Done-for-You
Memoir Ghostwriting
For stories you shouldn’t have to carry alone.
You don’t lack experiences worth writing about. Or insight. Or intention. You may even have pages—notes, recordings, fragments, outlines, or early drafts. What’s often keeping a writer from executing a compelling memoir manuscript isn’t commitment, but the distance, structure, and sustained bandwidth required to shape deeply personal material into a coherent book. Memoir ghostwriting exists for this reason.
This is not outsourcing your story or handing it over to someone else’s voice. It’s collaborative authorship—grounded in trust, clarity, and respect for the material—so lived experience can be shaped into narrative without losing its integrity.
What memoir ghostwriting actually means
Collaborating with an expert memoir ghostwriter isn’t:
A transcription or dictation service
A stitched-together version of notes, interviews, or raw material
Handing over your story without agency, context, or consent
It is:
Thoughtful intake and careful framing of lived experience
Strategic shaping of voice, structure, and narrative stance
Original drafting across the manuscript, guided by your perspective
Iterative revision informed by your feedback at every stage
A finished book that sounds unmistakably like you—only clearer, focused, and cohesive
I don’t impose a voice. I work to understand and refine yours—honoring your intent, boundaries, and perspective—while applying decades of experience as a former literary agent, book packager, and career editor. I’ve developed and ghostwritten New York Times and USA Today bestsellers, and I bring that same level of care, discretion, and craft to every memoir I take on.
Full memoir ghostwriting is best suited for writers and creators who:
Have a story that feels meaningful, complex, or hard to hold on the page alone
Know what they want the memoir to express or illuminate, even if the structure isn’t clear yet
Are navigating careers, families, or public-facing lives alongside the writing
Want a memoir that reads with authority, intention, and professional polish
Value clarity, discernment, and ethical handling of personal material
Many memoir ghostwriting clients come to me with:
Partial drafts, false starts, or abandoned versions of the book
Notes, recordings, timelines, or fragments rather than a cohesive manuscript
Life material that feels emotionally close or structurally unwieldy
A desire to stay creatively involved without carrying every narrative decision alone
This service is for writers who understand that honoring a story sometimes means getting the right help to shape it—so it can be read, understood, and received as intended.
WHO THIS SERVICE IS FOR
my OBJECTIVE with every ghostwritten manuscript
Every memoir ghostwriting project is bespoke, but all of them involve these core disciplines:
Narrative spine: Defining what the memoir is actually about beneath the events—and shaping every chapter and reflection in service of that central meaning, not just chronology.
Authorial perspective and interiority: Establishing a clear narrative stance and emotional logic so readers understand not only what happened, but how the experience was processed, understood, and transformed over time.
Structural design: Purpose-built architecture that organizes lived experience into a coherent arc, informed by my experience as a former literary agent and book packager. This is structure designed to carry a full memoir—not just string together compelling anecdotes.
Stakes and momentum: Creating forward motion through emotional, intellectual, or thematic stakes, so the reader understands why this story matters now and feels compelled to keep turning pages.
Voice consistency: Translating your natural voice, worldview, and sensibility onto the page, then sustaining it with clarity, restraint, and authority across the entire manuscript.
Pacing and control: Calibrating rhythm at both the chapter and scene level, with particular attention to openings, transitions, and reflective passages where memoirs often lose momentum.
Market awareness: Shaping the manuscript with a clear understanding of where it lives in the contemporary nonfiction landscape—without trend-chasing or compromising the integrity of the story.
This is the level of authorship and execution agents and acquisitions editors expect—but rarely have the time to guide writers toward. Memoir ghostwriting allows me to carry that responsibility directly, delivering a manuscript that is intentional, ethically shaped, and positioned to compete in a demanding, high-stakes market.
How the process works
We begin by getting very clear on what this memoir is meant to say—not just what happened. Through structured conversations and intake materials, we define the book’s central meaning, narrative scope, intended readership, tonal register, and authorial stance. We also clarify what belongs inside the frame of the book and what does not, so lived experience can be shaped with intention rather than sprawl. This stage ensures we’re aligned not only on the material, but on the executional philosophy: what kind of memoir this is, what it is not, and how it should ultimately feel to readers. This alignment work is essential for protecting both the integrity of the story and the momentum of the project.
Step One: Concept and alignment
Once the core meaning and scope are clear, I design a working structure that can sustain a full memoir and meet reader expectations. This may take the form of a chronological arc, a nonlinear timeline, or a thematic framework—depending on what best serves the material and the reading experience. The goal is not rigid order, but coherence: a structure that guides the reader through your absolutely unique story with clarity, intention, and momentum. I don’t move into drafting until this framework feels solid, ethical, and aligned with the story’s central promise—so the memoir can move forward with clarity and focus, which is especially important in today’s memoir landscape.
Step Two: Structure and planning
I draft the memoir in stages, building the book in deliberate, manageable sections rather than all at once. Drafting is guided by the agreed-upon structure and narrative stance, with careful attention to voice, reflection, and pacing. At set checkpoints, you’ll review the work for alignment, tone, and perspective—ensuring the manuscript reflects your intent while remaining accessible and coherent for the reader. My role at this stage is to carry the weight of execution—shaping lived experience into narrative—while keeping you meaningfully and appropriately involved.
Step Three: Drafting
Once a full draft is in place, we move into revision. This phase focuses on cohesion, clarity, pacing, and emotional resonance—bringing the manuscript into alignment with the meaning, scope, and narrative stance we established at the outset. Revisions are collaborative but contained, aimed at refinement rather than re-envisioning foundational decisions. The goal is a memoir that reads with authority, heart, and momentum from beginning to end—clear in its perspective and confident in what it chooses to include.
Step Four: Revision and refinement
At the conclusion of the revision stage, you receive a finished memoir that reflects your voice, perspective, and goals with clarity and intention. If helpful, I’ll also provide guidance on next steps—whether that’s preparing the manuscript for submission, refining materials for an independent publishing path, or allowing the book to rest before its next phase. Every ghostwritten memoir includes a bespoke query letter and synopsis (or book proposal, as some agents still request this document alongside a memoir submission), shaped by my experience as a former literary agent and industry gatekeeper. This is the point where the project stops feeling provisional and begins to exist as a complete, professional book—ready for the world beyond you.
Step five: Completion and next steps
Creative ownership and collaboration
Ghostwriting does not mean disappearance. You remain creatively involved at the level that makes sense for you—whether that’s high-level guidance, feedback on specific sections, or structured response rounds throughout the process. My role is to carry the manuscript forward, keep it moving, and ensure the final book reflects your deeply personal intent with clarity, restraint, and care. Trust and alignment are essential. This work only succeeds when we are clear from the outset about vision, boundaries, and expectations—especially when working with deeply personal material. Once my discrete role concludes, you retain full ownership of all intellectual property and work product, and the manuscript is entirely yours.
I take on a very limited number of memoir ghostwriting projects each year. These are long-form, high-touch engagements that require sustained creative focus, discernment, and care—both for the material and for the reader. If you’re looking for speed without substance, or a fully hands-off process, this is likely not the right fit. If, however, you’re looking for a clear and supported path from lived experience to finished book, a collaborator who understands both narrative craft and the realities of today’s publishing landscape, and a memoir that feels intentional, coherent, and responsibly shaped, then full ghostwriting may be the right next step.
A note on fit
Full memoir ghostwriting engagements begin at $150,000. This reflects a long-term, authorship-level commitment that includes deep concept development, original drafting across the manuscript, iterative revision, and sustained creative leadership from inception through completion. Pricing is calibrated to the scope, complexity, and responsibility of shaping lived experience into narrative, and all ghostwriting work is taken on selectively to ensure the focus, discretion, and care this process requires.
INVESTMENT
Want revision OF an existing draft instead?
If you already have a full memoir draft—or one that’s close—and what you need is expert-level, hands-on revision rather than full authorship, my done-for-you memoir revision service may be the better fit. This option is designed for writers who want their existing manuscript structurally clarified, emotionally focused, and shaped with professional discernment—without rebuilding the book from the ground up. It offers many of the same strategic and craft-level advantages as ghostwriting, applied directly to the work you’ve already written.
“Mary is highly professional and a delight to work with. She gets right into the hearts and minds of the characters, inspires you in a way that you have no alternative but to give your best. I recommend her to aspiring and expert writers.”
“Mary has a gift. She takes the story she is given, as an entire entity and picks it apart in a way that truly teaches the writer why elements work or don’t work together. If you are serious about getting published, then Mary Kole is the one to do this with. She is a partner, literature expert and knows what works and what doesn’t. I highly recommend her to any expert or aspiring writer.”