In 2020, agent Al Zuckerman retired. He’d been my agent for 25 years and had also sold some of Rob’s books He started Writers’ House and under his leadership over the years, it grew to become one of the premier literary agencies. Al was also a truly genuine, nice guy who was passionate about his work. He knew what made a terrific book. He had that kind of instinct.
At any rate, as Covid started, we suddenly were faced with a lack of income. So we applied as ghostwriters to a British online site, Reedsy. The premise of this business is straightforward: clients come to you and request help with books. Novels, non-fiction, memoirs, it depends on your profile/expertise on Reedsy. They sometimes attach chapters or the full manuscript. Or, they may just have an idea and nothing written. Sometimes they have deadlines and sometimes they don’t. They have different target aaudiences, different genres.
You, the ghostwriter, read the material – idea or pages – and name your price. That’s exactly as it should be. You, the writer, know how much time/effort it will take to complete the project. You have to keep in mind that Reedsy takes 10% from both you and the client and Stripe takes 2.9% for US payments and 3.9% for foreign countries.
In the beginning, I resented working for Reedsy.I’ve published 42 novels, dozens of non- fiction books, but I can’t live just on the royalties of these books since many are out of print. But now, 5 years into this, I love it when I get an idea through Reedsy that speaks to the writer in me. I’ve met some terrific people through this site and have really enjoyed ghostwriting books for these individuals.
Some of them ask that I sign an NDA. I usually do, but it seems silly. Most writers I know don’t need to steal the ideas of others. They have enough of their own ideas.
Reedsy also has employees you can tap for clarifications, help, or even reach out to when you’re panicked. Prathima, an Indian woman who is quite nomadic, is my go-to person.
In between, I continue to write my own books.Silent Thunder, the 7th in the Mira Morales series and my – 43rd novel? 44th? I don’t know – comes out in Jan 2026. But right now, it’s Reedsy who helps pay the bills. But the real beauty of it all?
With each Reedsy book, I get to perfect the craft of writing!
If you decide to check it out, here’s the link: reedsy.com
