We are currently taking applications to be in our pool of collaborative writers.
Our literary agency, Idea Architects (www.ideaarchitects.com), specializes in working with visionaries who are creating a wiser, healthier, and more just world. We have had the great privilege of working with thought leaders such as his Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, and Bryan Stevenson as well as visionary scientists such as Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn and her UCSF colleague Elissa Epel; UCLA's Dan Siegel, MD; Stanford's James Doty, MD; Yale's John Bargh, Ph.D.; and many others who are working on projects that help us understand ourselves and our place in the world.
We work with extraordinary scientists, thinkers, and leaders, and we need writers who can help them articulate their ideas on paper in compelling, accessible, and gripping ways. We are looking for collaborators who can take "big ideas" and convey these ideas in simple, clear, fun ways. As a reference, we think the gold standard for "big idea" books are authors like Malcolm Gladwell, Charles Duhigg, Susan Cain, and Angela Duckworth. The challenge is to take an idea and bring it to life in a way that is powerful for people and also applies to their own lives and thinking. Gladwell is an example of a writer who hunts down those incredible stories that reveal the idea he is trying to explain (e.g., showing how art dealers come to “blink” decisions or how a marriage expert named John Gottman can come to a snap decision about whether a couple will stay married based on how they fight with one another using "thin slicing").
To expand a bit further, an ideal collaborative writer candidate:
- Is flexible and versatile, since the work sometimes includes tasks such as research and travel.
- Has a go-getter’s resourcefulness: is able to chase down people for phone/email interviews, to track down studies and be able to pull out the relevant parts, to process cutting-edge complex ideas and reformulate them simply and memorably.
- Is able to produce compelling writing at a fast pace.
- Is open to edits and recognizes that revision is essential, followed by more writing and more revision.
- Knows how to handle different personalities; keeps authors engaged and motivated, and "wrangles" them effectively and cordially.
- Is disciplined, able to pace themself, and tries never to miss a deadline.
- A “big-thinker”: someone who is interested and would feel comfortable writing on a variety of topics.
To apply to the writer’s pool, please share:
- A current CV, including a list of any books you’ve authored, ghostwritten, collaborated on, or edited. Please be clear about your role on each project.
- A portfolio of your strongest work. We’d also love to see examples of creative nonfiction and fiction, as strong storytelling is a huge piece of what we’re looking for. If you’ve worked as a literary collaborator / ghostwriter, please send a sample of that work, too. Please include at least two selections from what you’d consider your strongest work as a writer and / or collaborator.
- A cover letter telling us about your writing background and what types of projects you’d be most interested in working on.
Please send the above materials in an email to writers@ideaarchitects.com
We will review your samples and experience, and as projects open up, we’ll reach out to candidates to offer the opportunity to pitch for specific book projects. Putting together your pitch will involve creating a writing sample for the project based on raw materials from the author (talks, articles, brainstorming documents), for which we offer a stipend.
We currently have several projects open, on topics ranging from health and longevity to spirituality to neuroscience. Projects are on a freelance basis, and rates are competitive.