Words matter and my guest this week is an accomplished author and ghostwriter with over 100 books to her name - averaging around one book a month! Rhiannon D’Averc shares her writing process, her experience ghostwriting in various voices, and the importance of detailed outlines. Many leaders are charged with translating complex ideas into compelling narratives and Rhinannon’s insights into how she organises her research and removing roadblocks are not just applicable to writing but to any leadership role: it's all about efficiency and clarity. We also talk about how Rhiannon embodies a client's voice through interviews and written materials and discuss some of the challenges of editing and finally publishing a book. All of which is extremely top of mind for me as I prepare to launch Olympus Bound! 

Shownotes

See more at http://www.zoerouth.com/podcast/leadership-communication-rhiannon-daverc

Key Moments 

Planet Human: Discussion about the Australian Research Council's investment in space agriculture and its relevance to future space exploration.

Planet Zoë: Back from an epic adventure on the Australian Alpine walking trail and focused on the upcoming launch of Olympus Bound. 

Getting Started as an Author and Ghostwriter (00:05:32) Rhiannon D’Averc’s journey into writing and ghostwriting, and her prolific output of over 100 published books.

Writing Process (00:07:08) Insights into Rhiannon's streamlined writing process and her approach to removing roadblocks.

Ghostwriting Process (00:08:34) Discussion of the process of getting into someone else's head and embodying their voice in ghostwriting.

Managing Ego as a Ghostwriter (00:10:01) Rhiannon's perspective on dialling down her ego as a ghostwriter and dealing with edits.

Capturing Ideas of Future Experts (00:11:32) Exploration of capturing future-oriented ideas, including using sci-fi as a medium to reach wider audiences.

Marketing Efforts and Impact (00:17:07) Rhiannon’s marketing efforts for her own books and the challenges of balancing writing and marketing.

The importance of innovative messaging (00:20:21) Discussion on using science fiction for broader audience reach and interesting ideas and perspectives worked with different clients.

Exploring future technology in finance (00:21:01) Working with a financial expert on future finance vision, linking it to technology, and discussing the future of social media.

Social media and blockchain technology (00:22:00) Exploring decentralised social media through blockchain technology and its implications.

Cherry-picking stories for nonfiction books (00:24:04) Helping authors select stories to bring their ideas to life and the significance of storytelling in nonfiction books.

Insights about people and leadership (00:26:17) Rhiannon's observations about human nature and leadership, emphasising shared experiences and fallibility.

The fast five with Rhiannon (00:27:30) A series of quick questions covering future technology, leadership tips, workplace issues, political leadership, and favourite leadership book.

Writing and editing process for books (00:33:16) Discussion on the phases and timeline of writing a book, including the research, interview, writing, and editing phases.