces of writing the client admires or seeks to emulate.

At that point, depending on how much material is already available to work with, I may conduct a series of deep interviews, review client writing or notes and conduct any necessary research. I then organize and write an outline for review and will also likely write some sample chapters or scenes and a chapter-by-chapter synopsis. After we ascertain if I am on the right track, I write a rough draft and seek client feedback and then revise accordingly.

When I am collaboratively writing, I may write only parts of a book and do developmental editing on the client-written passages to ensure consistency and a professional standard. Sometimes my clients and I work together on the writing; I've written whole books sitting side-by-side with a client.

My hands-on approach helps clients who want to learn how to write do so, quickly and efficiently. I also offer lots of resources to the client who wants to learn more about writing and publishing or is on a budget and simply needs occasional guidance and support. I work with clients both in person and remotely over the phone or Skype.

GENRES SERVED

Nonfiction--Memoir, Education, Writing, Art, Architecture, Business, History, Food, Travel and Adventure, Health and Wellness, Spiritual, Science, Environmental and Self-Help.

Fiction--Young Adult, Middle Grade, Literary and Short Stories, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Thriller, Historical and Romance.

If you are interested in seeing if we'd be a good fit, please drop me a line and we can set up a time to chat. I look forward to talking with you.

Warm regards,

Lori


TESTIMONIALS

"Lori DeBoer is a superb writer with a stellar command of language at once literary and accessible to a wide audience. I have known Lori and her work for many years, and admire her editorial and teaching expertise. She has an uncommon degree of energy and enthusiasm that she puts to excellent use as a leader in the Colorado literary community. I especially appreciate her professionalism, sensitivity, and ability to work with others as writers and colleagues." -Gail Storey, award-winning author

"Lori DeBoer, my writing coach, helped me polish and fine-tune my manuscript. She coaxed and cajoled personal stories out of my head and onto the page and reminded me that my voice needed to enliven the rich and sometimes dense subject matter in this book." -- Thomas H. Stoner, Jr., Small Change, Big Gains: Reflections of an Energy Entrepreneur

“I came to Lori to strengthen my manuscript’s story line and narrative arc, tighten its conflict, and improve character development. As a professional development editor, Lori was incredibly supportive of my work, but most importantly gave me specific and constructive criticism to improve my book. Her hands on approach gave me both the knowledge and the skills to be able to improve my writing. Not only does Lori know writing, she also knows the writing business. It was a pleasure working with Lori and I highly recommend her. She is both professional and a great person. Every dollar I spent was worth it.” - Jessica Fishman, Chutzpah and High Heels: The Search for Love and Identity in the Holy Land

"Lori showed me how to take my sketchy first draft of a manuscript and transform it with the color of scene setting and character details that made it much more readable, polished, and most importantly published! She is incredibly talented, hard working and a joy to work with. She's much more than an editor; a real coach that every writer should have in their corner." - Kerry Parry, Conversations with the Faithful: A Spiritual Journey