What We've Become
Not Who We Are
Beyond Writing began as one writer serving orders on Fiverr. Seven years, 1,000 orders, and 500 unique clients later, we’re a fully fledged team with a diverse range of expertise and capabilities.
Founded by author Michael Jaymes, Beyond Writing is a collective of writers, creatives, and strategists who collaborate to ensure every project receives the care and attention it deserves.
Working as a team not only leads to a cleaner final project, it allows for creativity to blossom in ways that are unexpected and unforgettable, bucking the trends that plague so much modern writing and content.
The best version of any work comes through the process of working with a team. We can’t wait to be yours.
And What We Continue to Be
More Than Writers
Unlike many other ghostwriters and editors, we offer a robust list of services. In addition to writers, we are:
Experts
Our team boasts a diverse range of professional backgrounds and expertise. Whether it be books, research, scripts, or something else, there isn't a genre or medium our team can't handle.
Strategists
We approach every project with a blend of art and strategy, using our knowledge of storytelling science, the art of engagement in writing, and persuasive rhetoric to elevate your piece.
Teachers
When serving individual writers, we support you from initial idea to finished manuscript. Through feedback, editing, and coaching, we provide guidance and actionable steps in order to foster your creativity and growth.
Teammates
Every writing project receives at least two writers. We believe collaboration fosters creativity and ensures your project receives the care and attention it deserves. You’re the captain; we’re the navigator and crew steering toward your vision.
Meet The Team
Michael Jaymes - Head Editor, Development Strategist, & Coach
Michael Jaymes is an author and writing coach from Scranton, PA. His love for writing developed at a young age when a close friend passed away. In response to the tragedy, Michael wrote a poem, which received an award in a state-wide fine arts competition. The admiration sparked a fire within him, and a passion was born.
In 2019, he pursued studying story structure and began his business, MJV Writings, offering services such as ghostwriting, outlining, editing, and consulting. In 5 years, he sold dozens of stories and delivered over 700 orders. His true joy was in helping others through outlining and strategic feedback. One client Michael
helped received multiple awards for their work, and another went on to be a best-seller on Amazon.
By 2024, Michael published his third book and began partnering with a marketing and publishing agency, becoming the head of their "Books to Blockbuster" division. He managed a small team of ghostwriters, conducted interviews, and provided strategical guidance and feedback for multiple celebrity memoirs. He also wrote multiple script treatments for upcoming Netflix docu-series. These projects showed Michael the power of collaborative creativity, which led to building his own team and rebranding to Beyond Writing.
Now residing in Greensboro, NC, Michael continues to write his own works and serve clients both online and locally within his community. With his team, he has proudly expanded from just book services to also offering podcast, YouTube, and documentary writing.
Michael most enjoys memoir projects where he gets to interview interesting people and share their story with the world. His favorite genres to both read and write include: Literary, Memoir, Mystery, Thriller, Drama.
Cody Lee - Assistant Editor, Ghostwriter, Researcher, & Coach
Cody is a writer and storyteller based in North Carolina. Born and raised in a log cabin in the hill country of Texas, he spent his formative years in the city of Austin. He earned his MFA in Creative Writing from UNC-Greensboro where he served as editor of The Greensboro Review and later taught in the creative writing department. He's published both fiction and nonfiction in numerous reputable journals. He has run the gamut of things you can do with a "useless" English Degree (teacher, librarian, bookseller, copywriter) but is most passionate about using this experience to help others bring their ideas to life.
Cody has written multiple novels, and is currently at work getting his first published. His favorite genres are: Literary, Psychology, Comedy, Drama.
Maria VerMulm - Line Editor & Proofreader
Maria is a writer and editor from Pennsylvania. Growing up in the Caribbean, she experienced a wealth of culture and different ways of life. Upon returning to the U.S., she moved ten more times before settling down. Words were her only constant.
Maria started reading at age four and discovered writing at fourteen. She has been addicted to watching ink fill a page ever since. She’s a lover of beauty, people, and the Oxford comma. She trained as an editorial intern in 2020 and became an assistant editor in 2024. She then founded The Editor’s Margin in 2025. Her favorite genres include: Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Thematic Non-Fiction, and Poetry.
Grace Scotch - Line Editor & Proofreader
Grace is a lover of truth, earl grey tea, and hard cover books. Her father would read Pilgrim's Progress to her before bed, and she would flip through books during the day, delighted by how letters and words could contain worlds. By the age of four, she had taught herself to read.
She edited her first document when she was 14—a sermon that her dad preached at a summer camp—and she has been editing ever since. She earned an M.Ed. from Clarks Summit University where she taught writing and grammar courses. To date, she has edited science fiction, fantasy, curricula, blogs, sermons, academic journal articles, speech outlines, and self-help books. One of her projects has been translated into two languages and distributed internationally.
Shane Khunphixay - Ghostwriter
Shane studied Creative Writing, Screenwriting, and Cinematography at FCC in Fresno, California. After contacting Michael for outline assistance, they became great friends. A few years later, Shane joined the team.
He's ghostwritten and outlined numerous book length projects that have gone on to publication. He's also assisted writers elevate their stories through rewriting and early draft feedback.
Shane is also the teams dedicated video editor, with experience producing anime music videos, docu-style YouTube videos, and social media marketing clips.
His preferred genres of writing include: Action, Comedy, and Horror.
Alex Herring - Ghostwriter
At age 7, Alex Herring wrote her first poem about Smaug, the hoarder dragon from The Hobbit. She has maintained a love of creative writing ever since, and selected the subject as her minor when earning her Bachelor of Arts from Elon University.
Alex has since pursued a professional career in brand journalism and content marketing, where she has helped develop immersive campaigns for several Fortune 500 brands. She also enjoys fiction ghostwriting and essay writing, and is working on her first novel.
An avid reader, Alex will read just about anything, but her favorite genres to read and write include: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance.
Jonathan Hesser - Cover Designer & Art Director
Jonathan is a designer and art director with 20+ years of experience crafting thoughtful visual systems, editorial design, and narrative-driven creative across print and digital media. His work has served names such as Gamestop, Auntie Anne's, and HondaJet over the years, and now he's bringing his skills to the world of books. He has a strong foundation in typography, composition, and conceptual storytelling, and has demonstrated so through his work and teaching.
Beyond art and design, Jonathan is the happy dad of two pitbulls, and enjoys cruising downtown Greensboro on his electric skateboard.
Michael Jaymes work is detailed, insightful, and he maintains a balanced feedback approach, making collaboration seamless. Always quick to respond, he's a pleasure to work with. 🌟
-Justin Davis
Working with Michael is always an incredible experience. He is truly a phenomenal editor who pays attention to detail and really cares about his clients! His feedback has forced me to evolve and become a better writer and I truly appreciate everything he has done for my debut novel :)
-Gabrielle
WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT US
Michael was detailed beyond what I ever expected. His line edit was incredibly thorough, and he explained everything with such clarity that it was easy to jump back in and improve my work. As a first-time author, I had so many nerves going into this process, but Michael’s patience, encouragement, and thoughtful feedback made all the difference. Each document he provided helped me understand not just what to revise but why, which made my story stronger and more meaningful. His insight into structure, repetition, and storytelling was spot on, and I learned so much through the process. I would recommend him over and over again. Thank you so much, Michael! Your support truly meant the world. Don't shy away from taking the next step with him. You'll get a professional and compassionate editor.
-Tammy Cortez
Michael Jaymes delivered exceptional research and summaries, paying great attention to detail and exceeding my expectations. He was adaptable to the brief and showed outstanding cooperation and politeness throughout our collaboration. Quick to respond and a pleasure to work with—absolutely recommend! 👏
-Ruchi Thanawala, M.D., M.S.
Great feedback and even took the liberty to do extra research about my project and provide me with relevant materials to succeed.
-Josh Embrey
Get In Touch
Whether it's a book, a podcast, or a video, if you need writing and research done, we are ready to serve! Get in touch, and we'll schedule a call to meet, discuss our process, and get your project underway.