The official results.
More than a thousand books written, co-written, edited or published. Two New York Times bestsellers, more than two dozen national bestsellers and three #1 Amazon business bestsellers.
The author’s name is the big one on the cover. Sometimes mine is there too, in small type.
| Cover | Finisher | Book | Result | More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
New York Times bestseller1 finisher | ||||
 |
Joaquin “Jack” GarciaThe FBI agent who went undercover in the Gambino family | Making Jack FalconeSimon & Schuster/TouchstoneFeatured on 60 Minutes; optioned by Paramount for Steven Soderbergh | New York Times bestseller. | Sample chapter |
| Cover | Finisher | Book | Result | More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
National bestsellers and major-house deals5 finishers | ||||
 |
Dave WinfieldBaseball Hall of Famer | Making the PlayScribnerPreviously published as Dropping the Ball | National bestseller. | Race reportSample chapter |
 |
Howard BragmanHollywood publicist | Where’s My Fifteen Minutes?Penguin/Portfolio | National bestseller. | Race reportSample chapter |
 |
Doug & Jackie Christie | No Ordinary Love | National bestseller. | Race report |
 |
Nealy FischerThe Flexible Chef | Food You WantHachette | Hachette deal. | Race report |
 |
Michael LevinMine. | The Meaning Of Your LifeWriting a Book About What Matters Most to You | #1 Amazon bestseller. | Free PDF |
More finishers6 finishers | ||||
 |
Gary KadiNextLevel Practice | Million Dollar Dentistry | More than 50,000 copies sold. | Race reportSample chapter |
 |
G. Tate GroomeCEO, Colton Groome & Company | The Best Policy | In his words, “the single biggest accomplishment of my professional career.” | Race report |
 |
Rená PueblaEvent planning | The Wow Factor | A new career as a speaker. | Race reportSample chapter |
 |
Timothy Patten | Money, Family, Murder | A true story, told as a novel. | Race report |
 |
David Oliphant | When All Else Fails, Sell!Reader’s Digest Books | Sample chapter | |
 |
Pat SummerallNFL broadcasting legend | GiantsWiley | Race reportSample chapter | |
Race reports.
How each of these books came together: what the author asked for, how we got there and where it finished.
Dave Winfield
Baseball Hall of Famer.
“I’d say my 2006 first-round draft pick for a coauthor was an extremely successful one.”
- Request
A book that explains to parents how best to prepare their kids for Major League Baseball.
- Process
It became clear he was passionate about helping baseball regain its stature as America’s national pastime. I put together a book plan that addressed all of baseball’s constituencies: owners, players, fans, the commissioner’s office and parents.
- Result
Dropping the Ball: a six-figure deal with Simon & Schuster, and a national bestseller, #2 on the Los Angeles Times list. The New York Times called it “unusually thoughtful.”
Doug & Jackie Christie
No Ordinary Love.
“You were awesome … and amazingly fast!”
- Request
Rehabilitate their reputations. They needed the book in six weeks.
- Process
- A day and a halfInterviews
- A weekThe entire manuscript
- Six weeksEdited, vetted by attorneys and published in hardcover
- Result
A national bestseller.
Howard Bragman
Hollywood publicist.
“Thank you, Michael Levin, for taking me from crayons to perfume.”
- Request
Capture his process for businesspeople who needed to understand PR.
- Process
A ten-step approach for small and medium-sized businesses to get publicity.
- Result
Where’s My Fifteen Minutes?, a national bestseller published by Penguin.
Nealy Fischer
The Flexible Chef.
“Michael is a genius with words and was able to put my thoughts on a page eloquently. He’s also a real mensch and a great pleasure to work with.”
- Request
A book proposal that would get a high-dollar deal with a major publishing house, for a YouTube celebrity chef based in Hong Kong.
- Process
I interviewed Nealy at length and created a proposal that reflected her personality, her approach to healthy cooking and her family.
- Result
A sizable deal with Hachette, raising her brand internationally.
Gary Kadi
NextLevel Practice.
“Michael Levin turns ‘Blah-blah-blah into Aha!’ like no one else on the planet!”
- Request
Position Gary as the foremost consultant to dental practices.
- Process
A seven-step process for transforming dental practices.
- Result
Million Dollar Dentistry: more than 50,000 copies, and it helped build a $10 million consultancy.
Tate Groome
CEO, Colton Groome & Company.
“Writing a book with Michael Levin has been the single biggest accomplishment of my professional career and has elevated me to an elite status in my industry—I couldn’t have reached so quickly without Michael’s help.”
- Request
Make a complex approach to insurance understandable and desirable for high-net-worth families.
- Result
The Best Policy, which positioned Tate as the leading authority in his field.
Zig Ziglar
Born to Win, his final book.
Of everything I’ve worked on, it’s the one I’m proudest of.
“Thank you, Michael Levin, for making my best work even better.”
- Request
Zig’s last book (also his son Tom’s first) was complete but needed polish.
- Process
I wrote a comment letter that unlocked more of Zig’s stories.
- Result
It launched his son Tom’s writing career.
Timothy Patten
Money, Family, Murder
- Request
- Tell a nonfiction story about malfeasance in a $100 million family business.
- Process
- I proposed telling it as a novel, to reach a broader audience and avoid legal risk.
- Result
- A full-length mystery that protected everyone’s privacy.
Rená Puebla
The Wow Factor. Event planning.
- Request
- Position her as the leading authority in high-level event planning in Southern California, drive business and launch a speaking career.
- Result
- Thought-leadership stature, more income and a new career as a speaker.
Pat Summerall
Giants. NFL broadcasting legend.
- Request
- A new memoir.
- Process
- I recognized Pat was the only player in history coached by Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi in the same season.
- Result
- Giants: What I Learned About Life from Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry, published by Wiley.
The books we can’t show you.
Ghostwriting is often confidential. Many clients prefer that no one know they had help, so many of the books we’ve written can’t appear here. One of them:
- Finisher
- Name withheld
- Book
- A novel I ghostwrote for a client
- Result
- A bestseller and an ABC series.
Read a chapter first.
Sample chapters are online from Joaquin “Jack” Garcia, Dave Winfield, Howard Bragman, Gary Kadi, Rená Puebla, David Oliphant and Pat Summerall.
Read sample chapters