Nicola Cassidy

Nicola Cassidy – Ghostwriter

I'm an award winning ghostwriter, traditionally published author and screenwriter.

Overview

I'm a bestselling author, ghostwriter and award-winning screenwriter. I have traditionally published four historical fiction books and written, edited and developed novels and screenplays as a freelancer. My fourth traditionally published book The Emerald Spy released in September 2022.


I hold a BA (Hons) in Journalism and worked for over a decade in marketing and PR. I love to help authors develop their work and chase their own publishing dream. I have completed a series of advanced industry screenwriting courses and had my work optioned. I work with writers on their novels, pitches, short stories and screenplays.


When ghostwriting, I like to work through recorded interviews to tease out the content of the story. I write both non-fiction and fiction. For non-fiction, I will focus on an outline first, so that you know exactly what material I will be covering. For fiction, I work through a detailed outline also, but it may not take as many interviews as factual non-fiction.


I'm friendly, conscientious and hard working. I'm always happy to interview ahead of taking on a project as ghostwriting is a relationship of trust and understanding. I'm based in Ireland and comfortable working in and have experience of both US and UK markets.

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs True Crime Writing & Publishing
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Historical Fiction Historical Mysteries Plays & Screenplays
Languages
English (AUS) English (UK) English (US)
Awards
  • Winner, All Ireland Screenwriting Prize 2021
  • Finalist, Austin Comedy Film Fest 2021
  • Longlist, Fish Short Memoir Prize 2020
  • Selected Short Story Winner, Claret Press, London 2018
  • 2nd Place, Junefest Short Story Competition 2017
  • Shortlisted Celtic Imbas Short Story Competition 2016
  • Shortlisted Fish Publishing Flash Fiction Competition 2016
  • 2nd Place, Ernest Hemingway Flash Fiction Prize 2015
  • Finalist BBC Writers Room & Element Picture NI Writers Awards 2022
Certifications
  • BA (Hons) in Journalism
  • Diploma in Online Marketing & PR
  • Series of advanced screenwriting industry led courses, under mentors such as Philip Shelly,Emmanuel Oberg and Mary Kate O'Flanagan

Work experience

TBC

Mar, 2021 — Jan, 2023 (almost 2 years)

**THIS BOOK HAS NOW BEEN PLACED WITH A PUBLISHER** I have recently completed ghostwriting a non-fiction book based on a true story set in Ireland. It tells the tale of a bereaved mother fighting to find out what caused the death of her son and in doing so, taking on the national health system to find answers. The book is currently on submission to publishers.

Poolbeg Press Ltd

Nov, 2020 — Feb, 2022 (over 1 year)

My fourth historical fiction novel is newly published on 25 September 2022.

Authentic Creativity

Mar, 2020 — May, 2020 (2 months)

I edited this book and worked as a sensitivity reader and consultant as a hired freelancer. I enjoyed working directly with James and turning the project around quickly.

Poolbeg Press Ltd

Jul, 2018 — Jul, 2019 (about 1 year)

This was my second novel first published with Poolbeg Press Ltd, who are one of the biggest independent publishers in Ireland. It remains popular and is selling well in both US and UK, reaching a number of number one slots in its category on Amazon in 2021.

Orpen Press

Jun, 2018 — Sep, 2018 (3 months)

I worked with a social media influencer to develop a book proposal and secured a publishing deal for the author. The book was to be a collaborative affair, with my job to outline, prompt and edit the text and ghostwrite in parts. For personal reasons the author decided to withdraw from writing the book and did not sign the contract, due to family and work pressures.

Poolbeg Press Ltd

Jan, 2018 — Mar, 2020 (about 2 years)

I wrote this bio-fictional account of Fred Astaire's forgotten sister Adele Astaire. It was published by Poolbeg Press in 2020 and received widespread national press coverage.

Bombshell Books (Bloodhound Books)

Jun, 2017 — Apr, 2019 (almost 2 years)

I wrote this historical fiction novel (my debut) and it was published by Bombshell Books. It reached number one bestseller on Amazon in its category in 2017. Bombshell Books have since been reabsorbed by parent company, Bloodhound Books. I now have the rights back to this book and have since self-published it, including having an audio book recorded professionally via Audible.

Nicola has 7 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Steve P.

Steve P.

Sep, 2023

I enjoyed our chats and recognise just how much work was put in by Nicola to understand what I was trying to achieve. She did that and more. I appreciate the comments and points made in the report, which has certainly given me much to think about, but I need more time to properly assimilate these and decide which, if any, I take on. I think my MS is a particularly hard one to understand and com...
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Giovanna L.

Giovanna L.

Jul, 2023

Nicola was great to work with. She gave some great suggestions and we were able to have discussions back and forth on what we thought worked better and why. She took her time to provide the edits and I could tell she did not rush to work on my manuscript. She worked at my pace which was great since I had a baby in the middle and that changed a bit my ability to return her edits and our timeline...
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Nicola C.
Giovanna is a wonderful writer and I’ve loved getting to know all about her life over the past year.
William H.

William H.

May, 2023

An outstanding job...highly efficient and professional. I will definitely hire Nicola again.
Ana G.

Ana G.

Jan, 2023

This was an amazing experience. Nicola is very fast and pays attention to all the details in the story to make it the best possible. Will work again with her in the future for sure. 8 stars out of 5.
Nicola C.
Thank you so much Ana! It was a joy to work with your brilliant, atmospheric treatment and I'm glad you like the script. Wishing you the very best for the future.
Sanchari R.

Sanchari R.

Oct, 2022

Nicola took so much interest in a very personal script about my father, I was very touched. She made reviewing the first draft feel like a breeze and the final piece was ready to be typeset. She has been very helpful in suggesting next steps in checking the requirements of the publisher / printing house and also the strategy for writing up the autobiography / structuring the book. I would hig...
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Nicola C.
Thank you so much Sanchari - I loved working on your father's memoir - it was a real pleasure and I am delighted to have been able to help in some way towards the publication of these collected, pr...
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