Blog - News and Updates from the World of Ghostwriting and Self-publishing

The Novel and the Art of World Building

Posted on October 5 2015 by Mark Graham

This exciting fantasy fiction is a collaboration between Sylvio Tabet and Mark Graham Communications.

Oh, yes, you hear everyone using this phrase these days: World Building.

It is meant to convey something that writers have been doing since the dawn of the pen: dropping the reader into scenes that not only fit your story, but give it momentum and purpose; creating a setting that brings your characters to life and effectively stirs the reader’s imagination.

It begins, generally speaking, with the task of deciding when your story is going to take place.  What is the time line?  Is it the 19th Century or the 22nd Century.  Both require creating a world that the reader will buy into and be excited to live in for a short time each day. That is the challenge. That is also the wondrous pleasure that no one can take from you.

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Your Biography is Your Legacy

Posted on September 10 2015 by Mark Graham
An award winning biography ghostwritten with Paul Wayne by Mark Graham Communications

An award winning biography ghostwritten with Paul Wayne by Mark Graham Communications

No matter what anyone tells you, the life you have lived is more than a story filled with adventures and obstacles, love and lose, family and friends.  It is more than jobs you’ve worked or the degrees you’ve earned.  It is more than the memories you’ve accrued or the regrets you have. It is more than your successes and your failures.  It is your legacy.  It is the power of all your experiences coming together via the power of the written word.

A biography or a memoir (which focuses on a part of your life rather than the whole) allows you to share the wisdom of your years. It allows you to share a world view that is completely unique to you and only you.

Picture your biography in printed form, with a cover like no other cover on any other book, with your words presented on every page. Even if your intent is to share this book with members of your family, picture the pride of laying that book in their hands and saying, “It’s who I am. It’s what I think. It’s my emotions. It’s my heart and soul.” There is no other feeling like that.

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Writing a Novel is like Planting a Tree

Posted on August 19 2015 by Mark Graham

This fascinating book on the topic of wisdom was written by Gabrielle V. Taylor and Mark Graham CommunicationsWhen you are looking for help in Writing a Novel, there are many questions to consider. Finding exactly the right ghostwriter or professional editor is like choosing the right tree for exactly the right spot in your yard.  It’s a critical decision.  Before you truly commit to your book, the more you have finalized the plot of your story, the further down the road you will be. The better developed your cast of characters, the more memorable they will be.  The more committed you are to the voice, tone, and style you decide on, the more you’ll be able to dive in head first without second guessing yourself.

There are a number of key elements that you want to consider when Writing a Novel.  They can be broken down in these four key points:

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What Do Art and Fiction Have in Common

Posted on August 11 2015 by Mark Graham

This power-packed stepmom guide is a collaboration between Kristin E. Smith and Graham Publishing Group

Most of us think of art and fiction more or less in the same breath – the writing of great fiction most certainly being an art – but let’s put this obvious connection on the back burner for the moment.

You don’t just wake up one morning and call yourself an artist. No more than you do a writer. Picking up a paintbrush and standing in front of a canvas doesn’t make you an artist. Dropping a chunk of clay on a pottery wheel and digging your hands into it doesn’t make you a potter. You can probably see where I’m going with this. It takes extraordinary dedication, practice, and skill to turn a blank canvas into a true work of art. The best potters spend thousands of hours trying to raise their craft to the level we call art.

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Procrastination is Not the Enemy

Posted on May 18 2015 by Mark Graham
Wow Moments

This engaging how-to business book on customer interaction is a collaboration between Mark Kent and Mark Graham Communications

Most of us procrastinate.  Writers can be terrible procrastinators.  People who have a good book in them, but aren’t writers also procrastinate.  Have a great story to tell or a wonderful message to share about life, business, cooking, or canoeing but don’t believe in their skills to bring that story or that message to life, often blame procrastination instead of seeing the reality of creative process.

The creative process is very often a team effort.  Even for best selling authors, the creative process is a team effort. You would be amazed how many people work with very talented ghostwriters these days.

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Writing From the Heart

Posted on March 18 2015 by Mark Graham
Fallen Medicine: A Nurse's Dark Journey Through Ptsd, Drug Abuse and Sexual Addiction

This fascinating story of a nurse suffering from PTSD was a collaboration between D. F. Thompson and Mark Graham Communications.

Not all writing comes from the heart.  A lot of what people write is mechanical. A lot of what people write has an agenda attached to it. We write to sell a product, to deliver a message, to entertain.  Some of it is good and some is unreadable.

The best writing comes from the heart. It taps emotional content that the writer wants to communicate, but might find very hard to do. The most important source of beautiful, meaningful writing comes from the places most vulnerable: the heart and soul.

Stories like these can be extremely personal. Biographies and memoirs expose our most vulnerable sides.  Truth is, as the saying goes, far more compelling than fiction. Seeing inside of a person is not only revealing, but exposing.

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Publishing in Today’s Uncertain Book Climate Via Mainstream Publishers

Posted on February 9 2015 by Mark Graham
This fictional story is a collaboration between Edward W. Wilson and Mark Graham Communications.

This novel is a collaboration between Edward W. Wilson and Mark Graham Communications.

These days, you will hear people saying things like: “No matter what, you will be published. You may publish with a mainstream publisher or you may choose to self-publish. Maybe you’ll choose to publish electronically. But in all cases, you will have a book out there.”

The message these is simple: write a book and plan to be published. The message sounds simple, but the reality is a bit more complicated.

Our suggestion is that you ask this question first: How does the publishing process work for your book?

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Book Marketing Tips

Posted on January 12 2015 by Mark Graham
Mom, Why Do My Farts Stink?

This educational book for kids is a collaboration between Carol Mona and Mark Graham Communications.

Book marketing is one of the most important pieces of being a successful author. Perhaps your book is written. Or perhaps you’re in the process of writing a book. Now what? How do you find your audience? How do you build a brand for your book and yourself as an author?

All good questions.  If only the answers were as easy to come by.  Consider first that you have to create a buzz for your book both pre-publication and post-publication. You have to develop a marketing plan and look for appropriate promotional support.

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Screenplays and the Ghostwriter – A Perfect Fit

Posted on November 24 2014 by Mark Graham

Screenplays and the Ghostwriter – A Perfect FitWho hasn’t harbored a secret desire to write a movie? Perhaps you are one of those people who comes out of a theater and says, “I could write a better movie than that.” If this sounds like you, but you lack knowledge about the screenplay writing process and you’re unsure of your writing abilities, there’s still hope. Why? Because screenplays and ghostwriters are a perfect fit.

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The Power of e-Publishing

Posted on November 6 2014 by Mark Graham
The Gnome Tree

This e-published book, a fantasy novel for the teen and young adult readers, is a collaboration between James Ross and Mark Graham Communications.

It would be hard to overestimate how the Internet and the digital revolution have affected the world of publishing. In the past, the publishing industry held tight control over who and what got published and promoted. Many would-be authors never got the chance to present their stories or information to readers because traditional brick-and-mortar publishers decided they weren’t worth the gamble of committing costly conventional printing resources for something the publisher thought wouldn’t sell well enough to recoup expenses and turn a profit.

Enter digital technology and the ability to publish an endless variety of stories, articles, books, and magazines for pennies, regardless of the size or location of the audience. Electronic publishing – also known as e-publishing – turned the publishing world on its ear and put authors in control of what got published, when, and where. Everyday, paperless publishing gains ground as a commonly-accepted form of publishing. The books can be read on any number of electronic devices, from Kindles and computers to smartphones and tablets.  They are also easily converted into traditional printed form.

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