How to Hire a Ghostwriter
Most people think hiring a ghostwriter begins by comparing writing samples. It doesn’t. It begins by deciding who you want to spend the next several months working with. A strong book is the product of a successful collaboration, and that partnership begins long before the first page is written.
When someone with a book idea is looking for a ghostwriter to bring it to life, the collaboration should run something like this:
The first step is a conversation.
The person with the book idea and the prospective ghostwriter talk on the phone for an hour or so about the project, during which preliminary notes are taken. This conversation could be half an hour or a couple of hours. It depends on the author’s needs and the ghostwriter’s consultation process. The length of time that you speak, however, is not crucial during this meeting. The takeaway is that the author’s full intent is stated and understood by the ghostwriter, and that both have a good sense of what it would be like to collaborate, how long the development would take, and how much the project would cost.
The consultation is also your opportunity to evaluate the ghostwriter.
If the prospective ghostwriter has the experience, ask them to demonstrate their skill. If sample work is not available on their website, ask them for examples of their work. Most people naturally focus on talent first, but that’s only part of the equation. The quality of the job depends upon three things: skill, relationship, and time. If the ghostwriter has the skill and time to complete your project, assess their character and decide whether they are an agreeable candidate to write your book. You are looking for competence, certainly, but also for someone who understands your project, asks thoughtful questions, and is someone you genuinely want to work with for months at a time. An agreeable relationship between the author and ghostwriter is key to a project’s success.
By the end of this first step, you should have interviewed two to six ghostwriters and decided on the person you want to write your book.
The second step is retaining the ghostwriter.
A good hiring process should leave the author with certainty about whom to work with. The author should know whether they’ve found the right ghostwriter, and the ghostwriter should know whether they can genuinely help bring the author’s vision to life.
If you like the way they talk about your project, they ask good questions, and they’re optimistic, straightforward, and realistic, you should feel confident moving forward.
If both parties leave the conversation confident in the partnership, you’ve achieved exactly what the hiring process is meant to accomplish.
At this point, the author retains the ghostwriter for the project.