Hello, I’m Robert Metzger. I’m a ghost writer. We are behind the scenes in a video studio. I’m going to take you behind the scenes in the process of ghostwriting a book.

Today’s topic is writing drafts, which is the fifth in a series of videos. If you haven’t already watched the first four, please watch them first, to get the context.

It is possible to do all of the research interviews first, write all the chapters, and present you with a draft of the entire book. If you are going to sail around the world, and you want me to do the interviewing before you depart, and write while you are on your trip, we can do it. But it’s not the best way to create a book, in my opinion.

The alternative is to go back and forth between writing chapters and reviewing them. I spend a week or two writing, and then we review the chapter together. I recommend this approach for two reasons.

From your perspective, you can see that actual progress is being made on producing the manuscript. About every other week, you are getting a draft with new material. You don’t need to get anxious about whether we’re making progress.

From my perspective, it increases the likelihood that I am producing something you are happy with. When I get more frequent feedback, I can know that I am on the right track, or if not, I can change direction more quickly and with less disruption.

I provide drafts to you as PDF files. PDF is a universal file format for reading and reviewing documents online. If you have a computer with a browser, you can read PDF’s. If you don’t already have the software required to add comments to a PDF document, you can obtain it inexpensively online.

The PDF is distinct from the text processing format. The most common text formatting notations are Microsoft Word, LaTeX, and HTML.

Publishers tend to prefer Word, not because it is the best, but because it is the most widely used.

If you are creating a technical book, LaTeX may be a better choice. It is widely used in academia. I did my own computer science books and papers in LaTeX.

If you are going to publish online, you may want me to use HTML. My wife has published novels online using Amazon Kindle Direct, and we had to use HTML to format them. You will decide which format I should use before I start writing. I can generate PDF’s from each one.

Every time I send you a draft of another chapter, I will expect you to read it and provide me with comments. This is your book, and I make a serious effort to make the writing speak with your voice. So, one of the most valuable comments you can give me is, “I would have said it another way,” and offer me an alternate wording.

Just as importantly, you can indicate points that are missing, or which have not been explained sufficiently. By definition, it is very hard to identify things in a text which aren’t there.

One thing I don’t need you to do is proofread the draft for spelling or punctuation errors. It is way too soon to be worrying about that.

You’re the expert in your subject area, so another point of emphasis should be making sure that I have used the jargon of your discipline correctly.

I prepare sketches for diagrams at the same time as the chapter drafts. If we agree on the proposed sketch, we will hire a graphic artist to prepare the final version.

On the other hand, you are responsible for providing screen shots, source listings, and so forth, since I am unlikely to have access to the hardware and software needed to produce them. Once we know what the chapter must say, we know what examples must go with it.

After we review the chapter draft, I will probably want to talk about questions that the material covered by the draft raised in my mind. You may have been planning to talk about the topic later, or you may not have considered the topic. The time we spend on addressing these questions is very important.

That’s it for now. Check back soon for the sixth episode in “Technology Ghostwriter behind the Scenes.”

You can learn more about my ghostwriting business at www.robertmetzger.com.