We all have a story inside us waiting to be told. Each of us has a unique message to share with the world. Perhaps it’s something you’ve been through that nearly destroyed you, but you chose to rise above it. Perhaps it’s something you experienced that completely changed your life, but not everybody knows about it. Perhaps it is something beautiful, something amazing, some knowledge you gained, or some wisdom you want to share.
Not everybody is wired to stand up on stage and speak or entertain, and not everybody is wired to write a book. But we all have experiences and life lessons to share. Your published story might inspire someone to take a giant leap of faith. It might help another to heal. It could be that written legacy that so many of us wish our parents, our grandparents, and our great-grandparents (and beyond) had left behind for us to better understand them or remember them by. Our stories are more powerful than we can imagine, and every single one of them deserves to see the light of day.
I published my own story in 2015 after eight years of hiding it at the back of a cupboard, too terrified to share it with the world, afraid of what the world might think, that nobody would ever read it, and that I would be persecuted for writing it. But none of that mattered. It was begging to be released from its prison of silence. So I set a goal, and I stuck to it. A year of Sundays, I said. And that’s what I did. Every Sunday, without fail, I sat down at the keyboard and bled until it was done. And now my story is out there. I have never looked back. It was one of the scariest but most liberating things I have ever done. But I did it. Perhaps it’s time for you to do the same, and perhaps I’m the person to help you do it.
Not everybody is a writer. Many people have great stories, but they lack the discipline, the time or the skills to translate these stories into
the written word.
Rather than allowing this to hold you back from getting your message out there, you can tell me your story and I will write it for you. Although you pay me to write your book, you are the author and your name will appear on the front cover.
I specialise in working with authors who require the services of an English-language book editor in South Africa and beyond. Whether you require a substantive edit, a copy-edit, or simply a proofread, I'm here to help you turn your manuscript into a masterpiece. Once your edit is complete and your book has been proofread, I can guide you in terms of the next steps, especially if you are looking at independently publishing your book locally, internationally, or both.
Getting your book published doesn't have to be difficult. If traditional publishing isn't for you, independent publishing (or self-publishing, as it’s sometimes called) is a quick and relatively simple way to get your story into the hands of your readers anywhere in the world. If independent publishing appeals to you, I will guide you through the process and help you get your book into the hands of your readers.
Before becoming a professional ghostwriter and editor, I worked in both the book-selling and publishing industries for almost three decades. Working on both sides of the tracks has given me unique insights into the book world as a whole, allowing me to strategically guide authors in terms of what path to take and the steps involved when getting their books out into the world. Allow me to share my expertise with you.
How to reach meI am based in the Western Cape, South Africa, and take on projects all over the world. I have worked with clients in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the USA, Rwanda, Zambia, Malta and the United Kingdom as a ghostwriter, book editor, and independent publishing consultant, and I can do the same for you.
If you’ve got a book in you, I will find a way to get to you, work with you, create (or polish) your masterpiece, and get it out there. Please send me an email at phillipa@phillipamitchell.com detailing your requirements, and I will respond to you within forty-eight hours (or sooner if I am able to). As I am generally booked up for months in advance, please let me know if you have a deadline in mind so that I can ascertain whether I will be able to accommodate you. Independent publishing takes up less of my time, so I am usually able to begin work on such projects at short notice.
If you would prefer to chat with me by telephone, please include your contact number when you email me, and we can arrange to set up a call. I am, however, always more responsive over email due to the fact that I am generally working on a client’s masterpiece during office hours.
You’re also more than welcome to complete the form below. It will come straight to my email inbox as soon as you hit the submit button.
I’m passionate about the rights of all animals and spent some time at Asher’s Farm Animal Sanctuary just outside Pretoria, South Africa, in 2019, learning about how the animals who call Asher’s home came to find their way there. I decided to write their stories.
These are my two favourites, as published on the Asher’s Farm Animal Sanctuary website:
“Why did you do this for me? I don’t deserve it. I’ve never done anything for you.”
These were the words of Babe the pig in E.B. White’s celebrated children’s novel, Charlotte’s Web.
Charlotte, the barn spider who made it her mission to save Babe from certain death replied, “You have been my friend … that in itself it a tremendous thing.”
There was no Charlotte involved in Babe’s journey to Asher’s, but there was most certainly a web of people who made sure that this little piggy, like Babe in the book, was not going to be sent to market.
Babe either fell or jumped off of a truck in KwaZulu-Natal. At Asher’s Farm Animal Sanctuary, they like to believe that she jumped. It is presumed that she was on her way to an auction when she decided that there was far more to her life than the one for which she was destined. An activist was driving behind the truck when it all happened, and he stopped his car in the middle of the highway and gave chase on foot. Babe was terrified and running all over the place, narrowly missing being hit by other vehicles that were on the road at the time. He doesn’t know where he found the strength to catch her, but he did, and he quickly placed her in the back of his car. With the noblest of intentions, our hero drove Babe to the SPCA, but, much to his disappointment, he discovered that farm animals are not freely welcomed by the SPCA because there isn’t really anywhere for them to go once they arrive. With no other options available, he had no choice but to leave her there and hope for the best.
Read the full story here…
“Humans take the beautiful things about these animals and use them against them.”
Grace was no more than five months old when she arrived at Asher’s Farm Sanctuary. On the road—probably on her way to an auction—she fell off the production truck that she was being transported on and was hit by a car. A passer-by who witnessed the terrifying ordeal contacted the Boksburg SPCA who took the young calf in immediately, giving her a warm place to spend a few nights. Her hip was dislocated, and she was in a great deal of pain. The SPCA, unable to offer long-term care—and with their only option to euthanise her—took a chance and called Asher’s to ask if they could provide her with a forever home—for as long as “forever” might be. The Asher’s team left immediately to collect her.
Poor Grace was not in a good way, but there was hope. As she was being loaded into the horse trailer, she vocalised for the first time, and the Asher’s team knew without a doubt that she deserved a second chance. While euthanasia was the last conceivable option for this gentle but courageous survivor with the big brown eyes and eyelashes that went on for days, the team realised that in time, with her body too large and heavy to be supported by her dislocated hip, euthanasia would be inevitable. There was, however, another option—and it was going to require a serious amount of fundraising—and that was surgery.
Many surgeons and many opinions later—and the funding in place—it was decided that Grace would be operated on at Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute. An implant, designed by a team of specialists specifically for her, was flown out to South Africa from abroad. Despite her trauma, youth was on her side and, barring the fact that she would always walk with a slight limp, the prognosis for a full recovery was good. The operation was long and complicated with many bone fragments requiring removal, but, after over four hours in surgery, her operation was declared a success. A week later, she was given the all-clear, and she was transported back to the sanctuary. Upon her arrival, she vocalised loudly, almost as if she was expressing her gratitude to all the angels who had gathered around her from the beginning of her ordeal to that very moment, carrying her gently to her new family and her forever home.
Read the full story here…
