High Risk, High Reward:

The journey of an “underdog entrepreneur” who took chances, overcame obstacles, and built a $50 million business

I worked with this first-time author to edit his business memoir. In addition to cover-to-cover content editing, I teamed with the author and other service providers to brainstorm and choose the final title and select the cover art. To enhance this business memoir, I encouraged the author to write nine substantive articles on beefy business topics. We interspersed these informative articles between chapters. This transformed a business memoir (that you would read once and then pass along to a colleague) into a robust, ongoing reference guide. (Example articles included “How to conduct in-depth due diligence when buying a business” and “How to make technology work for you and your bottom line.”) In addition, I wrote the back-cover copy and carefully proofed the interior layout before the book was published.

Make a Better World:

A practical guide to leadership for fundraising success – Raise more money and have a greater impact through strategy, teamwork, and stepping up

Recently published, this book is a practical guide for fundraisers who work in nonprofit organizations and NGOs anywhere in the world. The author is known as the Guru of Fundraising and is backed by decades of experience raising millions of dollars for nonprofits and NGOs. He provides real-world advice to help fundraisers step into greater leadership roles and raise more funds, so their organizations can have a greater impact. As content editor, I provided cover-to-cover editing to seamlessly merge two short manuscripts into one solid book. (Currently, this book is being translated in Romanian and Spanish.)

Rocks in My Backpack: Tales of a Veteran Scouter

With wit and inspiration, Tom Sholes recounts his entry into Boy Scouting and his escapades as a youth during World War II. Later, as an adult Scout leader, he grew in skills and knowledge to eventually become a highly successful leader of youth. Unsatisfied with easy merit badges, Tom challenged his Scouts with rugged mountains, wild rivers, and unforgiving deserts. A master storyteller, Tom recounts troop mishaps and adventures including braving fast-forming blizzards, leading an entire Troop to conquer mountain summits, and a day-long rescue of a young Scout from unyielding quicksand in a river! As content editor for Tom’s personal memoir, I ensured his stories kept a fast pace, with momentum and tantalizing drama. Also, given the number of locations mentioned in his manuscript, I conducted quite a bit of fact-checking to ensure accuracy.

To Sell or Not to Sell … Employer Retirement Plans:

The financial advisor’s roadmap to a successful retirement plans practice

For this project, I was the ghostwriter for The Hartford Insurance Company’s business book “written” by two first-time authors. The Hartford provided only the book’s title and table of contents. Therefore, I based 100% of the content for this full-length guidebook on interviews with the two authors. The authors (and The Hartford) were thrilled with the streamlined process and the resulting manuscript, especially since I was able to meet a challenging deadline, which was aligned with a major promotional event for this product.

Writing a business book or personal memoir?

CLICK HERE to contact Patrice Rhoades-Baum to request a sample edit and free quote.