In today’s marketing world, few tools are as important for establishing your brand and expertise as publishing compelling articles, biographies, blogs, books and Op-Ed pieces. Google and other search engines base their results on the quality and credibility of Internet content. Despite the rise of digital content creation, print is alive and well, too. No wonder content creation is now a massive industry.
Petra E. Lewis is one of its stars—in fact, her middle name, Esther, means “star.” As the founder of BookStar Business Ghostwriting + Development (“BookStar”), she has worked with CEOs, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and influencers, as a ghostwriter to help them write and publish business books, and as a ghostblogger. A Columbia University graduate, Petra is a former financial services communications executive who worked at firms like Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank.
As demand for her writing services grew she established a freelance communications consultancy, Stone Communications, that has served such clients as American Express Bank; Pershing LLC, an affiliate of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation; Dow Jones & Company, Inc.; and OppenheimerFunds, Inc. She maintains that consultancy, in addition to BookStar.
We interviewed Petra on what you need to know when seeking an expert ghostwriter.
Why is publishing so important for achieving success in business today?
I like to say: A Book Is the New Business Card. It’s an entry point for endless possibilities. I love working with business leaders who—even if they don’t realize it—intuitively get it, when it comes to the role their book can play in reaching their next career or revenue tier. They say: I want to use my book to book paid speeches. Or, I want to use my book to get on [insert blank] cable show. They’re experts in their respective fields, and writing a book gives them added credibility and shine. Before he passed, I often cited Anthony Bourdain as a great example of what a book can do: Prior to writing Kitchen Confidential, he was a line cook—not even a chef. Authoring that book blew the doors of opportunity wide open for him. A book is simply a tool—but a powerful one. It’s like a magnet you can actively use to attract opportunities—and like a magnet, just by virtue of its existence, it can attract opportunities on its own.
Many professionals and even business leaders don’t have time to write. How do you help them?
I provide my clients with a full suite of ghostwriting and self- publishing solutions—Including ghostwriting and ghostblogging. For those who are really struggling to write their books, I also offer a service called the Book Brainstorm Intensive. It’s a one-on-one workshop that has two important goals: First, to help my clients create the structure and content for an engaging, value-packed manuscript. Second, to move them closer to having a completed book in hand. I interview them in person, onsite—or virtually. For instance, for one CEO client, I flew down to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, stayed at a hotel, met him in a conference room from 9 – 5 over two days, and interviewed him to get the raw book content out of his head. My clients can hire me as a ghostwriter to craft that generated content into a manuscript—or hire someone else. For clients who do choose to write their books themselves, but need rewrites and deeper editorial work, I assist as a Book Doctor.
Can you provide examples of recent projects you’ve worked on?
I acted as a Book Doctor for a CEO client who had a conventional publishing deal, but was under the gun to get it to her editor. In this case, I offered a combination of additional research help, and ghostwriting. I’m currently acting as a Book Doctor as well for a book on wealth creation for an executive client who, along with his team at a top-tier insurance firm, met their goal of creating $50 billion in new wealth for a target population that had traditionally underleveraged the estate-building power of insurance. It’s a fantastic success story. My client recently left his corporate role, and has struck out on his own. The book will be the cornerstone of his new personal brand, getting speaking gigs, and his entrepreneurial ventures.
What advice do you have for communications teams and CEOs who are researching options for ghostwriters?
Prior to even seeking a ghostwriter, do some homework:
- Brainstorm some book ideas
- Ask yourself who the target audience would be for each book concept? (Hint: The worst answer possible is, everybody.)
- Now that you know your target audience, ask if they would actually be willing to pay you for a book on that topic?
- Once you’ve winnowed your concepts down to one or two for a well-defined target audience that will actually pay, ask yourself if your book topic: 1) solves a problem your target audience has, and 2) adds value to their lives, and the existing conversation around that particular topic?
When you look for a ghostwriter, pay attention to his or her specialty—and target audience. If you want to write a business book, even if it has an autobiographical component, look for someone who actually focuses on that—rather than a ghostwriter who broadly focuses on memoirs. You’re the business expert—but you at least want a ghostwriter who has a business background, and speaks your language.
What role does confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, as well as credits, play in ghostwriting?
This is far from a standardized industry, so I can only speak for myself. I’ve written confidentiality and non-disclosure into my contracts. If a client only wants his or her name on the cover, then that’s ghostwriting. If a client allows me to have my name on the cover (in a smaller font than my client’s), then I’m acting as a collaborative writer. It’s always nice to get your name on the cover but—this I’ll say for all ghostwriters—we’re perfectly content to stay in the shadows. That’s why we’re ghosts.
Petra E. Lewis is a seasoned corporate communications professional—primarily in financial services. She’s a ghostwriter, ghostblogger, communications specialist, and author. She has a BA in English and history, and an MFA in (fiction) writing—both from Columbia University. Petra was born in Trinidad, but emigrated to the US at age three. She lives in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
This is part of our continuing series of interviews with experts whose work relates to online reputation management.