Short Bio: William Patrick is a widely published journalist and ghostwriter. Over the past decade, he’s written hundreds of national and Florida-based news articles. He’s also ghostwritten two full-length books for two different New York Times bestselling authors, in addition to hundreds of legal and financial blogs for commercial clients. William lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with his wife and three young children.
My Story: Hello, and thanks for visiting. I’ve been writing professionally for over 10 years and have produced hundreds of news articles and commercial blogs. I’ve also ghostwritten two full-length books for two different New York Times bestselling authors and two full-length book proposals for a third bestselling author. I’ve written about education, finance, law, elections, sports, health care, corruption and crime.
I’m passionate about writing and I feel a profound sense of satisfaction when I’m able to communicate stories and ideas effectively.
I live in Tallahassee, Florida, and began my career as a writer covering the state legislature. Before that, I lived in New York City, where I graduated magna cum laude from Hunter College, City University of New York. My plan was to go to law school but, as they say, stuff happens.
My wife and I moved to Florida, and I was hired to solve a problem. A state-based think tank needed a “new media” journalism website to cover key issues as they were developing at the Capitol. They also needed to incorporate fundraising, which was the organization’s lifeline. This was back when newspapers were disintegrating and the blogosphere was a thing.
The project sounded simple: I’d write compelling articles and the rest would fall into place. But I quickly realized that success involved a lot more than just writing. The project needed conceptual development, strategies to attract readers and donors, innovative ways to deliver content and a close connection with a targeted audience, all while building a credible position of authority.
On the journalism side, I was lucky beyond words. My mentor wrote for the Miami Herald for 28 years and was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial team. On the business side…I had to figure it out.
So, I got down to work; testing and approving concepts, building a social media presence, incorporating video, blasting weekly email-newsletters and more. Solid writing was just the minimum. And as the need for more content grew, I staffed a team of ambitious college students and became their editor. They were fantastic. I loved every minute of working with them. It was hard work and a lot of fun. The project became layered with value, attraction and purpose, and we succeeded in boosting the organization’s profile — and bottom line.
What’s more, the Alexandria, Virginia-based nonprofit journalism foundation that funded my grant decided to hire me directly. I became the Florida Bureau Chief for the Franklin Center, a nonpartisan “good government” watchdog site, and with more responsibility came more opportunity. My work began appearing on state and national news websites, including Fox News, The Washington Times, The Washington Examiner, Florida Politics and Florida Trend business magazine. I’ve also been cited by the Tampa Bay Times, the Orlando Sentinel, the Miami Herald and numerous news blogs.
Those successes led to even larger opportunities, such as researching and writing long-form investigative reports for another national journalism nonprofit — one of which can be found at WhiteHouse.gov.
Three years ago, I began writing books. I’ve ghostwritten two full-length books for two different New York Times bestselling authors and researched and produced two 10,000-word book proposals for a third bestselling author.
I've also developed a copywriting skill set and have written hundreds of blogs for commercial clients. And you know what? The fundamentals I learned during the earliest days of tinkering with “new media” haven’t changed: creativity, hard work, reader-connection and results. It’s been a great ride, and it just keeps getting better.
But my journey isn’t just about me; it’s about helping YOU!
