09 Nov How to Hire a Professional Ghostwriter – What You Need to Know

Hire a ghostwriter, me? Professional authors do it – so why shouldn’t you?

Written by Daniela Cavalletti

7 min read

In a previous life, before starting my own business, I worked in book publishing for one of the world’s largest publishing houses. I loved being surrounded by new ideas, different ways at looking at the world, and oh so many books! Starting with the author, and on to their editor and publicist, often, you could hear a collective sigh of relief waft through the office. That moment when the author decided to not simply work with a researcher but hire a trusted ghostwriter to faithfully record their ideas.

As a result I could share a ghostwriting story or two about some very big, well-known names publishing bestsellers. Many of these authors use ghostwriters, and regularly. People you’d instantly recognise. And they chose this route not because they are lazy or have run out of ideas. Quite the opposite; they are in-demand experts. They are just in such high demand – writing books, working in their field, and building their brands – that allocating months to writing their next book, and on time, is either too stressful or impossible.

Enter the ghostwriter.

What Does a Ghostwriter Do?

ghostwriter |ˈɡəʊstrʌɪtə| noun
A person whose job it is to write material for someone else, who is the named author

Many people don’t know that the new book or insightful newspaper article by that renowned chef, politician or business guru is not actually written by them. But that instead they’ve had the smarts to hire a ghostwriter who did the work for them, saved them oodles of time – and made them look exceptionally clever!

I know many business greats and published writers who attract huge kudos for their prose when they haven’t been responsible for writing down a single word on their ideas. Often the actual author of said piece will be standing right beside them, utterly unnoticed. We are not called ‘ghosts’ for nothing.

It may seem unfair to the poor sod of a ghostwriter who has actually done the work – but it’s actually the highest of compliments to us. This is the moment any ghostwriter relishes, because it means we have done our job well: we so perfectly emulated a style, tone and every other detail, that our writing is indistinguishable from the original author’s voice.

We’ve perfectly captured their and their ideas’ essence.

Hire a Ghostwriter for Books, Marketing + Corporate Communications

Working with a ghostwriter has become a popular option for people who have valuable ideas to share – but can’t spare the time or energy, or can’t quite put them into written form exactly as they want to. Whether you want to write a book to enhance your profile, have an opportunity to publish an article in a magazine, have a speech to deliver, a tender to piece together, or … the options are endless. Hire a ghostwriter to save your bacon getting these things done for you perfectly and on time – while you beaver away elsewhere.

Some of the biggest names in business and history have used ghostwriters, and some have acknowledged them, amongst them Richard Branson. Which is a nice touch, but not expected by your ghostwriter. As ghostwriters we write, and your name goes on the work; that’s understood and expected by us.

If you have a head for figures or smooth salesman-skills but don’t necessarily have the writing chops, finding a ghostwriter that will perfectly reflect your point of view, style and writing tone is a legitimate option. It’s why savvy companies are able to publish so many successful blogs that meet the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) requirement of fresh, quality content to pull up their search rankings. And why celebrity-chefs and -trainers find the time to write a book or two each year in between all the TV appearances and events they attend.

Will Hiring a Ghostwriter Work for Me?  

Now that you know that ghostwriting is a thing, a good thing at that, how can you assess whether you need one – and find the one for you? Glad you asked!

Start by asking yourself the following questions, answer them honestly, and trust your gut.

#1. Will it be a good investment?

If publishing a book, opinion article, white paper, blogs or social media postings under your name will assist you in promoting your brand and complement your business and marketing strategy, then hiring a ghostwriter is the way to go. Anything with your name on it needs to be engaging, interesting and well written overall so if you DIY and the quality is below par, then it will do more damage than good. Experienced ghostwriters will understand quickly what you want, need and will also be able to mimic your personal nuances and voice tone.

#2. Is hiring a ghostwriter going to make my life easier?

I’m going to answer this one for you: You bloody betcha! Having quality writing magically appearing in your inbox to simply read and sign off on is the answer to many a busy exec’s dreams. Often people will push aside their writing commitments because of lack of time. If you know that writing a book or a regular blog will improve your business, but you can’t get around to it, it can weigh heavily on you – a little niggle or itch that never goes away. A ghostwriter is the ‘Stop Itch’ for that mozzie bite. Hire one and feel at least some of your stress slink away.

#3. Is writing one of my skills?

Some people love to write, get a thrill out of writing their own copy and are quite skilled at it. But if Johnny Cash’s ‘It ain’t me babe’ just started playing in your head, then it’s time to start thinking about hiring someone else to do it for you. If it’s important for you to share your unique ideas and experience but you don’t feel like you have the writing nous than outsource it to someone who does.

#4. How important is connecting authentically with my customers + clients?

If the answer is ‘very’, ‘vitally’ or ‘crucial’—and I was kind of hoping it would be—then a professional ghostwriter can not only write powerful prose under your name but help you develop a communications strategy that will allow you to better connect with those that matter. Most ghostwriters have a background in marketing, editing, journalism and/or public relations so can assist you in a variety of ways depending on your communication needs. We can do in-depth research on the latest market news, trends, and come up with hot topics that your clients and customers will want to read.

#5. What do I hope to achieve + how involved do I want to be?

If you have answered the first four questions, you are now in a position to determine if hiring a ghostwriter is for you. Following from there, you actually now need to really knuckle down and outline what you want them to do, how often, a budget and most importantly, how much you actually want to be involved. A talented ghostwriter can perform miracles with a couple of vague references and dot points, but you need to put some effort into finding such a writer. Their efforts will also cost more in accordance with the expertise and time required. Or perhaps, you are happy to be a little more hands-on in terms of writing your book, blogs or materials and require more of an editor. Some thought into establishing how you want to work with your ghostwriter up-front is well recommended to save any angst further down the track.

9 Tips on How to Find Your Perfect Ghostwriter Match

Ah, lovely, so you want to hire a ghostwriter, great! But you don’t know where to start selecting the one for you? No problem.

Remember that you will have to trust, and gel with, your ghostwriter. And what they write will be adding (or distracting) from your reputation. So, you want someone who is mature, experienced, empathic, and a good researcher and listener; just for starters. Here are some other things to look out for. In the end, you’ll know instinctively whom you’ll entrust your reputation and knowledge to.

#1. First Impressions Count

Your first contact with your potential ghostwriter should leave a good impression, and a feeling of clear and easy communication with them. You’ll be spending a lot of time talking about important things with each other in future, so if you don’t like or understand each other, this thing ain’t gonna work out well.

#2. Quality Check

Googling ‘ghostwriting services’ will bring up a wealth of options, and it may be tempting to go for the cheapest one. We all like to save money. And you might strike gold this way, but do ensure you always have a have spoken conversation with your shortlisted ghostwriter. Written prose can be faked, and a deep-enough connection can only be forged when you speak to each other. Do get some examples of previous works and testimonials / referee names you can contact, if possible.

#3. Budget

A professional ghostwriter will be able to either give you a fixed fee proposal for the work or at least a ball park when you give them concrete deliverables (e.g. ghostwrite a 50,000-word book on subject x for y audience from z source materials; or write 1 weekly 800-word blog post from a short interview for the next year). They will also be able to come up with process options to match a budget you have (if realistic) by involving you more or less in the actual prep, research or writing work.

#4. Constructive Feedback

Hiring a ghostwriter who will make you look good, involves being willing to hear and take on feedback. You don’t want someone without any opinion (or experience to voice opinions). If your work might be controversial, having a critical thinker by your side will be especially beneficial, even necessary.

#5. Process

You will provide the seeds for the work your ghostwriter will expand on, but they will need to have the ability to research, ask the right questions, follow themes and thoughts; develop ideas to best represent your material and test those ideas. They need to be highly organised and logical, yet able to connect with you and the reader on an emotional level. Ask your ghostwriting candidates about their process, see whether they can articulate one, and can offer one that suits you.

#6. NDA + Contract

Especially for a book project, or a newsworthy topic, your ghostwriter should be willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement if you ask them to. And your project should be covered by a detailed fee proposal or contract that clearly states what you can expect, and what’s expected of you, to enable your ghostwriter to deliver exceptional, exact work for you.

#7. Copyright + Royalties

A very important bit! Ensure that you’ll have a written agreement in place that will assign the copyright for the work your ghostwriter produces fully over to you. I also recommend that you have a very clear statement in the agreement that excludes the ghostwriter from any right y your royalties. This could be something as simple as these two sections: 

Full copyright of the manuscript will be transferred to you with your final payment.

Provided all your outstanding invoices are paid in full, we will claim no author credit and no royalties. Full author credit and book sales revenue will go to you after the final payment of all project fees.

#8. Collaboration

Even when you hire a ghostwriter, you will need to edit the work produced. Beware the ghostwriter who does not include rounds of edits in their proposal or offers a process during which “you won’t have to lift a finger!” Hiring a ghostwriter will save you time, but it doesn’t mean you will not have any input or involvement in the project. Of course you’ll have to – you will need to provide your insights, and check and sign-off the work, ensure it’s truly representing you and your views.

#9. Trust

Now, if you still find it really hard to choose your ghostwriter after all this, do ask them about something that reveals more about them as a person. Can you bond on a personal level; do you have things in common? A good starting point is their favourite project to date, because their choice and story might tell you a lot about them, and give you a better understanding of who they are.

Work with these tips to ensure you’ll end up with your dream match – rather than a ghostwriting nightmare that will haunt you for years to come.

Hire a Ghostwriter: Meet Your Double

Now you’re all set now to find the ghostwriter that best fits your topic, style and personality. Just think of them as your very own Mini Me, Word-Nerd Edition. You no longer have to slave over writing when you don’t want to or don’t have the time yourself.

Instead, get your very own ghostwriting double … and you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

Our team of professional ghostwriters will help you write-up and share your knowledge with a rapt audience. Our writing and research skills are up to snuff, so yours don’t have to be – and best of all we won’t take any of the credit! Let’s chat.