Command+Z Content
Narrative strategy, editorial collaboration, and content direction for humans and brands with bold ideas.
I help founders, thought leaders, and change-driven brands shape stories that clarify their message, reflect their mission, and move people.
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Expert Messaging, creative collaboration, & strategic partnership
I help smart people turn complex ideas into clear, confident communication. Whether you’re building a brand, writing a book, or recalibrating how you show up in the world, I’m here to help you say what you really mean—with precision, personality, and purpose.
For over a decade, I’ve partnered with founders, entrepreneurs, and subject-matter experts to architect the messaging behind their work. That includes voice strategy, long-form storytelling, and content built on real insight, not just good vibes and gut instinct.
What starts as “Can you help me write this?” often becomes: “What are we really trying to say—and why does it matter?”
If that’s where you are, we’ll get along great.
What I bring to the table:
+ Voice & Messaging Strategy
+ Content Direction
+ Collaborative Coaching
+ Content & Social Ghostwriting
+ Editorial Collaboration
I work with sharp humans and brands that give a damn:
FOUNDERS // VISIONARIES // GROWING BRANDS // EDUCATORS
THOUGHT LEADERS // SPEAKERS // SUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTS
WRITERS // CREATIVES // PRACTITIONERS // PODCASTERS
CONSULTANTS // COACHES // ENTREPRENEURS // ONLINE BUSINESS OWNERS
If your message is important—but also kind of a mess—I can help.
Not everyone asks for strategy—but the best work starts there.
You’ve got a mission, but you can’t explain it without rambling.
→ We’ll build the messaging structure that brings clarity.
Your tone changes every time you open Google Docs.
→ We’ll define how your brand actually sounds—across platforms, not just in your head.
You’re overwhelmed by what to say (and where to say it).
→ We’ll shape the story, then build the content to support it.
You’re saying a lot, but not enough of it sticks.
→ We’ll find the throughline—and make it unforgettable.
Good messaging makes sense. Great messaging moves people.
Let’s do the second kind.
Not sure what to call it yet? I’ve got you.
I work best with people who are clear on their mission but not yet fluent in how to express it. You don’t need polished ideas—just a desire to go deeper than surface-level messaging.
Let’s find the signal in your story.
How We Can Work Together
Self-Guided Resources
Find templates, workbooks, and guides designed to help you organize your ideas and refine your content.
Voice & Messaging Strategy
Develop the frameworks that shape how your brand—or book—speaks. Think tone-of-voice guides, narrative architecture, and aligned messaging across touchpoints.
Content Direction
Align big ideas with strategic execution. Get clarity on what to say, how to say it, and where it fits in the larger conversation.
Editorial Collaboration
Partner on books, essays, or long-form storytelling that reflects who you are and where you’re going. I’m your structure, feedback, and momentum person.
Sounds pretty good, right?
see all services →
Want to see a few of my favorite projects?
see Past work →
“Command+Z taught me to organize my ideas and then provided the editing and structure to make the book a 6x bestseller.”
Chris Cooper
Author of Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Thief: The Four Phases of the Entrepreneur’s Journey
"If you're publishing to tell your story, then your story deserves to be told well. If you're publishing a book to establish yourself as an authority, then you need an editor who will make you look like an expert."
“I never knew what a huge impact a good editor has on a final book. It’s the single best investment you can make in your book. Period.”
Max Frenzel
Author of Time Off: A Practical Guide to Building Your Rest Ethic and Finding Success Without Stress
"Looking forward to working with Ann on our next one!"
“Before working on Will It Fly, I didn’t know developmental editors existed. Then I found out just how great it was to work with one.”
Pat Flynn
Author of Will It Fly? How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don't Waste Your Time and Money
"I received invaluable feedback from Ann."
“Working with Ann will free you up to be the creative spirit you really are.”
Brigit Esselmont
Author of Everyday Tarot: Unlock Your Inner Wisdom and Manifest Your Future
"Ann took my big lofty (and often wordy) ideas and distilled them down into a clear, crisp manuscript that was infused with my own unique energy and style."
“Writing can be a torturous affair. Working with Ann helped me overcome resistance and turn the misery into magic.”
Jonas Altman
Author of Shapers: Reinvent the Way You Work and Change the Future
"If you want to get clear on the most pressing changes you can make for the biggest impact on your manuscript, Ann is the person you need to call."
For more than a decade, I’ve helped founders, experts, and organizations sharpen their voice, clarify their message, and figure out how to say what they really mean. I’ve worked as an editor, a ghostwriter, a strategist, a behind-the-scenes fixer—whatever it took to shape stories that actually stick.
I don’t believe in filler words, shallow taglines, or content that sounds good but says nothing. I believe in clarity. In story. In behavior-driven messaging that lands, lingers, and leads people somewhere new.
This work lives in the overlap of insight, intention, and instinct—and I live right there with it.
When I’m not doing that, I’m usually reorganizing my bookshelf, sending too many voice notes, or deep in a doc helping someone translate big, beautiful thoughts into something you can actually put on a slide (or a home page. Or a book cover. Or a TEDx stage.)
Ann Maynard
narrative strategist, messaging architect, and the person clients call when they’re tired of sounding like everyone else.
Who am I?
MORE ABOUT ME →
Does Your Book Deliver On Its Promises?
Four Reasons Why I’m Not the Right Editor for You
Editing Types (and How Do You Know What You Need?)
featured posts
Favorites From The C+ZC Journal
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Ready when you are.
If your message matters but feels messy, unclear, or a little too safe, let’s fix that.
Whether you’re launching something new, evolving your voice, or finally tackling that brand story, I can help you make it sound like you on your best day.