Media & Press

Richard Lowe

For journalists, podcasters, and event organizers. Bios, photos, sample questions, and booking — everything you need to feature Richard on your show, stage, or page.

Short Bio (50 words)

Richard Lowe is a bestselling author and professional ghostwriter who has authored 113+ books under his own name and ghostwritten 54+ for executives, entrepreneurs, and public figures. A former Director of Computer Operations and Technical Services at Trader Joe's, he brings 33 years of enterprise IT experience to his work as The Writing King.

Medium Bio (150 words)

Richard Lowe is a bestselling author, professional ghostwriter, and the founder of The Writing King. He has authored 113+ books under his own name, ghostwritten 54+ for clients, and published in 46 foreign translations across six languages. His clients have raised over $30 million in venture capital, secured TEDx invitations, and commanded keynote fees of $5,000 to $20,000.

Before becoming a writer, Richard spent 20 years as Director of Computer Operations and Technical Services at Trader Joe's, where he managed enterprise IT for one of the largest privately held national grocery chains. He served as Technical Editor for KnowBe4's Cyberheist cybersecurity book in 2016 and 2020. His own book, How to Manage a Consulting Project, was adopted as required reading at Purdue University's Krannert School of Management.

Long Bio (300 words)

Richard Lowe is a bestselling author, professional ghostwriter, and the founder of The Writing King. He has authored 113+ books under his own name, including 22 published novels and a 40+ volume AI-Enhanced Writing Series. He has ghostwritten 54+ books for executives, entrepreneurs, and public figures, with his clients raising over $30 million in venture capital, securing TEDx invitations, and commanding keynote fees of $5,000 to $20,000 in the months following publication.

Richard spent 33 years in enterprise IT before transitioning to writing full-time in 2013. For 20 of those years, he served as Director of Computer Operations and Technical Services at Trader Joe's, managing technology infrastructure for one of the largest privately held national grocery chains. He is CERT-LA certified through FEMA's Community Emergency Response Team program, served as Technical Editor for the 2016 and 2020 editions of KnowBe4's Cyberheist, and was guest speaker for four years in Professor Richard Makadok's entrepreneurship classes at Purdue University, where his book How to Manage a Consulting Project was adopted as required reading.

In addition to writing, Richard has hosted 98 podcast episodes across three series (Leaders and Their Stories, Author Talk, Conversations With Influencers) and made 100+ guest appearances, including The Chris Voss Show, which reaches over one million listeners. He has documented the bellydance and Renaissance faire performance communities since 2005, producing over 980,000 photographs across eight years. He lives in Florida, where he survived Category 4 Hurricane Milton in 2024.

How does someone go from running corporate IT at Trader Joe's to ghostwriting 54+ books?

Richard discusses the late-career transition, why his enterprise IT background gave him an advantage in technical and business ghostwriting, and how the systematic thinking from managing complex systems translates to managing complex book projects.

What does ghostwriting actually cost, and is it worth it?

Discussion of industry pricing ($1 per word for professional ghostwriters), the 2024 ROI study showing $92,500 median revenue per ghostwritten book, and the four-times profit advantage of professionally written books versus self-written.

How are AI tools changing professional writing?

Richard's hands-on perspective from producing a 40+ volume AI-Enhanced Writing Series. What AI does well (research, first drafts, structure), what it fails at (original thought, voice, fact-checking itself), and how working writers integrate it without producing generic content.

Why do executives and founders write books?

It's not for book royalties. Richard's clients have raised $30 million in venture capital, secured TEDx invitations, and commanded $5,000-$20,000 keynote fees because of their books. The book is a credibility engine, not a product.

What makes a ghostwriter different from an editor or coach?

The fundamental difference: a ghostwriter writes the book based on interviews; a coach helps you write your own. Richard explains when each makes sense, what to expect from each engagement, and how to evaluate which one fits your situation.

How do you capture someone's voice when writing in their name?

The interview process, the listening discipline required, and the structural decisions that determine whether a ghostwritten book sounds authentic or generic. Richard's approach to extracting voice from how clients actually speak versus how they think they should write.

What's the most common mistake first-time authors make?

Trying to write the book for everyone. Richard explains why books that target broad audiences fail, why narrow positioning sells better, and how to identify the specific reader your book should serve.

You've published 113+ books. How do you actually produce that much work?

Richard's production discipline: 2,000 to 12,000 words per day, the systems he built to maintain quality at volume, what he learned from photographing 300+ Renaissance faires that applies to writing books, and why most aspiring writers stall.

What can businesses learn from ghostwriting about communication?

Ghostwriting is essentially the discipline of communicating someone else's thinking clearly. Richard discusses what corporate communications, executive communication, and content marketing teams can learn from how ghostwriters extract and structure complex ideas.

What's wrong with the publishing industry right now?

Richard's frank take on traditional publishing's gatekeeping, the rise of hybrid models, why most published authors barely break even on book sales, and what the industry needs to fix. Strong opinions, backed by data and 113+ books of personal experience.

Tell us about your science fiction work.

Richard's planned 19-book Peacekeeper series follows Admiral Jessica Lang through an awakening to cosmic consciousness in a crumbling galactic empire. He discusses why he writes fiction alongside his nonfiction work, what fiction does that nonfiction cannot, and the philosophical questions driving the series.

You're known as "the Renfaireguy" in the performance community. How did that happen?

Since 2005, Richard has documented 300+ Renaissance faires and the bellydance performance community, producing over 980,000 photographs across eight years. He charitably supported events by covering venue costs and meals so all proceeds went to local battered women's shelters. The story of a writer and IT executive who became an embedded documentarian of a subculture.