William Word-Smith
Hi, I'm William
William Wordsmith
I write Memoirs for Celebrities, Artists, Musicians, Business People and Private individuals.
I Love bringing your collection of memories to life within the context of an honest and meaningful story.
I write under strict anonymity and confidentiality clauses.
Services
Your Life. . . Your Story
A memoir or indeed a biography blends facts and truths with creativity.
It is not a compendium of chronological events... it is the sharing of a lived life.
It should be a bare all account, which invites vulnerability.
A memoir/ biography is a blow by blow account of raw feeling, of contradiction,
pivotal moments, an epiphany which shaped an entire new outcome... or even, an entire new life.
Readers want to see failings,
frustration, deception and yes, betrayal...
leading to transformation, development,
humility and strength.
An understanding of the author's life, as it shifts across time, renewed like a rebirth.
Imagery within phrases, sensury recognition...
A certain smell. The way something feels to the touch. Songs with attachment.
Regrets, lost friends and estranged family.
All contain momentary glimpses, into what shaped and molded the person before us.
The voice must be authentic and truly reflect the identity.
The identity that is their public persona.
The humour.
The mindset.
The Personality.
The true purpose of a memoir/biography, is not just to find the person within,
but to find and identify that person within their world, as it is now...
'for now is all we had, it's all anyone had'
Opening chapter from a family history and reflective memoir
Forward:
You were too young to remember this time.
Too young to remember how the world looked when you first arrived and then, how that world rearranged itself around you.
You will though, remember my voice, it will live inside of you and when you listen, when you hear me... for those few moments, I will be alive, I will be with you...
I am much older than most fathers of children your age. By the time you are ready for long conversations, the kind that wander, challenge, circle back, and then linger in the mind, I may not always be there to share them with you.
That thought followed me closely after you were born. It still does. So I began to write. Not as instruction, not as explanation, but as presence...
These pages are meant to be a place where you can come to, when you want to hear me thinking.
When you want to know what mattered to me, to understand how love, circumstance, and a long line of random, yet purposeful decisions, brought you into my life and made you...
unmistakably, you!
This is where that story begins.
Chapter 1
The beginning
The beginning, is where we stamp a footprint and speak into the night... 'right here, right now'!
Screeching, like an old tired Banshee, the train ground to a gentle halt. A young German girl, still a teenager, took hold of the pitted brass handle, opened the door and stepped down from a time faded maroon carriage and was immediately engulfed by smoke and steam. The exhausted black locomotive sighed in voluminous clouds... doors began slamming and gleaming pistons groaned to the shrill of the guard's whistle, as it signalled, all was clear. It was a cold foggy morning in late November 1947. The little station nestled quaintly in the tiny country village of Whitegate, in England. It had an 'other world' serenity to it, almost lost in the mists of time, like Brigadoon! Whitegate, seemed to have totally escaped the devastation Erna had left behind in Essen.
Jostled along the platform by purposeful passengers, all hurrying to avoid the cold damp air, Erna suddenly realised, she was now in what was previously, enemy territory. Wearing black clothes, from head to foot, a coat several sizes too large, dragging ceremoniously on the floor behind her, Erna nervously negotiated the platform towards the station office.
Her meagre world carried beside her, in an old brown suitcase, which weighed heavier than its contents. Erna’s stomach, growling with hunger, made her feel even more conspicuous, adding to the discomfort of an already long, sleep deprived and food absent journey. She had no real idea of whom she was to meet, except for an official crumpled document, gripped tightly in her white knuckled hand, with the names of people waiting there to collect her.
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My Experience
What qualifies me to write your life's achievements, your memories?
*I'm 70 years old and I have truly seen it all! I'm married to a beautiful talented lady, 38 years my junior, who gave me my most precious gift (apart from herself) and that treasure is my daughter, just 2 years old.
*I've been homeless, with literally nowhere to go and slept on a friend's sofa
*I've additionally lived the dizzy hights of Hong Kong's elite
*Won and lost too many hearts
*Endured too many fools for too long
*Been conned and lost a home
*Created successful businesses from thin air
*Destroyed them on a whim
*Lived on several continents
*Renovating a large rural property single handedly (currently)
And within that eclectic lifestyle, my one takeaway has been...
Communication
Writing, Talking , Gestures...
We are nothing without them...
*They open doors
*Find soulmates
*Get you through life
*Oh, and I've written a few Memoirs already
'Let's find the person that you are and not the person that you thought you were'
Pricing and Contract
It poses great difficulty, for a person attempting to write with honesty, about themselves. The person we call 'ourself', is not the person the world knows.
For this reason, a memoir or biography, requires skilful execution of the facts, interwoven within the persona, that people are familiar with.
This is my role.
A memoir or biography is a commitment, undertaken by both you and I.
I commit to:
*write and edit it
*conduct 30+ hours of recorded interviews
*dedicate my time to produce a finished publisher ready manuscript, within a time frame controlled by you (4 months for 65,000 words, is the shortest manuscript available)
*produce a contract, or accept a client contract (prior to commencing the project)
*adhere to confidentiality and anonymity clauses.
you commit to:
*read it, (chapter by chapter)
*request, accept and sign off revisions/chapters
*making milestone payments, monthly in advance, at €6,000 per month; however, if provision for my name is made within the contract and included in the book, as Co author and editor, with advertising rights utilising selected chapters... a **50%** discount on the monthly milestone payments can be afforded to you.
**This option is very popular with Business and Vanity memoirs**
*endure around 30 hours of interviews
*provide clear expectations
*sign a contract
*source a publisher
(be aware that many publishers may well want to 're-edit' your script and you can accept or refuse accordingly)
*market your book. Publishers do minimal marketing in general and whilst they have a huge team of experts to advise you, implementing their marketing advice, will primarily be down to you.
If your book is for Marketing purposes, it can be paid for through your company and offset against your income tax bill as a genuine expense.
A vanity memoir or biography requires little to no marketing, as these are generally gifted to family members, friends and business connections, as a legacy. They are generally, self published and printed.
Publishers like Barnes & Noble will print as little as one book, including hardback.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ghostwriting and how does it work?
Ghostwriting is when a professional writer creates content on behalf of a third party, who then assumes credit as the author/writer.
Do you offer revisions and edits?
Yes, revisions/edits are an essential part of the process, however, the number of revisions/edits and duration, will be be subject to the continuing fees
How do you price your services?
Pricing is specific to the type and length of a project; its complexity, and any deadlines.
The author (you) have some control over costs. Duration is primarily the leading factor in this, which is why my fees are fixed monthly, in order to facilitate a client with the ability to predetermine their budget. However, 4 months is the minimum duration for any writing contract with me. Anything of shorter duration, will suffer in word count, editing, revisions and so forth.
Clients thoughts...
Robert Everett MD
I required a business focused memoir which emphasised my professional style. I started this law firm from my spare room, into a significant practice, in the US. William was incredible and the results greatly surpassed my expectation!
J.L Walker Artist
William is my Saviour! I live in a chaotic world of Art, family, friends and my dogs. I wanted my Biography to be a shared journey that those who knew me already would enjoy my story, just as much as those who were just beginning that journey. Guess what? William pulled it off in wonderful style. I enjoyed and miss our interview conversations, he is a thorough gentleman!
James Bradshaw
William isn't ordinary, he's extraordinary! As a retired Head Chef himself, we had enormous fun working on my business memoir! It was as though we worked alongside each other. I worked hard to build my business and wanted to demonstrate just how tough this business is. William came though to such an extent, I wondered myself, just how I managed to do it. Ha!
N.B. The names and images of clients have been altered to provide anonymity, however, the reviews themselves are genuine.