About Byron Laursen
Ghostwriter, Best Selling Author and Acclaimed Editor
A powerful curiosity set me on the path to becoming a professional storyteller and ghostwriter.
I was easily bored in school, but discovered I did my best when a subject fascinated me. In college, my wide-ranging interests drove my course choices—an eclectic mix that included tons of literature from the classics to contemporary. I also devoured everything I could read and learn about marketing, advertising, journalism and all flavors of the social sciences.
After graduation, I became a Graduate Teaching Assistant. I also taught high school English in the Peace Corps scoring in the 98 the percentile on the CBEST test of subject knowledge, writing and teaching ability and in the 100 the percentile on a Praxis test for English skills, all of which set the stage for me to go into journalism where I freelanced and wrote articles for Rolling Stone, The LA Times, California Business, Oregon Magazine, the Eugene Register-Guard and Mother Jones magazine, among many others.
As Editor in chief of a marketing-driven magazine publisher in Los Angeles, I also became Director of Corporate Communications, creating ad copy and other marketing materials, winning a Maggie Award (Western Association of Magazine Publishers) for Best in class.
To date, I’ve been ghosting for 40 years and have written nine books for major publishing houses including two New York Times best sellers, Show Time and The Winner Within, and the San Francisco Chronicle best seller The Neuro Revolution. My wife and I
together wrote True Thai, and were nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award. I also won a silver medal in biography from the Beverly Hills Book Club.
I also created editorial, advertising and marketing materials for entities such as Time Warner, the Los Angles Olympic Festival, philanthropist and BET founder, Sheila Johnson, and a select portfolio of California’s boutique winemakers.
The list of books to which I’ve contributed, edited and doctored are too numerous to list here.
Suffice it to say, my 50+ years of varied writing, ghostwriting and editing experience coupled with an extensive background in marketing and advertising ideally position me to be a memoir/life story/legacy specialist.
Throughout this site, you’ll see some of the memoirs I’ve ghostwritten (many I cannot list due to NDA agreements). I would encourage you to also visit my Testimonials and Library of Work pages.
My thoughts found their expression in Byron’s words. Many thanks to a true ‘Showtime’ warrior.’
Pat Riley
President, Miami Heat
5-Time NBA Championship Coach
Sig, the autobiography of inventor-entrepreneur, Sigurd Wathne, recently won its author (and his proud ghostwriter) a silver medal at the Beverly Hills Book Awards competition!
