![]() Google Docs is probably the most well known, though I prefer to avoid ‘free’ Google products. There are various tools available for online document collaboration now. ![]() The biggest problems with this are that we can’t work on the document at the same time, and we need to be careful about version control, lest changes made by one person get missed along the way. The Word document bounces between myself and my client, with ‘ track changes’ and comments the method by which we share and refine edits over time. For the reasons I mentioned, that means moving out of Scrivener and, usually, into a Microsoft Word document. Once a draft reaches a certain point, I need to share it with my client. The one ghostwriting tool that remains unresolved for me is the ideal collaboration tool. It can do a lot more than I’ve ever needed.Īeon Timeline is also available on a free trial, with a one-off purchase price of A$68. Often I don’t need it – Scrivener’s outlines are usually enough – but for more complex stories it can be a saviour. Aeon TimelineĪeon Timeline allows me to create detailed visual timelines which can be really handy on a memoir or history, but is also useful for project planning. There is a bit of a learning curve to the application which would really be a step too far for most people who are only going to do this once or twice.Ī free trial is available for Scrivener and to buy it costs only A$77, with no subscription. ![]() Scrivener has limited collaboration features, and even if they were better, it would be too complicated for most people. In fact the only downside of Scrivener is that when it comes to collaborating with my clients (once a draft is ready), I need to move out of Scrivener and into MS Word. And it is so much easier to work with than programs like Microsoft Word. I find this essential, as no two projects are the same. Scrivener allows an enormous amount of flexibility in the way you approach a project. You can then refer to those on one half of the screen while you work on the writing on the other half. When you create a project in Scrivener it becomes a central place for storing transcripts, background documents and research. Scrivener is much more than a word processor. Scrivenerįor over a decade, there is one piece of software that has been my absolute don’t-know-what-I-would-do-without-it tool for organising research, outlining, drafting and re-drafting my book projects. If you price that against the value of your own time you’ll likely find yourself streets ahead. For around $10 a month you get 6000 minutes and up to four hours per conversation (which should be ample). Otter has a free level that’s limited to 40-minute conversations and 600 minutes total per month. It’s not 100% accurate – not even a human transcriber is 100% accurate – but it’s way ahead of any of its predecessors. Create an account, upload an audio file and within minutes Otter will have created a transcript of your conversation. This used to be a slow and tedious process but has now been made much easier thanks to otter.ai. At the end you simply attach it to your computer, download the files and job done! Otter.ai transcription serviceĪfter an interview I need to turn the audio into words – that is, transcribe the conversation. A small red light shows that recording is in progress (easy to glance at during your interview), and the batteries last for hours. Turn it on, press record and away you go. What I like most about the Zoom H1n (which is a successor to the original H1 model I have) is its small size and, most of all, its simplicity of use. ![]() While the recorder on your smartphone can do the job – I still use mine as a backup – for ‘archival’ or broadcast quality you’ll really want to use a dedicated recorder. For this a digital voice recorder is essential. Ghostwriting starts with what I call the collection of ‘raw material’, which in most cases means at least some interviews with the person I’m writing for, and possibly others. These things change occasionally, so I thought it would be a good idea to share what I am using as my main book ghostwriting tools in 2021. Every now and then I’m asked about the various resources I use when I’m working on ghostwriting a book. ![]()
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