Updated May 2026 to reflect current data.

Richard Lowe, The Writing King, talks about the work he loves, giving voice to other people’s ideas while they take the credit, and the far less glamorous machine that makes it possible to do that at a high level. The craft is one thing; the system for finding clients, delegating the busywork, and staying accountable is what turns a freelance gig into a real practice.

The conversation runs from his exit out of corporate technology through the operational pieces most writers never talk about.

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In this episode

Leaving corporate: runway and full commitment

Richard’s advice on going independent is unsentimental. Have a financial runway, enough cushion to survive the slow early stretch, and then commit fully. He’s wary of the comfortable plan B, the safety net that quietly lets you give up the moment things get hard. The point is to commit to the work you actually want to do rather than hedge your way back to the thing you left.

Finding high-paying clients

Good clients don’t materialize on their own, and waiting for referrals isn’t a strategy. Richard runs deliberate lead generation, and one of his main tools is LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator, which lets him filter for the kind of executives and entrepreneurs who actually need and can afford a serious book. The work is targeting the right people on purpose, then reaching out, rather than hoping the right people stumble across him.

Scaling with virtual assistants

A one-person practice hits a ceiling fast, so Richard delegates. The key, he says, is that virtual assistants only work when they’re given clear deliverables and measurable metrics, what done looks like and how it’s counted. Vague instructions produce vague results; specific ones free him to spend his hours on the writing and the client relationships that only he can handle. Running the practice this way is part of what it means to treat ghostwriting as a real business.

Publishing: self versus traditional

Richard has worked across both self-publishing and traditional publishing, and he treats the decision as strategy rather than habit. Each path has trade-offs in control, distribution, and effort, and the right answer depends on what the author actually wants the book to do. It’s also why he’s clear-eyed about how to bring in the right help for the route you choose.

Accountability and ambition

Even disciplined operators drift, so Richard works with a business coach for accountability, an outside party who holds him to the goals he sets. One of those goals is to work with celebrity clients, building on the long tradition in which the most visible books are quietly shaped by a ghostwriter. Putting a name to the ambition, and answering to someone for it, is how the ambition turns into a plan.

Find Richard Lowe at TheWritingKing.com.

Common questions from this conversation

How much financial runway do I need before going full-time?
Enough to survive the slow early stretch without panic, and the discipline to commit fully once you jump. Richard’s caution is against keeping a comfortable plan B that quietly lets you quit the moment things get hard.

How do you find high-paying ghostwriting clients?
Through deliberate lead generation rather than waiting for referrals. LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator is a core tool, letting you target the specific executives and entrepreneurs who need a serious book and can afford one, then reach out on purpose.

How do you work with virtual assistants effectively?
With clear deliverables and measurable metrics. Vague instructions get vague results; defining exactly what done looks like and how it’s measured is what makes delegation actually work and frees you for the high-value work.

Should I self-publish or go traditional?
It depends on what you want the book to do. Each path differs in control, distribution, and effort. Richard has used both and treats the choice as a strategic decision rather than a default.

Why would a ghostwriter use a business coach?
For accountability. A coach is an outside party who holds you to the goals you set, which is the thing solo operators most often lack and the difference between an ambition and a plan.