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How to Find a Ghostwriter for Your Book?
Imagine having a story in your head that you want to share with the world, but you lack better words to describe it. Should you abandon your dream? NO! You can find someone who knows the word wizardry to describe your story better than yourself.
Well, this is why you need a GHOSTWRITER!
Ghostwriters are skilled professionals hired to craft engaging content pieces on behalf of others. If you want to tell your life story or see an incredible story idea come to life on pages, simply hire a book ghost writer to assist you with the writing process.
Did you know that these popular books are ghostwritten?
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey is one of the most popular self-help books with over 25 million copies sold worldwide. Few people know that the book was ghostwritten by Ken Shelton.
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas was published back in 1839 and more than half of this literary classic was ghostwritten by writer Auguste Maquet.
- The Jason Bourne series by Robert Ludlum was completed in 2017 long after Ludlum died in 2001 by ghostwriter Eric Van Lustbader.
- Nancy Drew was published under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene but was written by ghostwriter Alice Leonhardt.
Why Hire A Ghostwriter?
Mastering the skills, knowledge, and experience needed to write a book from concept to polished manuscript is far from easy. For those not writing professionally, tackling a book project alone can be overwhelming. Many aspiring nonfiction authors are already fully engaged in their fields, making their ideas unique, and attempting to write a book in their spare time can stretch over years. In reality, most brands, influencers, and thought leaders wish to publish their stories swiftly. As the demand for content grows, hiring someone to write on their behalf is becoming increasingly common. So, how does one go about finding such a person?
How to Hire a Ghostwriter?
Finding a ghostwriter who you can trust with your idea takes time and effort. There are many factors to consider and profiles to go through before you find the right ghostwriter for your project. Here are a few tips to make the process somewhat easier:
Step One: Have Clear Objectives and Goals
Hiring a ghostwriter for require your time, money, and effort. So, when you’re wondering how to find a ghostwriter, ask yourself: What are your goals for the project? To work successfully with a ghostwriter you need to set SMART goals outlining what you want the content to turn our like.
SMART means specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. What does it mean to set SMART goals for the project? Well, you need to decide the writing style and tone, define the scope of the project, make sure the goals you have set can be done in a certain timeframe while aligning with your expectations, and set an realistic end-date for the project.
Once you have set your SMART goals, it will be easier for you to find a ghostwriter that can help you. Plus, these details will also help the ghostwriter do a better job.
Step Two: Search Ghostwriters for Hire
Ghostwriters live in the shadows. As a ghostwriter, you pretty much sign away your right to being acknowledged for a piece of writing. This makes it difficult to find experienced ghostwriters for hire. A few ways you can connect with a ghost writer:
Browsing through LinkedIn & the Internet:
- Go through profiles on LinkedIn that are offering ghostwriting services.
- You can find relevant profiles by searching for terms like ‘ghostwriter’, ‘ghostwriters for books’, or other relevant keywords in the search bar.
- Choose relevant profiles and view their previous work experiences. Select candidates whose work experience aligns best with your goals.
- You can also try searching for ghostwriting services on Google, Yahoo, and Bing search engines or surf through relevant social media platforms and user forums where people are offering ghostwriting services.
- This way you can communicate with the writer directly.
Work with a online ghostwriting service:
- The third and most reliable option is working with ghostwriting services like BookQuill that can connect you to skilled writers and guarantee a successful project.
- There is no guesswork involved when it comes to working with a reputable ghostwriting services as they have professional writers on board that guarantee good quality content for every genre, niche or type of ghostwriting.
- You don’t have to go through the trouble of posting a job or sifting through hundreds of profiles to find a writer who can do a decent job. Plus, ghostwriting companies offer the complete package of services.
- Let’s say you want to hire a book writer. A freelancer can only help write the book content, but ghostwriting companies like BookQuill have different domain experts on board that can help with editing and proofreading, publishing, and marketing your book. These companies even have a creative team that can help illustrate your book and design book cover.
Step Three: Ask for a Portfolio
Once you connect with a ghostwriter, be sure to ask for previous work samples and a portfolio. You can best assess a ghostwriter by reviewing their previous work and understanding their quality of work.
Make sure you ask for relevant work samples. So, if you want to write your autobiography or a memoir, ask for their work in those genres. Consider this a preliminary elimination test that would help you find writers that match your content expectations.
Sometimes ghostwriters are unable to share previous work samples because they have signed a non-disclosure agreement with the client. This kind of discretion is good because it shows their respect for anonymity. Ask for the publisher they work for and browse the quality of books the publisher has out. This is a good indicator of the skills of writers they hire.
Step Four: Test Their Skills
While finding a ghostwriter, you should evaluate profiles for several different skills. For example, how good is their storytelling ability? Can they effectively communicate their ideas to the readers through their writing? Do they possess exceptional reasoning abilities and problem-solving skills?
These are some of the most important qualities to have as a writer. A writer should have exceptional storytelling skills and be able to communicate story ideas effectively. For this reason, it is important to test them on these skills. You can ask them to draft a sample content piece which allows you to judge whether or not they would be able to handle your project.
A test would also help narrow your search for the perfect ghostwriter. It is important to know that not all ghostwriters are proficient in all genres.
Do not go on looking for a jack of all trades and master of none. Instead invest your time, money, and energy in a ghostwriter that has expertise in the kind of content you want written. So, you know whether they can handle your project and do the writing process justice.
Step Five: Agree on Rights, Royalty, and Anonymity
Discussing things like rights, royalties, and anonymity is crucial in the ghostwriting process. As someone who is paying a good amount of money for ghostwriting services, you wouldn’t want to be in a situation where someone else claims credit for your book. To avoid this unpleasant ordeal, discuss anonymity with the ghostwriter before you move forward with the project.
You can add a nondisclosure clause in your ghostwriting contract wherein the writer commits to keeping their involvement in the project private. This also means they cannot claim the book as their own after it’s published. A ghostwritten book that is published under your name, is your intellectual property.
Furthermore, you should also discuss royalties. Royalties are a percentage of the amount an author makes on their book sale. It should be made clear to the ghostwriter or the content company you hired that they will not receive any royalties from the book sales. You can also add this as a clause in your ghostwriting contract to avoid future conflict.
Step Six: Decide the Terms of Payment
Once you have found a ghostwriting or ghostwriting platform you’re confident can handle your project, it is time to discuss money. The truth is good ghostwriters are expensive because they are dedicated to delivering exceptionally well-written content.
While you may find several novice ghostwriters willing to work for you at a cheap price, there is no guarantee of their work quality. For example, amateur ghostwriters for books may charge $2000-$15000 for completing a book while experienced writers may charge up to $100,000. Ghostwriting a book is expensive especially if you expect high-quality content.
when you hire a ghostwriter. it is important to have an open discussion about the money involved. Decide early on how much you will pay for the project, what the payment method will be, and when will you need to make the payments.
Be realistic with your budget and pay for the quality you expect. After all, you wouldn’t want your name attached to a badly written content.
Hiring Ghostwriters for Books – Is it worth it?
Looking for a ghostwriter for your book is a long and laborious procedure, not to forget that ghostwriting isn’t exactly a cheap process. So, is it even worth it? Yes, Absolutely! Here is how a ghostwriter can help you:
Professionally Written Content
You may be an expert in your field who has spent years perfecting your skills and becoming a highly knowledgeable person, but are you a professional writer? Do you know how to communicate your ideas to a target audience in a way that piques their interest? Do you have proficiency in the many different styles and intricacies of writing?
If not, you need to hire a ghostwriter. Ghostwriters are writing experts. They understand how to get your message across. Whether they are writing a blog or a book, they now how to do it well. If you hire a ghost writer, you can expect professionally written content that is engaging, free of grammar and spelling mistakes, and has clear messaging.
Save Time
Authors spend many hours researching, writing, and editing their work. Can you imagine spending that amount of time on your book or blog alongside managing a regular job? Writing content for a client is the ghostwriter’s sole responsibility, so they can get the job done much quicker than you.
A skilled ghostwriter will provide good-quality content swiftly because that is the center of their attention. Unlike you, ghostwriters are not concerned with a second job and can give your project all their energy.
They Can Mimic Your Tone
If you are skeptical about getting your project ghostwritten because you think it might not sound like you or follow your writing style, you have nothing to worry about!
Ghostwriters are masters at mimicking tone and providing the writing style a client desires. All you need to do is let the ghostwriter know the tone and style you are looking for, and they will write content accordingly.
Be as Involved as You Want
Hiring a ghostwriter doesn’t mean that don’t get to be an important part of the project. You can be as involved in the creative writing process as you want. A ghostwriter will take into account your feedback and creative input so they can provide you with the results you want.
There You Are!
Choosing to hire a ghostwriter is a big decision. Not just because it is your name on the book, blog, memoir, or song they write but also because you will spend months collaborating with the ghostwriter for the project.
From brainstorming the idea to creating the content, editing, and finally publishing it, you will work with the ghostwriter closely to ensure all goes smoothly. That’s why you need a hire a ghostwriter that is good at their job and easy to work with.
Follow the tips we’ve discussed in this blog to find the best ghostwriter for hire and bring your content idea to life!