Should You Hire A Ghostwriter To Write Your Book?

Do you know what a ghostwriter is? Has someone ever asked you about writing a book or telling a story on someone else’s behalf? Or have you seen an ad stating ghostwriters for hire? Even if you don’t know who they really are, I am sure you will by the end of this blog. The term ghostwriter was first used many years ago. Do you believe influential people like Beyonce, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, or Lance Armstrong had the time to write their own books? Without a doubt! Each of them paid a ghostwriter to produce a masterpiece for them.

Most of the best-selling books you read are written by ghostwriters who do not claim ownership of their work. So, let’s take a step back and talk about what ghostwriting is and how it is beneficial. So, let’s get started:

What Is Ghostwriting?

Ghostwriting is a well-known and reputable occupation. When you don’t indeed have the time, talent, or necessary abilities to complete the task, you can hire a ghostwriter to write your book for you. Regardless of whether you want to share stories in your book or create high-quality, compelling content for your digital platform, working with a professional will help you accomplish your goals quickly. To put it in another way, a professional ghostwriter is someone who does not receive any credit for their efforts. 

So, a ghostwriter expects a sizable payment for their services and receives no publicity.

What Exactly Does A Ghostwriter Do?

Ghostwriters are professional book writers capable of writing across a variety of genres and mediums. For example, you can find ghostwriters writing books, newsletters, marketing copies, business books, political speeches, etc., without taking any credit for it.

Simply put, ghostwriters charge a handsome amount to write content for their clients. They will write under their client’s name or receive credit as an editor, depending on their signed contract. Ghostwriters can write anything from blog posts, novels, and fiction books to even memoirs, depending on the genre they specialize in. Moreover, ghostwriters normally collaborate with influential people like politicians, celebrities, and CEOs who wish to write and publish their books but don’t have the time and necessary skills to do it. So, they outsource their writing job to a ghostwriter to get it done.

The Benefits Of Hiring A Ghostwriter

The increasing number of ghostwriters over the past years is mostly attributable to their numerous advantages to authors and businesses. So, let’s discuss some of the benefits that authors avail after hiring a ghostwriter:

1. Despite having extensive expertise in your field of work and being a subject matter expert, you might not be a skilled writer. However, with the help of ghostwriters, you can leverage your expertise by communicating with the ghostwriter and composing drafts that can help you become a successful author. So, even if you struggle with writing, you must share your knowledge, make some notes, and jot down an outline while the ghost does the rest.

2. It indeed cuts down on time. Time is a valuable resource that not everyone possesses. You can have a good reputation in the industry, but you have a busy schedule. When this happens, a ghostwriter will take care of your requirements so that you can concentrate on other important activities. This will allow you to expand your brand and business, and your book’s ghostwriter can handle the writing.

3. Ghostwriters can be used for a variety of projects in addition to authoring books. Classify what you want to establish for your brand and grow it to meet your goals; therefore, you will need to produce a lot of content. Writing for blogs, articles, infographics, videos, and other media will be part of this. 

4. Writing is a skill that not everyone possesses. Writing a book or a blog may appear simple, but the technical aspects are challenging. Additionally, you should leave it to the professionals for the best outcomes unless you have expertise or knowledge in the field.

5. The best aspect is that, even if you lack a strong mastery of the subject, you can always ask someone to write a book. While a skilled ghostwriter can heavily rely on the author’s knowledge, the author may not always have a strong understanding of the subject. Therefore, the ghost is anticipated to do an in-depth study in such a scenario.

Pros and Cons Of Hiring A Ghostwriter

Everything has advantages and disadvantages, even hiring a ghostwriter. So, here is a list of the pros and cons of hiring a book on your behalf.

You Are Not Required To Write All Day Long

That’s taken care of by someone else. Thus, you do not need to write when seated at a computer or notepad. However, you will still need to spend a lot of time giving the ghost suitable remarks, reading their work, offering your own recommendations, and waiting for changes. So, don’t assume that since you don’t have to spend the time writing that it will save you time.

The Writing May Be Of A High Caliber

The keyword here is may. This is because even if you authored it, a professional editor would review it, significantly improving the quality. Many ghostwriters, nevertheless, are natural writers; it comes more easily to them. Therefore, a ghostwriter can guarantee a greater degree of writing proficiency if you are concerned about the quality. But remember that a book’s quality cannot be judged just by its writing.

They Are The Best Option For Non-Native Authors

Suppose you want to write a book in English, but don’t know or have proficiency in the language; the only best alternative to produce a book is to hire a ghostwriter. You may find ghostwriters well-versed in several languages. Moreover, if you have written a book yourself, you can still hire a ghostwriter to edit your manuscript and make it free from grammatical errors due to language barriers. 

Apart from these pros, let also explore some of its cons too:

You Miss Your Writing Journey

When it comes to writing a book, this is a particularly awful con. When an author finishes a book, one of their greatest thrills is knowing that they self-published it. It’s a significant accomplishment that only a very small portion of people will ever complete, and by employing a ghostwriter, you are robbing yourself of that opportunity. You are depriving yourself of the satisfaction of completing a job as significant as writing a book.

Quality Writing Is Expensive

You may now find ghostwriters on online platforms who are eager to write for less money. But with writing, you often get what you pay for. For example, you want a book written by a ghostwriter that you have paid to publish to be of the greatest caliber. After all, your name is on there. So, if you are considering hiring a ghostwriter, hiring a reputable book writing service is always recommended!

Clear Communication Is Compulsory

One of the most challenging aspects of having someone else write for you is the requirement for strong communication; else, you suffer a great loss. Once they have to rewrite it, you have to spend time explaining it. They will charge you for this time throughout so that you know. However, there is less opportunity for error when a ghostwriter works for you over the phone and conducts interviews. 

How Much Does A Ghostwriter Charge To Write A Book?

To write a book, a professional ghostwriter costs approximately $30,000 to $70,00. The cost of each project is determined by the book’s genre and the ghostwriter’s expertise. Nonfiction, on the other hand, will typically cost more since it requires more research and factual accuracy, which takes much time for the ghostwriter. Even within the memoir subgenre, prices might differ significantly. For example, a biography written by a very unskilled ghostwriter may cost $25k–$30k, but a ghostwriter with more expertise might price in the $50k–$70k range.

Remember that supply and demand determine the pricing structure of a ghostwriter. A ghostwriter will be expensive if they are constantly being approached by new clients and have all the work they can manage. You can be sure that the writing will be of a specific caliber and that the ghostwriter will be an expert at what they are doing if you pay that amount of money.

New book writers for hire will be more reasonably priced; however, there is always a chance that they won’t write well if they are just starting out and are willing to add several books to their portfolio. So, you must already have a budget in mind. Ask the ghostwriter what their prices would be, and don’t be reluctant to bargain.

Most people will want to offer you a quotation for the entire project, but you can always agree to pay it in phases so that you can walk away without paying any more if the connection isn’t working out or you change your mind. The most important thing is that you both understand what is expected of you and, once more, that a relationship of mutual trust exists.

Moreover, be aware that few books, if any at all, profit much from sales. It is similar to purchasing a lottery ticket since no one can ever foresee which books will be bestsellers. Therefore, it is quite improbable that your revenues will be sufficient to cover the cost of a ghostwriter. Therefore, there must be a good motive other than the desire to make money for creating the book.

The Ghostwriting Process

Even though each ghostwriting project needs to be executed with a unique strategy, here is what a normal ghostwriting process looks like:

Consultation:

The author and the ghostwriter communicate to determine whether they get along well enough to work together. The ghostwriter frequently asks a number of questions to acquire a general understanding of the book during this meeting.

Proposal:

The ghostwriter submits a proposal for the project. Instead of being a general plug-and-play pattern, this should be tailored specifically for a particular book. The project can begin when the proposal has been signed.

Book Synopsis: 

The ghostwriter conducts one to three recorded phone or video conference interviews, and the transcripts are subsequently written. The ghostwriter creates a book outline based on those interviews, which then goes to the client for approval or editing. They usually go through several drafts together to get it just perfect.

Brief Book Outline:

After conducting the interviews, the ghostwriter drafts a brief book plan that can range in length from thirty to fifty pages, depending on how intricate the book is. Once more, there is some back and forth until the final working outline is reached.

Initial Draft:

When the book draft is finished and ready to share with the client, the ghostwriter gets to do what they do best: escape into a writing cave. It may take several months to a year to complete this draft.

Revisions:

Here, the customer is free to take an active or passive role as he sees fit. It is recommended to make it their own by rephrasing, using personal examples, and elaborating on concepts. It actually has happened that some clients make hundreds of modifications while others only make two. So, go as per your specific requirements, and only you know what’s best for your book.

Editing:

Following the completion of the final draft, the manuscript is subjected to editing and publication. 

The turnaround time, if all goes according to plan, is set prior to sign the contract. However, it might go more slowly or more quickly depending on the demands of the project. 

Do Ghostwriters Get Royalties?

Most of the time, ghostwriters aren’t paid the royalties for the books they are contracted to write. Instead, ghostwriters usually charge an upfront fee for their services. Moreover, when you employ a ghostwriter, you give them full ownership of the content they produce for you, and once it is delivered, you become the only owner of it. This indicates that they are no longer in any way connected to the material.

Where Can I Find A Ghostwriter?

There are various possibilities for you if, after reading this, you decide that using ghostwriters would be worthwhile. You may also consider hiring a freelancer through a website like Upwork if you want to start out small. Although it could be less expensive, be cautious when choosing your ghostwriter. Most likely, you want someone with some experience. In this case, hiring a professional and reputable book writing service is recommended as they have a team of ghosts with years of experience to craft a masterpiece for you.

Conclusion

It depends entirely on you! It could be right for you if you want to invest a significant amount of money and are willing to live with the cons mentioned above. But writing it yourself is the best option if you want to feel proud of producing something like a book with your own stories, voice, and style.

Read more: How Online Degrees Can Support Your Professional Development