Meet Emily Crookston- a ghostwriter for rebels, renegades, and mavericks. She helps busy professionals by writing books, articles, and blog posts for them.
Turning your passion into your profession isn’t easy. Being the founder and decider of all things at The Pocket PhD, Emily partners with individuals and brands to make ‘boring’ or ‘complex’ work sound ‘spectacular’- and this comes from her niche for writing personal development and business development books. To add more cherries on the cake, she is also a former philosophy professor, speaker, and podcast guest who is most likely practising yoga intensely when she is not writing (in coffee shops that play great music to write to and serve desserts topped with real whipped cream)!
When asked about what attracted her to this cause, she says, “I enjoy ghostwriting because I believe, at its core, writing is collaborative. The ideas I bring have been shaped by my experiences, the people who have touched my life, and my personal set of advantages and disadvantages. The same is true for everyone- if we try to express our ideas without input from others, something will certainly be lost. I appreciate the opportunity to learn from subject matter experts and work with them to translate their expertise for their target audiences.”
At The Pocked PhD, the no.1 problem she solves for clients is the lack of time and mental space to write. She works with professionals and experts who have big ideas that could change the world, but who are so busy implementing change that they have little time for anything else. Besides not being able to find the time in a busy schedule to write, many of her clients also lack the mental space to write a book by themselves. Many don’t realize how much creative energy it takes to write a book until they get started on the process and then they look for help.
However, things were not as smooth for her as they are now. “Early days were tough, of course. I was all but paralyzed by fear and I just wanted someone to give me the step-by-step instructions for building a successful business. Once I accepted that there was no straight route and that I had to forge my own path forward, things became easier,” she expresses as she reminisces about her old days. The biggest challenge for her was figuring out how to find clients because there aren’t a lot of people actively looking for ghostwriters. With some initial clients who were generous and who happily referred her services to others, she was able to build her business. By following up quickly with these referrals and going to every networking event she could find, she climbed one step at a time.
But why should people reach out to her? “I am really good at making sure your book sounds like you, even though I do the majority of the writing. The book will sound like you on your best writing days. We work together to pull out your most exciting ideas and figure out how to package those ideas so they spread like wildfire. My collaborative process is unique among ghostwriters and ensures that my clients get a personalized process. Also, I’m really fun and easy to work with!” she gushes as she talks about her process of working.
As she looks back, she attributes to being her own boss which made all the difference. After quitting her illustrious job as a professor, her first thought was “I’m the boss now,”- a moment that was equally terrifying and exhilarating for her- but figuring out how to make this business work for herself gradually showed her how strong she can be. With this, she also learnt to accept her messy nature and instead embrace not her professional space, but the other parts of her life. ‘Letting go’ is something that has brought her immense success time and again.
As she happily talks about her life at present, she says, “I am most proud of leaving academia and starting a business that has been largely successful since day 1. Taking the leap was scary, but it was the best decision I’ve ever made (besides marrying my husband)!”
You can reach out to her at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilycrookston/
Freebie:
https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/5ee12841098d150014f943cb