Do you have a book in the back of your mind that you are dying to write? Have you started writing it but can’t seem to get past chapter one? You might need some help.
There are many reasons why hiring a ghostwriter is worth it, including:
- You can spend more time on what you’re good at – doing business or running your organization;
- It’s an investment in yourself and your brand;
- A book authored by someone else will help sell more copies of your book.
Here are some considerations for writing with a ghostwriter:
- Know what kind of voice best suits your personality and content needs;
- Ask potential ghostwriters about their other work and make sure they know the topics you’ll need them to cover.
Hiring a professional ghostwriter can be your solution. How do you know if a ghostwriter is right for your book? It’s not an easy decision.
There are many factors to consider, including price and experience level with writing books. But before we get into all those details I want us both as authors on one accord:
What motivates YOU in this project more than anything else – financial gain or pride from finishing what has been started?
Let’s dive in to find the best one for your book.
How To Hire A Professional Ghostwriter?
1. Determine what you need help with
So, you are reading this article because you are trying to write a book? Maybe you’ve already started writing it. The fact of the matter is that whether or not you decide to read an article on how to start writing a book, there is no right way to do it. What there are, however, are different paths to take, or rather, different steps you can take for your book writing journey. Depending on what level of information you need specific to the act of writing a book will vary depending on your situation. Let’s use me as an example. The book that I am writing has the following intrinsic components:
1) a first draft
2) a first edit
3) a second edit
4) a first proofread-through by someone else to look for mistakes and awkward phrasing.
So, as you can see, from the moment I have an idea down on paper (virtual or real), to when it is through a second proofread, there are a lot of steps that go into writing a book. So this article will be discussing the different options you have for each step – what is recommended – and how to determine what to do with specific parts of your book.
2. Research potential ghostwriters to find the best fit for your project
Do you have an idea for a book, but don’t know the first thing about ghostwriting? If so, it’s probably time to start looking for a ghostwriter.
Ghostwriters are authors who sell books written wholly or largely by somebody else. They typically work under strict non-disclosure agreements, meaning they never get famous for their writing.
The toughest part of finding a ghostwriter to do your book maybe finding somebody that is qualified. Ghostwriters are not usually interested in writing about anything they choose.
They work for people who already have an idea and need help developing it, conducting research for it, organizing the information provided by their research, interviewing experts or others to get enough material to complete the book, and writing it in their preferred style.
It’s worth looking into ghostwriters even if you already have a fair amount of experience or knowledge on your topic. You may not need to pay for somebody who will conduct research and interview experts for information; instead, you could simply pay them to write up what you already know.
To find a ghostwriter, start by posting an advertisement on your website or blog (if you don’t have one, it’s easy to make one for free), asking for interested writers to send their qualifications and past samples of work. If this will be your first book, you may need someone who is more experienced than if you’ve already written a book.
One of the most important criteria for a ghostwriter is that they have a contract permitting them to write a book for somebody else if you hire them. You don’t want to pay somebody to do research, draft results, and interview experts only to have them turn around and sell your book idea to somebody else as well.
3. Create a list of questions to ask prospective writers about their experience, rates, and availability
You may soon find yourself needing to hire a writer – and fast. In this situation, you must have a set of ready-made questions for the people interviewing with your company.
Make sure to not only include basic guidelines about experience and availability, but also more specific questions about their rates, research abilities, and style.
This list should give you a basic idea of what to ask, but keep in mind that it’s important to have individual conversations about hiring writers, as everyone has different needs and expectations.
Questions to Ask Before you hire a ghostwriter
1.) How long have you been writing? Have you always written professionally or was this something that developed more recently?
2.) What is your preferred topic(s) to write about?
3.) Can you tell us about some recent projects you’ve worked on? What were your roles, and what was the process like for each project? How long did it take to complete each one?
4.) Which do you prefer more – editing or writing? Why?
5.) Would you say that speed is preferable to perfection?
6.) What’s your favorite part of this process – researching, writing, or editing? Why?
7.) How much time do you usually spend on an article – from the first draft to the final submission?
8.) In terms of style and tone, how would you describe your voice as a writer? What kind of language do you use?
9.) How do you go about taking notes and organizing your thoughts while writing an article?
10.) What is your process like when researching an article? Do you prefer to focus on one specific angle, or tend to get a more general overview of the topic?
11.) Do you have experience working with any special software, such as InDesign or Photoshop?
12.) How would you describe your ethics as a writer? Are there any topics that you refuse to cover for ethical reasons?
13.) Do you consider yourself an expert on the topic(s) you write about?
14.) What kind of payment models are you most comfortable with – per word, per hour, or project?
15.) In your experience as a writer, what percentage of the total job is research? What percentage is editing and writing?
16.) What do you expect from this company as far as feedback, support, resources, and work/life balance?
17.) Do you have any other questions for us?
18.) What’s your rate/fee? Can you give me an estimate of how long it will take to complete this project?
19.) How do you feel about deadlines? Disaster scenarios? Deadlines that change frequently (and without warning)?
4. Choose one writer who is most qualified for your needs
After researching ghostwriters catered to your needs, choose the one who is most suitable for you. Some new writers may be better in some niches and experienced ones will always have more knowledge than those without any experience at all!
When it comes down time choosing a book publisher, make sure quality over quantity; these people can write about anything as long as they know what they’re talking about so do not settle with just anyone even though he/she has been great on other projects before-hand.
5. Ask them if they have any samples of work that you can review before hiring them
Before deciding if a ghostwriter is right for you, ask them to share samples. It’ll help give us good insight on whether or not this person would do an awesome job helping our company grow by meeting client needs; plus when there are no reservations after seeing all those great testimonials from satisfied customers who had nothing but amazing things said out.
Conclusion
The process of hiring a ghostwriter is daunting. But by following the steps we outlined for you, it should be much easier to find an expert writer who can help bring your vision to life in written form. If you’ve done everything correctly up until this point, then congratulations!
You are well on your way to finding that perfect ghostwriter. We hope our advice has been helpful and if not feel free to reach out with any other questions or concerns you might have about hiring someone else to write for you.
Do you have a book in the back of your mind that you are dying to write? Have you started writing it but can’t seem to get past chapter one? You might need some help.
There are many reasons why hiring a ghostwriter is worth it, including:
- You can spend more time on what you’re good at – doing business or running your organization;
- It’s an investment in yourself and your brand;
- A book authored by someone else will help sell more copies of your book.
Here are some considerations for writing with a ghostwriter:
- Know what kind of voice best suits your personality and content needs;
- Ask potential ghostwriters about their other work and make sure they know the topics you’ll need them to cover.
Hiring a professional ghostwriter can be your solution. How do you know if a ghostwriter is right for your book? It’s not an easy decision.
There are many factors to consider, including price and experience level with writing books. But before we get into all those details I want us both as authors on one accord:
What motivates YOU in this project more than anything else – financial gain or pride from finishing what has been started?
Let’s dive in to find the best one for your book.
