Frequently Asked Questions

Sheehan has a conversation with the client, explaining how he will  produce a full-length book or memoir which, if desired, can be made  available to the buying public through the internet and select bookstore  outlets. A mission statement for the book will be agreed upon, and a  'point person' for the subject of the book will be designated. This  point person will provide interview names and contacts, will speak with  the interviewee about the project and introduce Sheehan to him or her  over the phone or internet, and will receive regular reports from  Sheehan about the book's progress. Jack does all the interviewing, all  the writing, and accepts bids from publishers or printers to produce the  final book or memoir. In the case of wide-appeal books, he will also  help in marketing the final product through book signings and media  interviews. 

People through the ages have wished in their later years that they had  put their life experiences down in a book, which then becomes a public  record of all their triumphs and mistakes, and over which they have  control. All of the people I have written for and about have been  gratified that they spent the time and energy to tell their stories and  to make sure it was told right. While I have done investigative  reporting, I am primarily a feature writer and biographer. I also do not put a public relations spin on these stories. I tell the subject at the  outset that my intention is to write a balanced and colorful account of  his or her life. The subject always is given a final read-through  before the manuscript goes to a publisher, and both subject and author  must be pleased with the final version when writing is completed. 

 The subject or point person must work closely with the author to make  certain the story is told completely, and told well. The author provides  updates on the work in progress regularly, and appointments are made  well in advance to fit easily into the subject's schedule. Memoirs typically require between two and six months to write and run between  $25-$50,000 (exclusive of printing costs). Full-length biographies take  between 12 and 18 months and run into the low six figures.