Trade Secrets

I can probably think of a dozen times I’ve said to an author while we were writing their business book, “I'm going to open the British branch of … [whatever it is they do].”

Most of them say, “Yes, you could” and laugh. A couple go slightly white faced and say, “Yes you could” in a more suspicious and slightly concerned manner.

In some cases, it’s true. When I work together with an author, I learn a lot about their business.

That’s particularly true of coaching clients because I learn far more about their programs or methods than we could ever fit into a book. For the duration of the project, I become a great expert, without having their experience.

If they are worried about their IP, though, I can reassure them. I’m not going to steal their business idea.

For one thing, I love ghostwriting. For another, my memory can’t hold everything I learn.

A month or two after I finish a project, most of the content has gone out of my head. After that, I'm limited to reading the author's book, the same as everyone else.