Working to Keep It Personal
Anthony F. Shaker, PhD, has been ghost writing and editing professionally for almost 25 years. As a business enterprise, AFS Wordstead was established in 2001. Learn about how its editorial and copywriting services can help you.
Occasionally, I hire writers and editors for specific projects. However, to maintain both the quality and personal character of services, I am no longer actively seeking to outsource to other professional writers and editors.
Anthony F. Shaker, PhD
Owner/writer/editor
1062 ch. Vallée-à-Josaphat
Lac-des-Îles, Qc
Canada J0W 1J0
(819) 597-4072
Afshaker@aol.com
www.wordstead.com
A Short Biography
My career has been one heck of a ride! I’ve been a writer, scholar, business consultant and elected official at various points in my life. In hindsight, though, it feels like it was all mere preparation for the true love of my life—WRITING.
Growing up in the 60s and 70s, I had a penchant for social involvement—in the neighborhood where I grew up, college, university…you name it. I loved to sink my teeth into issues that preoccupied me and my fellow human beings. Helping others reason things out before jumping into action gave me a kind of spiritual rush.
As a young man my true models were self-made people, no matter which area they made their accomplishments in. So, earning a doctorate in medieval studies wasn’t enough for me, no siree. I had to read voraciously and to know five languages before I made it out the gate (I’m now perfectly fluent in three). That’s how much I came to love language and expression.
I wasn’t in the navy, so being an exceptional student also counted if I wanted to discover the world. I had drive, but I was still pretty poor. Thankfully, some educational foundations put enough confidence in my abilities to pay my way. I’ve been freelancing for so long I sometimes forget my humble beginnings as a writer. My academic department had me on its official editors’ list from the get-go. I get a chuckle thinking how I managed to pay part of my tuition at the same time that I helped my panic-stricken fellow students express themselves better.
In the course of my writing career I’ve worked for individual and business clients, been to corporate board meetings, and advised inspiration coaches. One project I am particularly proud of came in 2006, when NCR Corporation—a multibillion-dollar telecommunications business—hired me to write a book on leadership management. I have no diploma in business administration, and yet I had to research and compose over 300 manuscript pages. My challenge was to do it like an expert—only, without the expert's background.
Every writer has to be able to do this. I'm not talking about faking it. Unlike technical writing, which requires training in the proper field if research is involved, writing with precision and authority in any broad field can be a real joy. Looking back I realize how much I've learned and grown over the years.
While doing all this, incidentally, I found time to join one of the two main political parties, and got myself elected to its national Executive Council. My hope was to work toward a better future for the next generation. It took endless meetings and lots of travel, but—lo and behold—we worked out policies that proved instrumental in changing the political scene. I can’t vouch for the quality of this change, mind you, but that’s secondary.
Today I live with my wife on a large piece of land that lies somewhere between God's country and heaven. We keep sheep and fowl, mostly for pleasure, and breathe the clean air every morning. Sure, I've been more successful as a writer than I'd thought possible. And, thanks to modern technology, I can communicate with clients and find information sources from anywhere I choose to live. But the real measure of success, I think, is more personal and spiritual than material.
What did I get out of all this experience? Creativity, focus, discipline, determination, knowledge, linguistic and cultural proficiency. With today’s “globalized” world, I think every writer needs to acquire a bit of each.
You simply can’t write good content without having lived. Not everyone can be as creative as Virginia Wolf was from the comfort of her home.
Both my accomplishments and failures have made me vastly more skilled at my craft than I otherwise would have been. There are good writers and editors out there, but I’m positive I can offer you something that is head-and-shoulders above the rest.
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Current & Recent Projects
- Ghost writer for Ohio-based NCR, a multibillion-dollar international communications corporation, on a book in leadership and communication management. Requirements: Knowledge of management principles and corporate culture.
- Ghost writer for a work on religious conflict and mediation in the modern world. Requirements: Knowledge of religious science and history.
- Ghost writer of a commentary on the system of justice for a California businessman. Requirements: Knowledge of US legal issues.
- Ghost writer of a South African's autobiography. Requirements: Knowledge of current events and recent history.
- Ghost writer of 335-page historical novel based on the life of General Benedict Arnold, during the American Revolution. Requirements: Knowledge of American history and local 18th-century culture and idiom.
- Scriptwriter for numerous film projects and book-to-screen adaptations.
- Ghost writer for a media-famous nurse who fell victim to a clinic bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. Requirements: Knowledge of human anatomy.
- Ghost writer of a biotech/legal, science-fiction novel for client in Pennsylvania. Requirements: Knowledge of medical science and forensics.
- Ghost writer of a 350-page gothic novel set in South Carolina. Requirements: Local idiom (Southern dialect and expressions), scientific and political concepts, local geography.
- Editor for Family Digest (Danville, California), a popular magazine.
- Copy editor for PDN Communications (New York, NY), a publisher of art books.
- Manuscript editor and translator (since 1995) for independent academic publisher (ITS, Inc., Cambridge, UK).
- Translator of three introductory nonfiction works with independent academic publisher (ITS, Inc., Cambridge, UK).
- Book reviewer for DOMES digest (a journal of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee).
- Edited hundreds of fiction and nonfiction books, scripts.
- Ghostwriter of self-help books, including one on management coaching in the trucking industry, another on finding the center of gravity of one’s personality.
Personal Credentials of Anthony F. Shaker, PhD
- Senior Writer/Editor, AFS Wordstead—Supervising other editors and writers of fiction/nonfiction for submission to major publishers (Harper-Collins, Penguin, academic/independent press, and others). Ghost writing popular and specialized works.
- Freelance editor for large-circulation magazines and publishers.
- Academic manuscript editor, writer/translator/researcher with independent publisher ITS, Inc. (Cambridge, UK).
- IBE-IDARF, Ltd. (1996-2002) - Director of R&D and international market development; board member; product development and marketing; innovative technologies market. Overseas travel for negotiations with investors.
- Public service; multilingual; traveled worldwde.
- PhD in humanities (McGill University, Montreal).
Anthony F. Shaker, PhD
(819) 597-4072
Afshaker@aol.com
www.wordstead.com |
