Many thought leaders and mission-driven organizations need a book
as the next step in touching the world
Yet tens of thousands of incomplete manuscripts sit in desk drawers,
while the world awaits the next transformational idea.
Many people die with their music still in them. . . .
Before they know it, time runs out.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes
We’re here as experienced writers
and publishing consultants
to change all of that.
Our Process
1
Define
your book’s message
2
Develop
your writing plan
3
Determine
your publishing path
Manuscripts completed
Authors helped
NYT Top 5
Million books sold (and counting)
Testimonials
Melissa and Rick are a dynamic duo that will absolutely help you produce your best work. From framing a concept into a compelling narrative, to structuring the chapters, editing, writing and supporting authors, their experience, compassion and savvy make all the difference.
As a publisher and publishing services company serving both indie authors and other trade publishers, it’s critical to find writing and editorial partners that are professional, cool under pressure, and responsive to the needs of clients. Killian Creative checks off all three of these boxes. We worked with Rick in serving a client on a tight-turn revision schedule for a novel, and he was a complete pro every step of the way, translating the client’s requests into solid prose on the page. I’m glad to work with Rick and recommend Killian Creative to others looking for professional writing and editorial services.
Rick and Melissa are a truly dynamic team! Their combined creative writing and editing abilities are second to none. They have a unique ability to find the voice of each author and express ideas consistent with each author’s style and personality.
Rick is both an accomplished writer and editor—and in the publishing world, people with both competencies are rare animals indeed. When I’m in need of a great writer or book doctor, “Killian” comes first to mind.
Working with the Killians was a joy for me. My book was so personal and to be comfortable enough with them to be open and honest with the pain in my life made this journey a successful one for me. They are professional, thorough, detailed, and most important—kind.
I was a reluctant writer! Rick coached me into a love and confidence of writing that has made the whole experience enjoyable. Rick’s ability to preserve your thoughts and stories while adding an easy reading style and ordering the material to best flow for the reader is something I could not have done without him.
All our experiences with Rick have been great. He’s easy to work with. His research is outstanding, and he masterfully incorporates it into his writing.
Recent Blog Posts
Read our most popular thoughts on writing, publishing, and whatever inspires us.
Read moreDiscipline is the ability
to make yourself do something
you don’t want to do
in order to get a result
you really want to get.—Andy Andrews
The result you really want to get…
Discipline is the ability to make yourself do something you don’t want to do in order to get a result you really want to get. —Andy Andrews
Detachment Gain: The Value of Getting Out of Your Own Head
Don’t think harder—think better. Last fall a client I was working with shared a New York Times op-ed with me: “How to Think Outside of Your Brain.” As a ghostwriter and writing coach, I’m always on the lookout for tools that can lead to better writing—because in my...
Read moreI find the line,
“Write what you know,”
extremely unhelpful. . . .
I think, in fact, writing what
you can dare to research
and imagine is a far
better line to live by.—Emma Donoghue,
The 10-Minute Writer’s Workshop
Writing what you dare…
I find the line, “Write what you know,” extremely unhelpful. . . . I think, in fact, writing what you can dare to research and imagine is a far better line to live by. —Emma Donoghue, The 10-Minute Writer’s Workshop
How Writing a Book Is Like Moving to a New Place
At the beginning of 2022, my wife and I were presented with a special opportunity: She was offered a position working in Sri Lanka…
Read moreTo hell with last words.
Let’s try to make
one sentence
that’s rightly positioned
within a manageable context
so that we can utter it
to somebody else
and they’ll understand it.—Wendell Berry
Wendell Berry discusses life
Let’s try to make one sentence…
To hell with last words. Let's try to make one sentence that's rightly positioned within a manageable context so that we can utter it to somebody else and they'll understand it. —Wendell Berry Wendell Berry discusses life
Finding Your Best Path to Getting Published
After spending more than twenty years helping people get their books into print, I have seen the industry pivot a few times. Here’s how I explain the process to authors who come to me today looking to get published. …
Read moreI would stand and
look out over
the roofs of Paris
and think, “Do not worry.
You have always written
before and
you will write now.
All you have to do is write
one true sentence.
Write the truest sentence
that you know.”—Ernest Hemingway
A Moveable Feast
Write one true sentence…
I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, “Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” —Ernest Hemingway A Moveable...
Five Things Writer’s Block Might Be Trying to Tell You
You can’t think yourself out of a writing block; you have to write yourself out of a thinking block. —John Rogers In its most essential form, writing is transcribing thinking onto paper. (There’s is more to it after that, but often that’s not writing, that’s editing,...
Read moreStorytelling is
the most powerful
way to put ideas
into the world today.
Stories are the creative
conversion of life itself
into a more powerful,
clearer,
more meaningful experience.
They are the currency
of human contact.—Robert McKee
The currency of human contact…
Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today. Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact. —Robert McKee
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