Ralph Higgins

Ralph Higgins
color pencil sketch by Gayle Higgins

Quotes I Like


“Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

-Albert Einstein

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Saturday, July 21, 2012

Ghost Writer


You might notice a few minor changes on this blog page.  I’m involved in a new venture and posted a few messages in case anyone is interested. 

            I’ve just finished ghost writing the autobiography of my former football coach, Pietro (Pete) Denevi, and the completed book has been published.  As you can imagine, writing a book is a major project, but publishing the book adds an additional layer to the process.  

            Since I’ve written and published a number of books, as well as having ghost written books for major international music publishers, I feel comfortable with this challenge.  I am in discussions with several prominent people interested in working with me on their own biographies in book form.  Consequently, I thought it made sense to let folks know what I’m doing in case others may want to become authors and tell their stories.

            As you know, a ghost writer does the writing for celebrities and non-celebrities and, in most cases, receives no credit for his or her work.  Ghost writers work on a fee basis and may or may not receive credit on the book cover in the form of “as told to…” or “with…”  Otherwise you may never know who really wrote the book.

            The ghost writer is not the “Author.”  The author hires the ghost writer to write the book and the author owns all the legal rights to the work.  Normally all royalties go to the author, unless otherwise agreed.  So that’s basically how it works. The ghost writer gets his or her fee and then disappears into the mist, to haunt another day. 

            There are a lot of people with great stories to tell and very interesting biographies.  Whether these appeal to a small circle of family, friends, and home town folks, or if they have wide-spread appeal, there appears to be a great need for writers to put these stories into words. 

            My good friend Pete Denevi is a good example.  Pete is the son of immigrant parents from northern Italy.  He was a professional athlete, coach, and successful entrepreneur.  Those of you who know Pete may be interested in getting a copy of his book.  I have a few copies that I will be happy to send out for those interested.  I’m helping Pete with sales at $15.00 per book plus $5.00 for shipping and handling on local sales.  I’m not taking an over-ride.  All funds go to Pete. 

            If you want a copy of “Pietro,” Pete’s autobiography, send a check made out to Pete Denevi and mail it to me at 2252 Greenhorn Ranch Road, Quincy, CA, 95971 and I’ll see that you get a copy of Pete’s book.

            I’m going to be doing articles, memoirs, biographies, short stories, and a variety of projects as a ghost writer.  But I’m specializing in writing, producing, and publishing complete and professional books from start to finish.  The process takes time and it’s not a cheap venture, but based on industry standards, my rates are on the lower end of the scale.

            Please go to my website at www.ralphhiggins.com and click on the “Your Ghost Writer” tab for more information, if you or someone you know may be interested.

            This week’s blog turned out to be a commercial for Pete and me. I just wanted to let you know what’s been happening since returning to our hollow log here in the forest.  

5 comments:

  1. good work Ralph. Glad your moving on this. I know you'll do well.

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  2. How about "making up" a story about me! Like I was a "good looking stud that had all the girls swooning"!!!!!! Maybe add in what a "great" ball player I was!

    If the book sells you can have 60%!!!

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  3. Malcolm - As you know, there's not much to do up here in the mountains. Having spent time with us, you know that Gayle doesn't talk in the morning until 10 a.m. or so. We pass notes back and forth instead of talking and I've developed the ability to put an entire sentence together.

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  4. Ed - You're in luck.

    I've saved all the news clippings of your youth, including your stellar football, tennis, and basketball, performances, including a photo of your medals for the high jump in track. I even have the medical records of the girls who were hauled away by medics when they saw you in person. But don't forget your foray into ballet and that great performance in the "Nutcracker" at the Civic Auditorium in San Jose. How do you do that thing where you dance on your "tippy toes?"

    In any event, I've already got a rough draft for you to edit.

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  5. The "check is in the mail"!!!!

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