The Word Magic system
1 free call to an author empire
There are 3 ways to get a book out of your head: book coaching, co-writing and ghostwriting. All 3 end with a finished manuscript. The only thing that changes is how much of the writing I do. Here is the whole system in order, so you can see where you are standing.
Step 1 — Start here
Validate your book idea
Before anything else I want to know whether there’s a book in here, what it’s actually about, and which lane you belong in.
Most people leave this call having said their book in 1 sentence for the first time ever, after 2 years of describing it in 20 minutes.
Book the free validation call →Createcation writing retreat
1 to 4 days. 0 excuses. You arrive with a mess and a maybe. You leave with a structure, a chapter list and evidence that you can do this.
It’s a kickstart, so it sits alongside the journey rather than in the middle of it. Take it whenever the fire needs relighting.
See the writing retreats →Step 2 — 3 doors, and all of them end in a book
Door 1
Book coaching
You write it, I guide it. I show you exactly what is wrong and how to fix it, and the fixing stays yours. Privately, or on Tuesdays with the group in Write On. 3 months instead of 3 years, because you stop taking wrong turns you can’t see yet.
Book coaching →Write On group coaching →Door 2
Co-writing
Tandem writing. You draft the page, I rework and polish it until it sparkles. You still write the book. The difference is that my hands are actually on your pages, fixing them.
Co-writing →Door 3
Ghostwriting
You’re never going to type it. 30 years in your head and 0 intention of writing it down. That’s the entire reason I exist.
Ghostwriting →Plenty of people run the group and 1:1 together. It’s not essential. It just fuels the fire and makes you better, because this is writing in community, not isolation.
Every door ends the same way
A finished manuscript. Your wisdom out of your head, your IP protected, your authority confirmed and credentialed.
And that is an author empire on solid foundations
What you build after the book is the empire, and I roadmap that part while the manuscript is still being written. Built on a system instead of luck.
Start with the free callYou’ll leave it knowing what your book is, even if you never work with me.
3 questions
Which door is yours?
Answer honestly rather than aspirationally. The aspirational answer is how people end up 2 years into the wrong lane. Answer all 3 and a door opens.
Question 1
When you picture this book actually getting written, whose hands are on the keyboard?
Question 2
How much time do you genuinely have for this?
Question 3
Left entirely to your own devices, do you finish things?
Answer all 3 and your door opens.
Behind your door
3 questions can only get you so far. The call is where I tell you properly, and it costs you nothing either way.
Straight answers
What people ask me before they book
No vague ranges, no “it depends”. The real numbers and the real timelines.
What is the difference between ghostwriting and co-writing?
It comes down to whose hands are on the page. In ghostwriting, I write the whole manuscript from interviews with you, and your name goes on the cover alone. In co-writing, you draft the pages and I rework and polish them until they sparkle, so you are still the writer and my hands are still on every page. In book coaching I never touch your pages at all: I show you what is wrong and how to fix it, and the fixing stays yours.
How much does it cost to have a book ghostwritten?
My ghostwriting is $60,000 USD and I take 2 clients a year. Co-writing is $30,000 USD, application only, 4 spots a year. Book coaching runs $7,000 to $10,000 USD for 12 sessions. A Createcation™ writing retreat starts at $3,500.
Industry-wide, a professional ghostwritten non-fiction book typically runs from $25,000 to well over $100,000, depending on the writer’s track record and the length of the book.
How long does it take to write a book with a coach?
About 3 months of focused work, rather than the 3 years it usually takes alone. The time saved isn’t in typing speed. It’s in not writing 40,000 words in the wrong direction and having to cut them.
Do I have to do a Createcation retreat before we work together?
No. A Createcation™ is a booster, not a gate. It sits alongside the journey and you can take it at any stage, whether that is to start, to get unstuck in the middle, or to finish. Plenty of people go straight from the free validation call into coaching, co-writing or ghostwriting.
Is the validation call actually free?
Yes, and there’s no version of it where you leave worse off. You’ll leave knowing whether there’s a book in there, what it’s about in 1 sentence, and which of the 3 doors fits. If the honest answer is 4 weeks of writing on your own and a chat in a month, that is what I will tell you.
Can I do group and 1:1 coaching at the same time?
Yes, and a lot of people do. It’s not essential. It just fuels the fire and makes you better, because this is writing in community rather than isolation. The group gives you 12 writers expecting you on a Tuesday. The 1:1 gives you somebody inside your actual pages.
What is a hot seat in Write On?
90 minutes live every Tuesday, 12 writers in the room, and 4 hot seats a session where I take somebody’s actual pages apart live while everyone else takes notes on their own. You’re guaranteed 1 of those a month. The other 3 you learn from, which is frequently the more useful seat.
Who is Crystal Adair-Benning?
I’m a 4x NYT bestselling ghostwriter & book coach, and the founder of Word Magic. I’ve spent 30 years in books and worked with 200+ authors across 12 countries. I also run Createcation™ writing retreats and host the Table of Stories series. My name is on 0 of the bestsellers I’ve written, which is rather the job.
What happens after the book is finished?
That’s where the author empire starts. A finished book raises your speaking fee, opens doors you didn’t even know existed, and works while you sleep. I roadmap what you build on top of it while the manuscript is still being written, so the launch isn’t the end of the plan.
Still not sure which door is yours?
Find out on a call. It is free, it takes 1 conversation, and you leave knowing what your book is even if you never work with me.
Book a call