It’s already half way through February and we have realised we haven’t given you an update on the work we’ve been doing this year. I always think it’s a good idea to keep our clients and followers in the loop with the projects we have been working on, so I am taking some time to reflect on the last 6 weeks and let you know about the exciting work we’ve been busy with.
As the new year began, we had the very exciting opportunity to interview best-selling author Rosamund Lupton. We were incredibly lucky that Rosamund allowed us to see her new novel prior to its release – and what a fabulous book it is too! We could hardly wait to interview her to gain some insight into what it was like to write such a tense and current book and also how it feels for her to be publishing a novel again after several years. Rosamund was lovely and brought home the realities of what it takes to write a novel – the research, the writing process, the anxiety around publication day.
In January, we also began work with a new client who has hired us to work on a ghostwriting project for them. I adore ghostwriting and love helping authors to have their inspiration and ideas come to life. When I am choosing who to ghostwrite for, I am very particular, I like to ensure that I only take on a few ghostwriting projects each year. When ghostwriting, I gather as much information as possible from the client, find out what their aims are, their character briefs, their outlook for the story. Some authors provide me with very detailed briefs whilst others are more vague and allow me to embellish their ideas more. When writing, I immerse myself fully in the manuscript and commit a lot of time to it – not just writing but the actual headspace that a book needs to take. Because ghostwriting is very personal and immersive, I only take on 3-4 ghostwriting projects each year so that I can give the work the very best of me. This new ghostwriting job is very interesting, in an area I believe passionately about and with a very important message at its heart.
We have also been delighted to see some of the authors we have worked with towards the end of last year, become all geared up ready for the publication of books that we have edited. Two of these authors, Stacy Bauer and Jodie Issit, have created Kick-Starter campaigns to help fund the publishing of these books. This involves securing funding from readers who invest in their book and in return they receive various offers or special deals and then, once the author has reached their target, they are able to go ahead and publish the book. Stacy Bauer is already storming away with plenty of backers supporting her campaign and Jodie Issit is in the preparation stages, ready to launch the campaign in a few days’ time. It’s very insightful to see this side of the publishing process and reminds us how costly it can be to self-publish a book. Self-publishing is not for the light-hearted, it is for the hardworking, passionate creatives.
Throughout February, we will be working on our ghostwriting project and also working on a manuscript from one of our traditionally published authors who has a contract with Hachette. It will be another busy couple of weeks, but we will keep you updated on our progress and hopefully not leave it as long next time between updates!
Calico Editing Services 