Terri Tonkin is a ghostwriter based in Brisbane, Australia, who runs Connect Within. After fulfilling her childhood dream of writing her own book at age 60, she transitioned from life coaching to ghostwriting and has contributed to 15 compilations. Terri specializes in nonfiction — memoirs, wellbeing, and lifestyle books — and works with clients across Australia, the US, and Canada.
Host: Richard Lowe | Guest: Terri Tonkin
Interview Transcript
Richard: Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself?
Terri: I’m based in Brisbane, Australia. We’ve lived in Brisbane for coming up on 30 years. Prior to that, my husband was in the defence forces and we travelled around Australia with his work. I’ve had a variety of life experiences and different employment — retail, banking, youth transition, public service. Then I started my own business, first as a life coach, and transitioned into author and ghostwriter.
Richard: What made you start writing in the first place?
Terri: I wanted to write a book from a very early age. I remember when I was probably five or six saying to my mum and dad that I was going to write a book. Took me a while to get there. We lived in western Queensland, which is quite remote — no TV, and the radio was something mum and dad listened to. Books were my escape from a very early age. I’ve been an avid reader all my life and still read every day.
When I decided to actually write my book, I called my mentor and said, “It’s time to write the book.” She said, “Why now?” I’d sort of run out of excuses as to why not. And my mum had been placed in care, suffering with dementia. So it was really to get that book written so she was able to read it and know that I had fulfilled a dream.
Fulfilling the Dream at 60
Richard: You fulfilled your dream at age 60. How did you feel?
Terri: It was amazing. I’d wanted to do it since I was a little girl. I self-published. I didn’t do the whole lot — I had a mentor, but I did all the work. That felt pretty good.
Richard: Why did you decide to become a ghostwriter?
Terri: I wrote my own book in 2018, contributed to a book in 2019, two in 2020, and two in 2021. I decided if I’m going to write, I may as well get paid to do it.
The Ghostwriting Process
Richard: What’s your method? Do you do interviews and then write?
Terri: We do a Zoom call or something like that. I’ve done it through email as well. It’s having that conversation. I’ll have a conversation, then write, hand it back and ask, “Are we on the right track? Have I got the right context?” Then we keep moving forward. At the end, you start at the beginning and go right through — is it all in sequence? Have I got the right language, the right emotions?
Then I hand the manuscript back. I don’t do the publishing. I always suggest they get an editor, because it’s my eyes looking at it all the time. And I have a network of publishers I can refer them to.
Richard: I’ve done 48 ghostwritten books. Three were traditionally published, the rest self-published. Traditional has about a year-long wait time, whereas self-publishers can publish right away and make changes. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.
The Value of Compilation Books
Terri: The latest compilation I did is called Get Published. There are 17 contributing authors — six from Australia, 10 from the US, and one from Canada. We had editors, formatters, designers, publishers, book coaches. I was the only ghostwriter. Being in that book has expanded my networks. For my clients, I can now refer people to different publishers who do different genres and styles. Just having those connections is wonderful.
What Every Writer Should Know
Richard: What have you learned as a writer that you didn’t know before?
Terri: Everybody has at least one story to tell. People have a list of excuses as to why they can’t write it. And there’s a solution to each one. If you don’t have the time but you’ve got the story, there are ghostwriters who can help. If you don’t know where to start, there are coaches. If you’ve written but don’t know how to tidy it up, there are beta readers and editors. If you don’t know how to publish — somebody is going to read it. And if one person reads it and gets benefit, they’ll pass the word along.
You’re not going to make a million dollars unless you’re with one of the bigger publishing houses. But as a single author, if you want to make a million bucks, you can probably do that. You just have to do a lot of work.
Clients Who Undervalue Writing
Terri: I had a request to write a sponsorship package. I asked around and my contacts said around two and a half to three thousand. I went back to the potential client and said $3,000. They said, “Oh, we were thinking about $300.”
Richard: I get that all the time. Someone recently asked me for a 60,000-word book. I told him my pricing and he said, “I was thinking more like $1,500.” I said, “Fiverr will probably find you somebody, but you’re not going to get me. I can’t make a living on that.”
Terri: I’ve had people ask about a manuscript and even when I say it’s under $10,000, they say, “Oh, we thought it would be about five or six hundred.” That’s four to six months of work. Do you get paid $500 for six months?
Richard: I do find the high-end clients who will pay my rates. The fortunate thing about asking for the higher end is I don’t need a lot of them.
What People Don’t Know About Ghostwriting
Terri: A lot of people still don’t know about ghostwriting or understand what we do. They ask, “What does a ghostwriter do?” I say, do you think Andre Agassi wrote his own book? Do you think Prince Harry wrote his own book? He even talks about his ghostwriter.
We write the book on behalf of somebody else. Their name goes on the book. If they wish to acknowledge me, fantastic. If they want to take it all, they paid me, I’m out of the picture.
Richard: Out of 48 ghostwritten books, five allow me to put their name on my website and acknowledged me. The rest would rather not, and that’s fine. I got paid.
Terri: Don’t you want your name on the book? It’s not my book.
The Self-Promotion Challenge
Richard: One of the hardest barriers of being a writer was learning to promote myself. In the United States, you’re typically taught you don’t talk about yourself — it’s considered arrogant.
Terri: I don’t think it’s necessarily USA or Australia. It’s a generational thing. In Australia, we’ve got tall poppy syndrome — if you’re at the top, somebody’s going to knock you down. Our parents were never braggers. It’s something we have to learn to do — to be okay promoting ourselves. We’ve achieved it, so why not let everybody know?
Richard: You have to, because clients ask, “What have you done? Why should I hire you?” You don’t want to say you’re the best in the entire world. But you have to tell them how good you are. That was a tough barrier. I’ve been an introvert most of my life — severe and shy. There was a time I won a major award and they couldn’t even get me on stage to accept it.
Terri: If you think you want to write a book and you have that list of excuses, reach out and talk to someone — a ghostwriter, a book coach, even a publisher. For every reason not to write, there is a solution. As I say, let me help you to tell, write, and share your story.
Learn more about Terri Tonkin on LinkedIn.
Find Richard Lowe at TheWritingKing.com.