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A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Find the Perfect Ghostwriter for Your Book!

In a world full of personal branding when even up and coming influencers and mini-celebrities have a few books released, one could be forgiven for mistaking writing as an easy thing to do. The truth, however, is something else entirely, because there are a lot fewer authors than there are books in this world. Chances are that book your favorite celebrity has ‘written,’ wasn’t exactly written by them, but through a ghostwriting company, and that’s okay! Consider it like a business owner hiring a graphic designer to design a logo they use throughout their business.

But how can you find a ghostwriter for yourself? Here are a few helpful ways to understand what you will need and fine the best book marketing service and ghostwriter for you.

Find the Perfect Ghostwriter for Your Book

Before you go on hiring a ghostwriter, there are things you need to make sure are ready, because the ghostwriter will want to know these details when you reach out to them. They are:

• What your book is about

• What the general story/outline will be

• A manuscript

• A budget

• A timeline

These are, at least, the things you need before you hire a ghostwriter. That doesn’t mean you write an entire manuscript, but you give them enough of an idea of what you need.

An Agency or a Dedicated Ghostwriter?

Here, you can decide whether you want a single individual ghostwriter that can be dedicated to your project, or if you seek an agency that delivers ghostwriting services in addition to something like a custom book formatting service.

The latter is great if you want to self-publish and have very little idea—or none at all—about the publishing process, but understand that an individual ghostwriter and an agency will bring very different experiences.

Check Out Reviews

Both individuals and agencies are likely to have reviews on public websites, such as Upwork, where they market their services as well. You can check out most agencies and even individual freelancers, their portfolio to get an idea of their previous works, and even customer feedback to determine how good they are with clients.

This can be a great way to determine if the ghostwriter or agency for your book is suitable for you. Through looking at samples, you can even find out if the writer or agency can achieve the tone and feel you want in your book. What if you want a political thriller that is also satirical? That requires plenty of political know-how as well as a tendency to keep up with current trends.

Expertise and Niche

There is a very important factor when it comes to writing a book, in that the subject matter it deals with. A successful businessperson who has amassed a wealth of knowledge—or even certain industry-specific secrets—that they want to share with the rest of the world will want someone who not only understands them, but knows how to explain their specifics succinctly and effectively.

Books are rarely made for the smallest possible audience, because they are commercial endeavors. That means any author or publisher will want their book to be easily understandable and accessible to however many it can without losing its import. Industry-specific slang, terminologies, and nomenclature might be the norm for the businessperson commissioning the book, but it might not for the audience.

Even professional book marketers can have a hard time effectively selling a book that doesn’t simplify all this. It is much better to market a book that ‘reveals the secrets of an industry’ than one that ‘synergizes and optimizes business processes to increase annual returns, reduce cost overruns, and prevents burn-rates from going too high.’ The former is simply a more appealing headline to sell your book, and how it is written, as well as the expertise of the writer, plays a huge role in that.

After all, you as a businessperson can talk the talk, but writing isn’t your forte, and you want to hire someone who can make the best of what you have with their own writing skills.

Contractual Considerations

Writing memoirs, autobiographies, and even books where you reveal information and knowledge only you have—those projects have you sharing some sensitive, private, and potentially harmful information if it gets into the wrong hands. Before any work is done, or any manuscript is shared, it is important to draft a basic Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) beforehand, in addition to the contractual agreements you will have later on.

NDAs help you protect sensitive information, copyright material, and more. Contracts also stipulate the budget, timeline, and more where you can effectively determine all aspects of the project.

Cost and budget can vary significantly, too. Determining budgets beforehand, in addition to preparing the manuscript, as mentioned above, can sometimes be the difference between a project that gets completed quickly and one that gets stuck in limbo where you cannot decide how to proceed for months on end.

Wrapping it Up

Ghostwriting or otherwise, no two projects are ever the exact same, and it is important to take these considerations as guidelines to finding ghostwriters. In the end, there is always a modicum of risk when hiring any service, and fulfilling your due process is all you can do to give yourself the best chance of a desirable outcome.