Domini Hedderman

I have to say my parents - I won the lottery the day I was born. My dad's still with me, and they gave me such a sense of security. A lot of children don't grow up into a hopeful home, and I was so lucky that I did. I wasn't spoiled in the material sense, but knowing that they were always there to love me was everything. My mom used to say, 'you can do anything you want to do in this world,' and you know what? I believed her. That belief enabled my husband and I to homeschool our children for about 8 years and travel all around the world with them as world schoolers, starting with 6 months in Belize and continuing through different places in Europe and Central America. It gave us the confidence to start our own businesses - my husband runs his own business too. Just knowing that you can do anything you want came from my parents. I wouldn't call myself a huge success, but I'm happy, and I think that's success in itself.

Freelance writing in general, but particularly ghostwriting, can be a really good opportunity for women because of the natural sensitivity we tend to have. You just have to believe that if this is something you want to do, that you can do it. Take one step at a time - you're not going to work for a client making $50,000 on the first book. You're probably going to have to start small, maybe work for a couple of those book mills, and get some experience. Just keep believing in yourself that you're worth it, that you have value, and you're offering value to the clients. I think a lot of young women don't have that sense of security or confidence in themselves, so that's what I would want to say. It's also a really good way to be able to raise your family if you are having a family, because you really can do it in the cracks of your day. It's such a creative outlet - you make some money, you get to be creative, you get to be with your family, you get to pick them up from school, you don't have to hire daycare for $2,500 a month. And you can own your own business and be in charge of your own destiny.

The biggest challenges are AI and an overcrowded field. Some people think they can just use AI to write their books instead of hiring someone, but I think that's an illusion - you can't really write good quality books without another human, either coming from your own brain or having another human help you, especially for your own life story. When clients use AI, you can tell because it's not human, and it's not authentic. Part of the life story writing process is the experience of writing itself, not just the book you end up with. The field is also getting overcrowded with people who want to do ghostwriting because it seems cool and sexy, and there are more book mills starting up that hire people for $1,000 to write an entire book while charging clients much more. But you get what you pay for. On the opportunity side, I think since COVID something broke in humanity, and people are starting to see there's something deeper and more meaningful than just their day-to-day material life. With social media over the past 20 years, we all want to be heard and share ourselves. There's a great need for life story writing right now because we want to be listened to and have our stories out there. It's a win-win - people need to speak and tell their stories, but other people also need to know they're not alone by reading these stories. The times we're in are making people feel more reflective, which creates real opportunity for authentic ghostwriters.

Family is one of the most important things to me. We have a very strong family dynamic, and I really push this as a mother because it's a rough world out there with a lot of people you can't rely on. I want my kids to know they are each other's best friends and we're their best friends. When they were younger and would fight, I'd make them come together and ask how many people are in this world, and they'd say the population number, then I'd ask how many are your best friends, and they'd say five. They still make fun of that routine, but they know they have each other. A hard work ethic is also crucial - not everybody wants to work these days, and we all want to get away with something, like working remotely in our bunny slippers but not really giving it our all. If you say you're going to do something, do it - you're only as good as your word. Honesty is essential. And I'd say being a spiritual person who believes in something bigger than yourself - I'm a Christian and believe in God, but anything that's bigger than yourself is a way toward happiness, peace, and freedom.