Know exactly what book you should write before you commit to writing it
Ten hours of strategic work, a book strategy report, and a 2,000-word sample chapter in your voice.
Guided by someone who has made these calls hundreds of times: 113+ books authored, 54+ ghostwritten.
Go on to full ghostwriting within 60 days and the entire $5,000 is credited toward your book.
Why start with a Book Discovery Intensive?
Most people who come to me know roughly what they want to say. They don’t know who is going to read it, how it should be structured, what is already out there, or how it gets published. A ghostwriting engagement that starts without those answers wastes time and money on the wrong manuscript.
The Discovery Intensive solves that. Over ten hours of interviews I work through your expertise, your audience, the competition, your publishing options, and your business goals for the book. You walk away with a comprehensive Book Strategy Report and a sample chapter in your voice, both delivered within five business days of the final session. The strategy is yours regardless of whether you hire me to write the full book.
Intensive pricing
A flat $5,000 for the strategy, the plan, and a sample chapter. Commit four figures to get clarity instead of six figures on the wrong book.
Go on to full ghostwriting within 60 days and the entire $5,000 is credited toward that project. If you stop here, the strategy report and sample chapter are still yours, no strings.
What does the Book Discovery Intensive include?
Everything you need to move forward with confidence, delivered in the Book Strategy Report.
10 hours of strategic interviews
Over Zoom or phone, split across sessions to fit your schedule. We dig into your expertise, your business goals, what you want the book to do for you, and who the right reader is. I record and transcribe the calls, so you never take notes.
Audience profile
A detailed profile of who the book is for: their pain points, what they already know, what they need to hear from you, and where they buy books. It keeps every later decision tied to reader reality instead of author preference.
Competitive market analysis
A survey of the books already in your category, what they cover, what they miss, and where yours fits. The goal is to position your book where readers are already looking but not finding what they need.
Chapter-by-chapter framework
A complete outline showing what each chapter covers, what the reader takes away, and how the chapters connect. This is the spine of the book, and it becomes the draft plan if you proceed to ghostwriting.
Publishing recommendation
Traditional, hybrid, or self-publishing? Each path has different cost, control, timeline, and credibility implications. The report gives you a specific recommendation for your situation, with the reasoning.
Basic marketing strategy
How the book reaches its audience, what platforms matter for your category, and what positioning lets it function as an authority asset. Marketing built into the strategy, not bolted on afterward.
Implementation timeline
A realistic schedule from outline to published book, with the major decision points marked. A clear map of what happens when, whether you write it yourself, hire a ghostwriter, or coach through it.
2,000-word sample chapter
A real chapter drafted in your voice, on a topic from your structure. You hear what your book will sound like before committing to the full project. Includes one round of revisions on your feedback.
How does the Book Discovery Intensive work?
Day 0
Agreement signed, payment received, scheduling opens.
The sessions
Recorded Zoom or phone interviews, ten hours of them, scheduled to fit you. Transcribed with AI so the conversation flows naturally and nothing gets lost.
Within 5 business days
Comprehensive Book Strategy Report delivered, plus the 2,000-word sample chapter.
Within 7 days of delivery
One round of revisions on the sample chapter based on your feedback.
Within 60 days
If you proceed to a full ghostwriting engagement, the $5,000 fee is credited in full toward that project. The whole intensive is typically done within 30 days of signing.
Who is the Book Discovery Intensive for?
Executives and founders who know a book would build authority and open doors but haven’t pinned down what the book should be. The intensive turns “I should write a book” into a specific, defensible plan.
Coaches, consultants, and speakers who need a book as the credibility anchor for their practice. It maps the book to your audience and your business model so it works as a business asset instead of a stalled side project.
Subject-matter experts sitting on deep knowledge who want the book to reach the right reader with the right structure. It separates what you know from what readers need to hear.
People comparing ghostwriters who want to test fit before signing a long engagement. Ten hours of work together, a real sample chapter, and a full strategy tell you how the collaboration would feel.
Your strategist
Richard Lowe has authored 113+ books under his own name and ghostwritten 54+ for executives, founders, coaches, and public figures. His clients have raised over $30 million in venture capital, sold 15,000 copies in three days, and earned a TEDx invitation. The book strategy decisions you face in the intensive are decisions he has worked through hundreds of times.
More: Full Professional Background · Testimonials · Code of Ethics
About Richard Lowe
Richard Lowe is a professional ghostwriter and bestselling author. He has authored 113+ books and ghostwritten 54+ more for executives, founders, coaches, and public figures. His clients have used their books to raise over $30 million in venture capital, land a TEDx invitation, and secure deals with traditional publishers. His own book How to Manage a Consulting Project was used as required reading in a course at Purdue University's Krannert School of Management.
His current lead book, The Ghostwriting Advantage, is the comprehensive guide to hiring a ghostwriter. He also authored the bestselling Focus on LinkedIn and the publishing-journey trilogy: Make a Living as a Self-Published Author, Publish Your Book, and Sell Your Books. He served as Technical Editor and Contributing Author on Cyberheist, the cybersecurity book by KnowBe4 founder Stu Sjouwerman. His ongoing series include Enemies of You (nonfiction cultural commentary) and the Victorian fiction series, contemporary reimaginings of classic Victorian science fiction by Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.
Before becoming a full-time ghostwriter, Richard spent 33 years in enterprise technology, including 20 years as Director of Computer Operations at Trader Joe's, where he managed infrastructure across 400+ stores. He hosts three interview podcasts: Leaders and Their Stories, Author Talks, and Conversations With Influencers, and has appeared as a guest on 100+ podcasts including The Chris Voss Show.
Want to explore all my ghostwriting insights? Visit the Ultimate Ghostwriting hub.
Based in Clearwater, Florida, serving Tampa, St. Petersburg, Palm Harbor, Largo, Safety Harbor, Pinellas and Polk counties, all of Florida, and authors everywhere remotely.
How this fits with the other services
Discovery Intensive (this page) is a $5,000 strategic intensive that produces a complete book strategy plus a sample chapter. One-time engagement, fee credits toward a full project within 60 days. The right start when the concept isn’t locked yet.
Full ghostwriting is the complete book, written for you over four to eight months. For people who already know what book they want and are ready to commit.
Book coaching guides you through writing the book yourself, in ten-hour blocks. For writers who want to do the writing with support.
Writing coaching is hourly help on specific craft problems. For writers who have a draft and need targeted fixes.
Is the Book Discovery Intensive worth it?
Paying for strategy before committing to a book raises fair questions.
The practical questions
Cost, what is included, and how it fits the path to a book.
Go deeper
Ready to see what your book should be?
Ten hours of strategic work. A complete book strategy. A sample chapter in your voice. Five thousand dollars, credited toward a full project if you proceed within 60 days. No pitch, no pressure.
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