Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Lynch
Hi Amy , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a writer. My story, however, started as a reader.
As a very young adult, I began devouring the British classics, 1790-1840. I literally couldn’t get enough. I scoured every remote, back-alley bookstore in search of a forgotten or little-known volume. At the end of this journey, I just wanted one more. So, I decided to write one—a (neo) British classic in the style of the Brontës or Gaskell. It was my first novel and the birth of my writing career. I have been writing books since that day.
A key moment was the transition to professional writing with remuneration. This turning occurred in conjunction with doing graduate work at Villanova University. In my last semester, I let my CEO friends know that I would write for free for four months. The only request was that I might include in my portfolio anything they chose to publish. It went swimmingly. I stacked up a portfolio of legitimate work for established companies. Ready to launch.
The only thing is, I didn’t have to do much more than this. CEOs and business owners network together, so when Sarah says to John, “When did you have time to write that awesome ebook on your website,” John simply says, “Call Amy.” And so it went. I was recommended through the word-of-mouth grapevine until I had an assemblage of wonderful clients for whom I love to write. This also (unbeknownst to me) niched me down to be a writer/ghostwriter/editor for high-level professionals.
That is what I do today. I write books with (or for) high-level professionals and then turn them into years of on-brand content—speeches, blogs, and LinkedIn posts. I have a team to handle the editing, proofing, designing, translating, etc. Seriously happy.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been an embarrassingly smooth road.
I’m not a kid, so I grew carefully and thoughtfully. I only took on projects that I knew I could do at premium quality. It has meant turning down jobs that are not my strength, like TikTok content or content that relies on original photos or video. Since I do so much ghostwriting, I can only take on authors whose voices I am certain to replicate. That doesn’t exclude many authors because I am something of a chameleon—pretty damn good at ghosting.
Yep, there are the run-of-the-mill challenges…had to fire a client for using hate speech, had to let go of a writer who laced everything with politics…that sort of thing.
Overall, I’m intensely grateful for the easy ride. Two paths have aided me in avoiding trouble: Thoroughly thinking things through at the front end and doing such good work that clients are thrilled with their good fortune and cannot live without me in the future.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I help professionals write the nonfiction books they have longed to write. That means different things: book coaching, book collaboration, heavy and developmental editing, light editing, or ghostwriting (I write it for you.) After we have a book, my clients forget about me while I write their CEO or company blogs, keynote speeches, LinkedIn, and newsletters. You see, once I am inside their brain as their writer, I can just keep on going. I know their stuff! (Sometimes, I know waaayyyy too much.)
Lately, I have been taking PhD dissertations/theses and turning them into trade books. I love doing this because it is like magic. The client just keeps on doing what they are brilliant at doing, and I have everything I need to write an awesome trade book. I just call them when it is done. No worries!
Answering this question feels awkward, like bragging, but here we go. I am intensely organized and can play the long game. Sticking to a book task for six or eight months feels comfortable, and I can assure clients that we will absolutely finish the book—something they have failed to do on their own. My team and I are premium writers who bring out the best in the clients, so their expertise and experience are on display—their influence, credibility, and prestige grow as a result! I love that.
What matters most to you? Why?
Doing phenomenal work with consistency matters the most. First, because I have to live inside my brain and want to have a conscience that knows I did my best work for every person and can be proud of that. Second, I want every conversation (about me outside of my hearing) to be one I would be pleased to hear—stories of help, value, relief, and respect.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fernlingcreative.com/
