If you come to a ghostwriter with all of that and ideas for the stories and the content you will put in the book – you’re going to save money because the writer can focus on writing the material. But, most authors aren’t that organized and need help doing that.
4. The first draft is not going to be perfect – so give the writer room to breathe. Make sure the key elements of your stories, lessons, and ideas are being presented in your voice. Don’t worry about perfection. Remember, you’re getting a manuscript from the ghostwriter, not a book. The book is developed out of that through many iterations of editing. Some authors ride the writers so hard that the writer loses their ability to write because they struggle so hard to meet those expectations. There is a balance between giving the writer feedback and making sure the writer is motivated to keep going. Which leads me to the next point.
- Your goals for the book,
- What you need your writer to do,
- Where you are going to find your ghostwriter,
- Your desired (expected) timeline, and
- How much you expect to pay,
My first call was to a ghostwriter I knew would be perfect for him. She’s written at least one Wall Street Journal bestseller. My client loved her, but her price tag of $50,000 to $60,000 was a bit of a budget killer. So I brought in another writer who was a well-respected sports biography ghostwriter. He couldn’t disclose a lot of his clients as many people don’t want you to know that they didn’t write their book. I expected him to be cheaper than the other one, not realizing that his books were actually top sellers – he just couldn’t disclose that he’d written them. He came in at $1 per finished word.
Now, how do you select a great ghostwriter?
A ghostwriter is someone who can write your book, in your words. Good ghostwriters work hard to capture your voice to create a first draft.
This is essentially a personality compatibility test. A great ghostwriter should come in curious about you and ready to ask questions. Plan to be the one to get the conversation rolling though. Things I like to ask of potential writers:
1. Be clear on your concept before you hire the writer. Some writers can help you flesh out the concept, but you can expect to pay a lot more for that work. Ultimately, it’s your job to create the concept and have a plan for how the book will flow. And then you need to help your writer capture your voice by providing materials you’ve written, talks you have given, or videos you’ve shot. The more they can get immersed in your voice, the easier it will be for them to write like as you would write.
Once you have gone over the terms of the Contract, you will be ready to sign it with your worker. GWI ensures you keep all copyrights to your original work. No matter who created it, you or the ghostwriter or editor. No plagiarism is allowed, and we will inform you of all the rules involved in this. We assist you throughout the process of how to find a ghostwriter, and the Contract fulfills this process. Once it’s signed, you are ready to begin the wonderful adventure of actually writing your own book, through a paid professional ghost with published experience who can in turn help YOU get published!
“She has restored my faith in life, my career, and the writing process.”
— Mike Bullock, award-winning comic book, manga and graphic novel artist/writer, “The Phantom” – and he’s great at prose writing also
If you need your current manuscript edited, or you need to come back with a manuscript already written, it’s no problem. You can also hire GWI to be your book coach, which is where we step you through the process of you writing your own book. This costs in a similar way to book editing, somewhere in between in fact. If you hire a book editor or any of our other services, you will receive: ghostwriting when applicable, copy editing, proofreading and professional manuscript formatting. Editing your manuscript may include: grammar, syntax, spelling, fact checking, color and style editing, and potentially content or developmental editing. The pricing goes up from $500 depending on how much work is actually involved. Remember, how to find a ghostwriter is easy. The hard part is working together. GWI makes this easy. Editing is a multi-stage process. We will help you figure things out.
What you need to do, once you’re sure of what you’re spending and where you’re going to spend it, is proceed to arranging to hire your ghostwriter or editor. A contract should be involved in this process. When it comes to how to find a ghostwriter, this is perhaps the most important part. You must hire someone who has enough knowledge to craft a proper legal document. It must outline your rights and responsibilities regarding working on a manuscript, and also those of the writer or editor. Here at GWI, we have both a Book Ghostwriting and an Editing Contract to serve all of your and our needs.
How to Find a Ghostwriter – How you will be Working on the Job
You are wondering how to find a ghostwriter. You’ve come to the right place. I will go about this article telling you what to do. First of all, have a clear vision of what you have in mind. Do you want a book manuscript to be ghostwritten by a professional, published writer? Or do you have a lesser project in mind, involving simple book manuscript editing? Some ghostwriters will only ghostwrite for you, and you will need to hire a professional book editor in addition to hiring the ghostwriter. So it may be a case of hiring two and not just one person to complete your book manuscript.
BOOK GHOST WRITERS, GHOST WRITER SERVICES, AFFORDABLE BEST SELLING GHOST WRITERS
“In a world full of nightmares, she was always a beautiful dream to us.”
— Larry Leichman, Owner, Editor and Publisher, Arbor Books and The Floating Gallery, Madison Ave. in New York City – my first major book ghostwriting service boss
The following eleven statements are not true of every ghostwriter, but you need to be on the lookout. And if you are considering a career in ghostwriting, these are the things you’ll want to avoid.
Statistically, most ghostwritten manuscripts either never make it to print or are self-published. In fact, many of my clients hired me specifically because they wanted to self-publish, and although I’m not a big fan of POD publishing, who was I to judge?
The problem is that some ghostwriters won’t disclose this to you, which is a breach of your rights. By definition, a ghostwriter works in secret, and the fact that he or she wrote your manuscript should never be made public. Using excerpts in a portfolio is acceptable, but only under certain conditions.
I’ve written a lot, mainly short stories, paragraphs, and jot lists. While there continues to be so much to write about, my depression and PTSD is preventing me from writing.
Making money is not my focus.
Kathryn Irvine 805-722-9007
1- “I have NO IDEA what editors and agents want.”
That said, your ghostwriter should be willing to admit his or her mistakes, and correct them where appropriate. Don’t expect perfection, but don’t settle for substandard material.
A ghostwriter is not a publisher, editor, literary agent or book marketer, though some might have skills in this area. It is best to compartmentalize the production of your manuscript
The flipside to the previous point is the fact that ghostwriters are usually more than willing to work with their clients on price. For example, some ghostwriters will offer a hybrid service
Work out as many specifics as possible up front so there are no surprises down the line, she advises. "If you want to talk to the ghostwriter at least once a week, or to get edits back within 24 hours, put all that in the contract so it's not just a verbal agreement. Make sure there will be a couple of drafts back and forth included in the fee."
Also, find out if your ghostwriter has enough bandwidth to take on your project and complete it on your schedule. "You want someone who's experienced and in demand, but don't hire someone who already has too many plates spinning," James says. "Some ghosts work on more than one book at a time. That could be a problem, especially if you're locked into a deadline."
Sounds good--but there are some pitfalls. Pick the wrong ghostwriter, and your beloved book project could devolve into frustrations, missed deadlines, and even an incomplete manuscript. Pick the right one, and you can end up with a highly readable product that will help you shine. If you want to pick the best ghostwriter for your book, here's some advice from Kelly K. James, author and ghostwriter, and presenter at the American Society of Journalists and Authors Spotlight on Ghostwriting workshop on Friday, November 17 at Columbia College in Chicago, which brings together experts looking to publish a book and professional ghostwriters who can make it happen. (Disclosure: I'm a board member of ASJA.)
"Let's say you have a manuscript already fleshed out and you want the ghost to take that and run with it, almost more like an editor," James says. "Or maybe the whole book is still in your head and the ghost will interview you. Or maybe you're somewhere in the middle. You need to understand how the ghost wants to work and how that jibes with how you want to work."
4. Look for that click.
In particular, she says, if you absolutely need the book by a specific deadline make sure to put that into the contract and that the ghostwriter understands the significance of the deadline. "Writers do miss deadlines," she says.
"You're looking for someone who, when you talk to them on the phone, you feel like there's a 'click' or a connection," James says. She thinks this may be the most important qualification of all. Your ghostwriter will have to write in your voice, she says, and you and your ghostwriter will be in each other's lives for a while.
Your ghostwriter should at least be familiar with your general topic area if not your specific topic, James advises. "If you're a sales coach, you want someone who writes about sales or at least about business. If you're a real estate agent and want to write a book about how to get more money for your house, you want someone who's written about real estate."
Here are James' tips for picking the perfect ghost for your book:
Are you looking for a wordsmith to turn your ideas into a publishable book? You don't need to fill out questionnaires, talk to sales reps and project managers, interview unqualified writers, or run the gauntlet required by ghostwriting companies. You need to make a single phone call and talk directly to a professional writer.
Some of my clients have been represented by A-list New York City literary agents who make deals happen. Others have been published by HarperCollins, Penguin, Tor/Forge, Bennett and Hastings, Story Plant, WildBlue, and other traditional, regional, or independent presses.
I'm not a subcontractor for ghostwriting companies that make lofty claims before delivering bad manuscripts from their “ghostwriting farms.”
Here’s what I offer to make sure we’re always on the same page – literally and personally.
Straight Talk, Great Books
- Quality, polished manuscripts ready to submit to agents and publishers.
- Ghostwriting and editing.
- Affordable pricing and payment plans.
- Fiction, nonfiction, and memoir
- Personalized, one-on-one service. I work with one client at a time.
- Guidance (at no charge) in selecting your publishing options.
- Step-by-step advice (free of charge) on how and where to submit your work.
- Free consultation to discuss your project.
- An in-depth explanation of how the publishing industry works.
PLEASE NOTE: Most ghostwriting companies won’t let you talk to a ghostwriter until you sign a contract or pay a $1,000 fee. You can talk with me free of charge. Don’t get scammed!
- The New York Times
- NBC, CBS, and CNN
- The Oprah Winfrey Show
- The Wall Street Journal
- The Washington Post
- The Los Angeles Times
- Publishers Weekly
- Booklist
- Kirkus Reviews
- The Atlanta Journal Constitution
- NPR (National Public Radio)
- The Hill (congressional newspaper)
And I don’t post resumes with online marketplaces. Those sites are where books go to die.