A native of Montreal, David Leonhardt’s career as a writer began in high school, where he served as Co-Editor of his school newspaper.

He came to Ottawa to study journalism at Carleton University, but changed his mind when three major Canadian dailies closed that year, opting instead to study political science and mass communication.

It was not long before he learned that what they teach you in “political science” and what goes on in the world of politics are poles apart, as he took up a position with his local Member of Parliament, Gerry Weiner. During those years, he discovered the importance of writing effective letters, press releases and publicity materials. He also learned how to handle both government and the media.

David left the world of politics to become a consumer advocate, taking on a position in public affairs at CAA (Canadian Automobile Association), learning how to approach politicians, bureaucrats and media from the other side. He continued to hone his skills as a speech writer, press release writer, article writer and most importantly a report writer (lots of reports!)

In 1998, David took on the Toronto-based role of Public Affairs Director and chief spokesperson for CAA Ontario. He conducting over 500 media interviews per year on topics ranging from gas prices and saving gas to traffic accidents and funding highway improvements. He helped to to change laws about the safety and environmental impact of driving in the province. There were more articles, more press releases, more letters and more reports to write.

After writing his own book, Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness, and the follow-up eBook, The Get Happy Workbook, David began taking on web promotion clients and writing clients under the name “The Happy Guy Marketing”, where he quickly gained a reputation for thinking outside the box and keeping a few steps ahead of the search engine algorithm changes.

In recent years, David has become a thought leader and part-time iconoclast in the world of social media and website promotion, focusing particularly on creating and promoting compelling content (great writing based on great thinking!) to new audiences.

David Leonhardt’s writing portfolio

Samples of books David has ghostwritten

I don’t ghostwrite books very often, but when I do, I go all out! I stick to non-fiction, and generally not highly technical topics.

 

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Sorry, but due to the terms of the ghostwriting contracts, I am not allowed to reveal either the titles or the authors’ names. However, these are three books I have written since 2014:

A true story of corporate espionage. This non-fiction novel takes the reader on an eye-popping, behind-the scenes romp through a systematic attempt to bankrupt a determined immigrant entrepreneur. The book exposes huge deficiencies in the American legal system, and an unsavoury racist undercurrent in the trades. It reveals how a national trade association and a national union teamed up to persecute a black businessman for more than a decade. This is a David and Goliath story.

A guide to stock market investing from the kitchen table. This financial book does not read like a finance book. The author welcomes his Canadian readers into his mother’s kitchen for a series of snacks and treats, accompanied by a lesson from his mother’s successful stock investing strategy. The target audience is housewives and others who don’t want to become financial experts, but want to profit from the stock market. This is where personal finance meets home cooking, an easy read for the average person.

A guide to marrying right and staying married. The two-part guide is authored by a Canadian pastor who has seen what works and what doesn’t in marriage. It outlines the principles of how to choose a good marriage partner, then offers up some time-honoured tips on keeping the relationship strong, through the good times and the hard times. This is the Christian answer to rising divorce rates.

 

 

Samples of David’s “thought leadership” writing and “sense of story”

Even in my youth, I was one of those people who reflected on the meaning of life and where we are headed. That is reflected in some of my best writing.

 

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• The Many Unheralded Perils of Automating Your Customer Service
• How to write a commencement speech
• Top 7 myths about expert roundups
• How to Make Your Nonfiction Book Sizzle – by Writing Like a Fiction Author
• Adapting books to film
• The difference between authors and writers
• Our plain language writing guide
• Best man speech examples
• Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Adapting Their Books For The Screen
• Are You Ready For The American Invasion?

 

 

Samples of business topics

Business is a mainstay for any non-fiction writer. I’ve covered a wide variety of business topics, especially, marketing, leadership, customer service and business writing.

 

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• 3 Ways to Showcase Your Product’s Quality Online
• Does Your Website Say, ‘Trust Me’? It Better.
• When Writing for Your Website, F Is the Magic Letter
• How To Supercharge Your Small Business Marketing With A Book
• Don’t Use Wikipedia to Clean Up Your Online Reputation
• Three ways to write for the Web
• Ghostwriter contracts 101

 

 

Samples of profiles and biographies

Autobiographies are one of our most frequent requests. Here are some biographies and profiles I’ve written.

 

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• How to write a professional bio for sales or for credibility
• The Man Who Balances Rocks
• Cendrine Marrouat: Life’s Little Photographer
• This Lady Cooks With Weeds
• Wrote 23 inspirational, two-page biographies of famous people for a book.
• See also the corporate espionage book detailed above.

 

 

Samples of health and healthcare topics

I’ve written on a lot of health and healthcare subjects. I am particularly interested in fitness, nutrition and well-being, but these samples show how versatile my health-related writing is.

 

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• Six Reasons I Stand While I Work
• Southridge Dental service page
• Could Canadian Alcoholics Finally Get A Cure?
• Risk Of A Canadian Zika Epidemic Is Small But Very Real
• Writers, authors, bloggers – beware these health risks
• Edited the National Seniors Strategy.
• Wrote six health-sciences Infographics – antipathogen paper, coliform detection strips, phage-based bioactive packaging, phage-based bioactive membrane, wood supply software and high absorption textiles.
• Wrote an entire medical inventory management website.
• Edited/rewrote a first-hand account of dismantling chemical weapons left behind in Libya in 2013, from an occupational safety perspective.

 

 

Samples of personal finance topics

Over the years, I’ve written a lot in the personal finance space, especially about frugal living and budgeting, credit cards, mortgages, loans, investing and a variety of other financial topics.

 

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• The Future Of Canadian Currency May Be Digital


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• 8 Ways to Choose Iron Man Stocks

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• See also the investing book detailed above.

 

 

Speaking of David…

David is a “Distinguished Toastmaster”, the highest recognition the organization offers, giving him advanced training in writing speeches. He is fluently bilingual in English and French, as well as partially fluent in Spanish (well, fluent enough to have somehow made it through three volumes of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in Spanish).