By Kathy Palokoff of goFirestarter, Rochester I Chapter Member and proud Member sponsor of the 2023 WPO Entrepreneurial Excellence Forum
Writing a book can be tough. For busy women business owners, it’s often something on their bucket or to-do-list, but the time and energy is just not available.
That’s unfortunate because a book can help grow your company, expand your platform, and serve as a steppingstone to new opportunities like speaking engagements and board membership. More importantly, a book shares insights, wisdom, and experiences with current and future generations.
Quite simply, it can be a gamechanger for a changemaker.
So, what can you do to finally get that book out of your head and into the hands of eager readers? One solution is to get help with concepting, writing, editing, publishing, and promotion.
An Important Book Gets Born
WPO member Dr. Angela Marshall is a primary care doctor who has built a very busy and successful practice called Comprehensive Women’s Health. She knew that she had an important story to tell about bias in health care but did not know where to start.
We put together a book proposal and submitted it to a literary agent. Five publishers wanted Dismissed: Tackling the Biases that Undermine Our Health Care. That’s a remarkable feat for an unpublished author, but the topic resonated during a time when COVID’s devastation and Black Lives Matter had entered mainstream America and the disparities in our health-care system became painfully obvious.
Once the ink on her publishing contract with Kensington Publishing dried, the hard work began. Dr. Marshall dove deep into unconscious bias and expanded her thinking to include race, gender, obesity, age, and disabilities. She thought hard about solutions not only for patients, but also for doctors, medical schools, and society in general.
We talked with other experts, gathered research, put together a survey, reordered chapters, and added new content. Most importantly, she shared her own personal experiences as a doctor and mother in a very powerful way that made the book come alive.
My job was to capture her voice. That’s what you want from a ghostwriter. We’re called ghosts because you can’t see us. What matters is that the author is seen. In this case, Dr. Marshall graciously gave me credit on the cover of the book. It was a true collaboration and took six months of intense work to deliver the manuscript to the publisher.
Here's an important fact. A ghostwriter or a content editor cannot go off into some office and try to write or edit without the author. That’s a recipe for disaster. The author must be committed to the project. While I did most of the heavy lifting in terms of writing, Dr. Marshall was intensely involved with weekly reviews and meetings. She is a solid writer, but it is my craft and livelihood. She didn’t try to write the chapters, and I didn’t try to save lives. Truthfully, I thought, and still do believe, that my job was much easier.
Once the publisher became involved, we reviewed recommended edits, gained legal approval, worked to create a promotional plan, reviewed page galleys, decided on a cover, found people to write endorsement quotes, and created a website, As I said, exhausting but so rewarding. Released in March 2023, the book is the only book on this subject written by a primary care doctor who is a woman of color.
Know Your Personal Brand
One of the reasons why this collaboration worked, and the book turned out so well, is because Dr. Marshall is very aware of her own personal brand and audience. She has spent years building her reputation as a thought leader, serving on boards, advising government, and commenting in the media.
A strong piece of advice I would give is to have a clear personal brand before you write a book. Recently, I have been working with Yamilca Rodriguez who recently published her own book: Brand Therapist: Using Psychology to Transform the Way We Create Personal Brands.
“Personal branding is essential because it creates authenticity within ourselves,” she says. “People are scared to put themselves out there. They hide behind the company brand's name and have no idea of their brilliance. They do not know that they are admired, and that people are dying to learn more about them as real humans with hearts and souls.”
In her role as a brand therapist, she reframes what people already know about themselves and looks at it differently. She also provides concrete advice like deciding on five value words that define you and saying them consistently and out loud. She recommends knowing who your superfans are and writing down three ways you can delight them.
You Can Do It
One of the coolest moments I get to experience is when the bound books my authors write arrive on their doorstep. They universally describe the feeling as one of accomplishment and pride. They have done it.
If you do seek professional help in writing your book, I recommend the following in selecting a ghostwriter or editor:
- Make sure your personalities fit. Working with someone requires developing a bond in order to achieve an outstanding book you are proud of. Make sure you feel a connection.
- Use professionals. In general, it’s not a great idea to hire your niece or search on Fiverr.
- Get references and samples. Talk with people who have worked with your potential ghostwriter. Ask for samples of books they have written.
- Be clear. Understand exactly how you will work together, payment terms, and deadlines.
- Have fun and be a learner. Authoring a book is truly a wonderful experience. Make the most of it.
About the Author
Kathy Palokoff is the founder and chief igniter of goFirestarter, as well as a proud long-term WPO member. She and her team work exclusively with people who make a difference by providing services such as book concepting, ghostwriting, editing, publishing, and promotion. We have helped dozens of authors create and publish memoirs, self-help, business, fiction, and non-fiction books in both the traditional and self-publishing sectors.
About goFirestarter
goFirestarter (www.gofirestarter.com) is the place where changemakers become authors. We call them Firestarters -- individuals, businesses, and non-profits committed to fueling ideas, conversation, and change. They are innovators, instigators and initiators. We are particularly passionate about giving a voice to women and people of color.
Writing a book enables WPO members and other changemakers to expand their platform, grow their companies, become sought-after speakers and board members, and, most importantly, pass down their wisdom and experience to future generations.
We help harness the power of their strategic, creative and brilliant stories through services such as book concepting, ghostwriting, editing, publishing, and promotion. We have helped dozens of authors create and publish memoirs, self-help, business, fiction, and non-fiction books. We work in both the traditional and self-publishing sectors.
In addition to our core competencies, we also collaborate with literary agents such as Leticia Gomez from Savvy Literary (www.savvyliterary.com) and personal branding expert, Yamilca Rodriguez, author of Brand Therapist: Using Psychology to Transform the Way We Create Personal Brands. Yamilca is the founder of bespoke branding agency (www.bespokebranding.io) and featured at the goFirestarter booth.
Our founder and chief igniter is Kathy Palokoff, a long-time WPO member. Some of her projects include:
- A memoir by Jaha Dukureh a women's rights activist, Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Eleanor Roosevelt Medal of Honor winner, and named one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential People. To be published 2024 by Kensington Publishing.
- A memoir by Joan Pendergrass, wife of the legendary soul and R&B singer-songwriter, Teddy Pendergrass. Out for review by publishers.
- Dismissed: Tackling the Biases that Undermine Our Health Care with fellow WPO sister, Dr. Angela Marshall. Released by Kensington Publishing March 2023.
- Women Nerds: Igniting Leadership Potential with fellow WPO sister, Dr. Andrea Wagner. Anticipated publication 2024
- Heroes, Villains, and the Thrill of Professional Selling: Your Guide to Directing a Winning Buyer Experience by Adrian Davis. To be published Fall 2023 by Forbes Books.
- Great Dames: Women Sharing Their Power, a collection of stories by members of the non-profit Great Dames. To be published Fall 2023.
- Black Sheep: A Blue-Eyed Negro Speaks of Abandonment, Belonging, Racism and Redemption by Ben Studevent, Published by Health Communications 2021
- Overcoming the Darkness: Shining Light on Mental Illness, Trauma and Suicide in Law Enforcement, by Retired Sgt. Eric Weaver. Published by Overcoming the Darkness Media LLC
- Transforming Your Life Through Self-Care by Carolyn A. Brent, Published by Rowman & Littlefield 2019.
- You’re Already a Wealth Heiress! by Linda P. Jones. Published by Post Hill Press 2018.
- It's Always Your Move: Purposeful Progress for Corporate Career Women by Kay White. Published by Expert Author Publishing 2018.
- Firestarter: How Innovators, Instigators and Initiators can Inspire You to Ignite Your Own Life by Kathy Palokoff, Raoul Davis Jr., and Paul Elder. Published by Prometheus Books 2018.
Working with a ghostwriter or editor is an intense experience and requires the right fit between the author and collaborator. goFirestarter offers a 30-minute consultation at no charge to discuss your ideas and needs.