Book Writer and Project Manager (Independent Contractor)

Selection by October 15 | Submission due February 1, 2027

I am a physician and author who has been invited by a respected publisher of self-help and psychology books to submit a proposal. The publisher has asked for a table of contents, an introduction, the first chapter, and one additional sample chapter.

I am looking for an experienced nonfiction writer to take primary responsibility for writing, editing, and managing these materials and bringing them to a finished, submission-ready form for submission by February 1, 2027. The ideas and expertise are mine. The writing and the project management will be yours.

Here is how I expect the work to go. You will interview me by phone, ask questions, push on my thinking, and draw out what I know from years of clinical practice. You will also read the articles I have written and use them where they fit, and you will do your own research to fill in and support the material. From all of that, you will draft the table of contents, the introduction, chapter 1, and the sample chapter in a voice that sounds like me. I will review what you produce and tell you what to change, but you own the drafting and the editing, and you are responsible for delivering a polished final version. I am not looking for someone to polish my prose. I am looking for someone to write the book material with me.

Research is central to this project. The book should be evidence based, so I want every important claim supported by high quality studies, including peer reviewed research, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses from reputable journals. You will find and read these sources, report accurately on what they show, including where the evidence is limited or mixed, and cite them properly. Accuracy matters more to me than speed. If you cannot support a claim, tell me. Please never fill a gap with something that only sounds right.

The skills I am looking for are professional writing experience in nonfiction, ideally with published books or long form articles, along with the ability to conduct a good interview and capture another person’s voice. You should be able to read scientific literature and summarize it correctly. Experience in psychology, psychiatry, or health writing is a strong advantage. You should also be able to manage a project on your own, keep track of deadlines, and tell me early if something is slipping.

One condition is not negotiable. Artificial intelligence may not be used at any point in this project, for any purpose. That means no AI tools for writing, drafting, editing, revising, generating ideas, outlining, brainstorming, summarizing, researching, or transcribing, and no entering any of my material into an AI system. Every word, idea, and source must come from you and from me. You will confirm this in your application and again in the written agreement, and a violation will end the engagement. If this is not acceptable to you, please do not apply.

Communication is important to me, and I prefer the phone. I would like to do the bulk of our work in conversation, in scheduled calls where you ask questions and I talk through my ideas, and I would like to avoid long email chains and line edits back and forth. I expect you to take careful notes on those calls, and to record them only with my permission, and turn them into drafts without needing me to repeat myself. When you have questions, save them for our next call unless something is urgent. I will read the drafts you send and respond by phone whenever possible. Please tell me at the start of the project if this way of working is not a good fit for you.

The schedule works like this. I will choose the person by October 15 and we begin right away. I would like the table of contents and the introduction by the end of November, chapter 1 by mid December, the sample chapter by early January, and a complete, polished package in my hands by January 22, which leaves ten days for revisions before the February 1 deadline. Please tell me in your application about any conflicts during this period, including the Thanksgiving and December holidays.

This is an independent contractor arrangement, not employment. You decide when and where you work, provided we meet our deadlines and stay in touch. You use your own equipment and software, you may take on other clients, and you are responsible for your own taxes and expenses.

Confidentiality and ownership matter, so I want to be plain about them. The book idea, my articles, my interview notes and any recordings, and everything created during the project are confidential. You will sign a confidentiality agreement before you begin, and you will not share or reuse any of the material or discuss the project without my written permission. You will also sign a written agreement assigning to me all rights in the work you produce, including copyright. You will not be credited in the proposal or the book unless I choose to credit you, and I will decide that with you.

I will be the sole author and owner of all work, content and credit. You will confirm that everything you contribute is original human work or properly cited, so that nothing in the materials infringes anyone else’s rights.

Compensation is $125 with a discussion of maximum limit cost for the completed project.

To apply, please send a resume and a short note describing a book or long project you wrote or helped write and what your role was. Include a writing sample of no more than two pages, ideally one that shows you writing in someone else’s voice or turning expert knowledge into clear prose for general readers. In your note, confirm that you will not use artificial intelligence at any point in this work, tell me your availability between October 15 and February 1, and tell me whether you expect credit. Email [address] with the subject line “Book Writer Project.” I will begin reviewing applications as they arrive, and I will make my choice by October 15.

Due to the volume and interest, I will not be able to respond to all applicants.