Sally McGraw

Sally McGraw – Ghostwriter

I’m a savvy and versatile ghostwriter with more than 20 years of experience and two Wall Street Journal bestsellers under my belt.

Overview

Greetings, authors! I'm Sally, a savvy and versatile ghostwriter, editor, and book coach with nearly 20 years of professional experience and two Wall Street Journal bestsellers under my belt. My primary focus is supporting self-help, business, and social justice nonfiction books, though I've also helped my clients craft in-depth articles, laugh-out-loud posts, and unforgettable web copy. In recent years, I've helped authors create engaging titles on business leadership, catalyzing innovation, addiction recovery, meaningful allyship, investment strategies, overcoming fear, recruiting and retaining employees of color, and the importance of empathy in the business world.


I have an extremely flexible working style, and am open to collaborating in a variety of ways. Some of my authors invite me to support them in shaping their books from the outline stage onward, others bring me rough manuscripts to refine and complete. I consider myself to be a "professional explainer" who can translate complex ideas into passages that any reader can understand and enjoy. I also value stories as teaching tools across contexts, and always keep the reader's perspective and understanding in mind. I adore both research and collaboration, and believe my job is to ensure ideas are conveyed in the exact way the author envisions.


When I'm not writing or editing, I'm usually kicking butt at a Muay Thai class, cuddling cats at the animal shelter, fussing with my ever-growing collection of houseplants, or binge-watching "Brooklyn 99."


TESTIMONIALS FROM PAST CLIENTS

“Sally is a wonderful researcher and ghostwriter. She is a joy to collaborate with, writes beautifully, and kills her darlings without a second thought. I’m not sure I want word to get out about how great she is because it will be harder for me to get on her project list… Alas, you should know that you’ll love working with her.“


– Christina Wallace

Senior Lecturer of Entrepreneurial Management, Harvard Business School


“Sally and I have worked together a few times, on short-form and long-form writing, and I can’t recommend her enough. I’d describe Sally as a ‘full stack’ writer/editor; she gets the big, high-concept stuff, she gets the vibe and flow of the actual writing, and she gets how they work together to create a compelling experience for readers. (Given that she’s ghostwritten a few bestsellers… it makes sense.) And she’s a JOY to work with to boot. If you’ve ever considered working with someone to help tighten up your business-critical copy, and/or get you from a good idea to a GREAT book, I can’t recommend her enough..“


– Matt LeMay

Product leader, author, consultant

Services
Non-Fiction
Business & Management Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

May, 2011 — Present

I have ghostwritten two Wall Street Journal bestselling books and dozens of others that have been well-received by readers across the globe.

Recent topics include leadership, corporate innovation, empathy in the workplace, investment strategies, inclusion and social justice, allyship, user testing, marketing tactics, addiction recovery, and middle management techniques, among others.

GoDaddy Garage

Apr, 2015 — Oct, 2018 (over 3 years)

I contributed posts on small business strategy, social media, branding, writing, and entrepreneurship to this business-centric website.

Already Pretty

Sep, 2007 — Jan, 2016 (over 8 years)

Already Pretty was a popular daily blog that provided tips and advice for regular girls on regular budgets who wanted to look and feel fabulous every single day. Posts also touched on accepting your own beauty and ways to feel more comfortable in your own body. Received 250,000 pageviews/month at peak.

Lerner Publishing Group

Jan, 2001 — Dec, 2003 (almost 3 years)

I worked to design and lay out the interiors of children's books for this educational publisher.

Sally has 1 review

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Thomas M.

Thomas M.

Jul, 2024

Sally was very thoughtful, detailed and responsive. She is a highly polished professional and went above and beyond what I expected. Great job.

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