Sally McGraw – Ghostwriter

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