It’s Friday morning, the approaching weekend is a bright light at the end of a long week, and the sun is slowly rising above the horizon. After a quick phone call from your youngest daughter, away at her first year of college, you open your laptop to check your email. The screen is dusty in the early morning light. There, glowing in your inbox, is an email from your ghostwriter. After weeks of interviews and outlining, the first chapter has finally arrived. You open the document and feel a jolt of adrenaline. It’s here!
As you read through the manuscript, you feel sense of relief. For years, you’ve dreamt of telling the story of how you grew up, how you lived and thrived. And here it is. The chapter sends you back to your childhood, and you notice the timeline seems a bit off. The street you grew up on starts with a C, not a K, and that’s not quite how you spell your brother’s nickname. You check the email again and notice that the ghostwriter has asked you to send revisions…
So, what now?
At DAS, we send our authors weekly drafts. Near the end of the week—after we’ve drafted and revised your chapter—we’ll send it to you for content feedback.
But how do you send your ghostwriter effective feedback?
If you’re not sure how to approach that task, read on.
Read through
The first step is to read through the chapter. Seems easy, right? But it can be tempting to make comments as you go. While there’s no “right way” to give feedback, we strongly recommend reading the full draft before adding your comments. This can save you time and effort in the long run and make the process much more enjoyable. Highlight areas where you have a question or suggestion and come back to reassess after you’ve read through.
Revise
This is not the time to focus on grammatical errors and typos. Revision is for content changes. Rest assured that all DAS chapters will go through your ghostwriter again, followed by a copyeditor and a proofreader.
“While there’s no “right way” to give feedback, we strongly recommend reading the full draft before adding your comments.”
We’ll handle grammar and spelling—but only you can correct the content. Did the stories reflect your experiences? Are any names or places spelled incorrectly? Did the arguments align with your perspective? Home in on these things. Go back to your highlights and leave comments, concerns, questions, and revisions in a Word comment or email.
Send it Back
You’ve finished adding your first round of feedback! We know this can be nerve-wracking if you aren’t sure whether you’ve said everything. No need to worry; the draft will be revised again before it’s finalized. This is not the last time you’ll see it. For now, return your marked document. We recommend using Word’s comment function and attaching the revised document to an email or message. If you have overarching comments on style, voice, or content, add those in the body of the email. Let us know what you liked, too—we’ll keep it up for future chapters.
Final Thoughts
Since we can’t crawl around in your mind to dig out the details, your feedback matters! You’re the author. Your book should be as authentically you as possible.
That’s why we email you chapter drafts every single week.
After clicking “send” on the email to return your draft to DAS, you lift the mug to your lips for the last few drips of coffee. You stretch your arms above your head and finish getting ready for work. As you pull on your shoes, you feel a sense of peace. The initial anxiety has dissipated, and you know today will be a good day.
You’ve finally moved into the next stage of sharing your story.
