A year of significant professional change: My 2024 year in review

On April 15, I parted ways with my previous employer to return to full-time freelance ghostwriting and editing. Here’s what led to that decision and what’s happened since.

JANUARY

I began three months of book coaching work with communication expert Jefferson Fisher on what would become The Next Conversation. It’s on presale and releases March 18, 2025. I don’t think you’ll be able to escape it when it’s published.

At the end of the month, a notable literary agent reached out about assisting two clients with their respective proposals. This is when the what-ifs began echoing in my mind every night. What if I could return to independent editing and writing? What if, knowing what I know now, it will go better this time?

I previously freelanced from 2014–2019. The income was steady, thankfully, but it was just enough to get by, and it never substantially increased year over year. Now, with inflation and increasing expenses as our son gets older, I knew I’d have to be as certain as possible about our finances before making such a significant job change.

FEBRUARY

I worked at my full-time job while also assisting two author clients. I felt like I was working 24/7. God bless my coworkers and those two authors for putting up with me at less than 100 percent. At this point, no one aside from my wife knew that I was daily wrestling with whether I should make the jump back to freelancing.

Because I didn’t want to put our family in financial jeopardy, I waited to part ways with my company until another project came in. At no point during these months did I actively pursue projects. They found me. I saw providence in that.

MARCH

Early this month, a friend in the field referred me to a client who needed a ghostwritten memoir. Is this the project I’ve been waiting for? I quickly signed on. The process was easier than similar projects I’ve worked on as the author provided transcripts and other pre-written material. Three months later, I turned in the 40,000-word memoir, and it was self-published shortly thereafter.

I’m grateful that Amazon’s AI-generated “Customers say” description calls it “an easy read.” I’d been reading and listening to Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, which was actually written by J. R. Moehringer. His style heavily influenced what I did for that memoir.

With this project and the others I already had going, I notified my company that I was leaving. They were all too kind and gracious and understanding. They understood. They wished me and my family well. (To my former coworkers, thank you for the indelible mark you left on me. The worst part of leaving was leaving your camaraderie.)

APRIL

I knew things had gotten real when I spoke to an insurance agent about getting a new health policy for my family. We were going back into the world of giving a third of my income to the government and ensuring we could cover our health costs. (There are benefits to benefits!)

Then I began letting former clients and current connections know that I was open for business—again. Previously, I’d been known more for copyediting. However, I was now more focused on nonfiction ghostwriting, book proposal creation and development, book coaching, and developmental editing.

But that didn’t stop Chase Replogle, a former client, from reaching out to ask me to copyedit his excellent book, A Sharp Compassion: 7 Hard Words to Heal Our Insecurities and Free Us from Offense. Since I like Chase and enjoy his intelligent, insightful writing, I said yes.

At the outset of returning to full-time freelance work, I also paid for a LinkedIn Premium account, thinking that it would help with my marketing. How has that panned out? While I’ll remain active on LinkedIn, I won’t be renewing the premium account.

Of the ten calls and meetings I had with interested parties in my first official month of freelancing, only Chase’s resulted in work. I had to remind myself about the inevitable peaks and valleys of freelancing, the inherent uncertainty of this kind of work.

It’ll get better, right?

MAY

I began earnest work on the two agented book proposals previously mentioned. One was about mental health; the other dealt with mental health and eating. Each proposal required extended chapter summaries, and the authors and I worked hard all summer to create compelling proposals.

• One proposal sold in September for seven figures.
• The other proposal sold in a non-US market, and we have hopes for a sale in the US once the author becomes more well-known stateside (as the author should be!)

I was honored to work with both of these clients.

I also had the glad experience to develop memoirs about a nonprofit ministry in South Sudan and a Christian hybrid memoir about recovering from a chaotic childhood.

Our family also took an overdue vacation to Disneyland and Carlsbad, CA. My wife and son love Disney; I love Star Wars. We make it work. Then I demanded was allowed to golf at Torrey Pines and Goat Hill Ranch. It was a much-needed break for all of us.

JUNE & JULY

These months rushed by. The proposals—and the constant search for the next gig—kept me busy.

AUGUST

Late in the month, a new client asked me to developmentally edit his well-researched book. We finished the heavy lift in early December. The publish date hasn’t been set. When the date’s been set, I’ll tell you about it in this newsletter. It’s a fascinating book about a controversial figure.

SEPTEMBER

This month witnessed the release of another client’s book, Your Grass Is Greener by Jason Silver. Jason and I had begun developing his book in September of 2023, so to see his book published a year later—on his goal date—was inspiring. Jason hybrid published via IdeaPress and has effectively crushed everything about the writing, publishing, and release of his book. If you’d like to know about our “healthy disagreement,” read “How to write what people want to read.”

OCTOBER

I was a guest speaker and panelist at DFWCon. I spoke about crafting compelling nonfiction book proposals. Breathlessly, I barely finished getting through my slides. I enjoyed the panels more for hearing from the other panelists. But the best moment was when an agent tracked me down just to connect. We’ve since had a virtual meeting and hope to work together next year. Pro tip: Get face time with the people you want to work with.

​My interview on the Hungry Authors Podcast also released. I spoke about what I learned while working with James Clear on Atomic Habits, what it was like working with Jefferson Fisher on The Next Conversation, and offered a few takeaways for nonfiction authors.

A new project rolled in that was a complementary piece to an earlier project. I was grateful that I knew the material well, but the project still stretched me. However, I gained confidence in a different kind of writing that allows me to offer a new service to future authors. (I know that’s vague, but an NDA prohibits me from sharing details.)

NOVEMBER

A different interview about my work with James Clear and Jefferson Fisher went live on the Hembury Books Podcast. I was also a ghostwriter panelist for a private group of editors. Again, I benefitted more from what the other panelists shared.

My former client’s self-published book, Feeding the Mouth that Bites You, was re-released as a second edition after a publisher bought the rights. That book is one of my favorite client success stories.

DECEMBER

Which brings us to now.

I started work on a client’s manuscript that’s due in May. Today, I’m waiting on word about three projects that may begin in the new year. I’m excited about the work before me, the clients I’ve yet to meet, and the repeat clients who may be creating new work next year.

In other words, it’s working and I’m grateful.

P.S. If you’re into stats:

• Of my 32 legitimate leads since I began tracking them in May, 25 percent became clients and 22 percent are still warm leads that could lead to work in 2025.
• 44 percent of my leads came from professional referrals, i.e., fellow publishing pros, editing orgs, or former clients.
• 34 percent of my work came from developmental editing, followed by 19 percent ghostwriting. Next year, I aim to have ghostwriting as my primary income stream.

If this email sparked questions, please leave a comment.

And if you likewise have a year in review, I’d be interested to read it.