How to Find and Work with a Good Ghostwriter

By Gini Graham Scott Ph.D.

Thousands of people use ghostwriters, including well-known celebrities, speakers, corporate leaders, government officials, and others.  They don't have time to do their own writing.  They commonly provide the ghostwriter with some ideas about what to say, and the ghostwriter puts those ideas together into an organized piece of writing.  The author or speaker gets to approve whatever is written, and then the writing is presented as his or her own.

            HOW TO FIND AND WORK WITH A GOOD GHOSTWRITER discusses the steps involved in finding and collaborating with a good ghostwriter on blogs, articles, books, scripts, and other materials.  It features these topics:

            - Why work with a ghostwriter

            - How do you find a ghostwriter?

            - Working out any agreements and contracts

            - What to prepare for your book, script or blog

            - Creating an outline for your book or script

- Working together on your project

- What to do when things don't work out

- Other ways a ghostwriter can help you

- An appendix with sample contracts, NDAs, synopses and proposals

• Language: English
• Publisher: Changemakers Publishing
• Release date: Jul 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386734512

Gini Graham Scott Ph.D.

           Gini Graham Scott has published over 50 books with mainstream publishers, focusing on social trends, work and business relationships, and personal and professional development. Some of these books include Scammed (Allworth Press, 2017), Lies and Liars: How and Why Sociopaths Lie and How to Detect and Deal with Them (Skyhorse Publishing 2016), Internet Book Piracy (Allworth Press 2016), The New Middle Ages (Nortia Press 2014), and The Very Next New Thing (ABC-Clio 2010). She published a series of books on homicide: Homicide by the Rich and Famous (Praeger Publishing 2005; Berkley Books paperback 2006), American Murder (ABC-Clio, 2007), and Homicide: A Hundred Years of Murder in America (Roxbury 1998).             Scott has gained extensive media interest for previous books, including appearances on Good Morning America, Oprah, Montel Williams, CNN, and hundreds of radio interviews. She has frequently been quoted by the media and has set up websites to promote her most recent books, featured at www.ginigrahamscott.com and www.changemakerspublishing.com.

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INTRODUCTION

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This book developed out of a column I originally wrote for the Huffington Post, where I am a contributor.  I wrote it in response to an article bashing modern ghostwriters, after there was extensive discussion about how this person with a service turned several hours of interviews with an author into a book and got it wrong.  Soon after that, I discovered there was no comprehensive book on how to find and hire a good ghostwriter, so this book was born.

Since the article I wrote provides a good introduction to how a ghostwriter can help, here’s a slightly adapted copy of it.  The rest of the book will deal more in depth on how to find a good ghostwriter and then work together to create a great book.

The Truth About Modern Ghostwriting

Recently, a blog appeared on Everything You Need to Know about Modern Ghostwriting by Tucker Max that suggests this is a broken system.  However, it was written by someone who is not actually a ghostwriter, but uses interviews with authors and then uses editors to turn the transcripts into self-published books for about $20,000, or more for a memoir.

Different Approaches for Different Types of Writers

This interview and transcript approach might work for authors who have $20,000 or more to spend, want a self-published book, and are articulate enough to express themselves through a series of interviews, which the editors can use to create a published book.  But a great many authors would like to be published by a traditional publisher and get a royalty.  Moreover, many authors have other material to include in a book to use instead of or in addition to interviews, such as notes, journals, and sources of research in books or articles.  This interview approach usually doesn’t work for a novel, which most writers write themselves, sometimes with the help of a ghostwriter to better dramatize the story or create better dialogue. 

And many writers of non-fiction books, hoping to find a traditional publisher, might do better to start with a proposal that includes a chapter-by-chapter outline, description of the market, the author’s bio, a public relations and marketing plan, and one to three sample chapters, at a cost of about $3000-$5000.  At this stage, there’s no need to pay a ghostwriter to write the whole book. That only comes into play if the author sells the book to a publisher and usually gets an advance along with a royalty.  Then, the advance can help to pay for writing the complete book.

The only other time writers need the complete book is if they decide to self-publish.  The cost can vary widely depending on the length of the book, if there are illustrations, and other factors.  Generally, a self-published book can vary in length from 50 to 300 pages, and a big cost factor depends on that.  Typically, the cost might be about $3000 to $20,000, depending on the book’s length, amount of research required, number of rewrites, and other factors.  Thus, there is no one size fits all approach to publishing all books.

Then, any public relations and marketing for the book after publication should be considered separately by the author.  This will depend on what the publisher does and what is up to the author, though many ghostwriters help with the marketing, including myself.  Many ghostwriters assist in finding a publisher or agent, too, such as I do through my own company, Publishers Agents and Films (www.publishersagentsandfilms.com).

The Real Truth about Ghostwriting

There are some generally agreed upon advantages of ghostwriters, such as saving time, getting your book done professionally, and getting a book if you are new to a subject, 

based on my own experience and that of three other ghostwriters who are members of the Association of Ghostwriters, of which I am also a member.  All of us are full time writers of both our own books and ghostwritten books, so we know well whereof we speak.

Saving Time

While saving time is a clear benefit of ghostwriting, it is not necessarily the main benefit, and any claim that it takes a normal author 1000-2000 hours to write a non-fiction book by themselves, such as one author claimed, is ludicrous.  That would mean working 40 hours a week over the span of 25 to 50 weeks, just writing, and no one does that. Moreover, it does not take that long to write a book, even for a novice book writer.  In fact, many writers have collected notes, papers, and research sources, so when they decide they want to write a book, it can take as little as a few weeks to pull this all together, and a few more weeks to write it.  A good ghostwriter can then take that book and perform an editorial polish, filling in any gaps.  The ghostwriter can also organize this material if the writer wants, as well as supplement what the writer has written with their own ideas and research on the subject.  In many fields, writers want this additional input for such things as books on self-help, popular business, and health.

The Cost of Ghostwriting

Any claim that no good ghostwriter charges less than $15,000 is totally wrong, because the charges depend on numerous factors, including the length of the book, the ghostwriter’s experience, and if the writer starts with a proposal or a few chapters.  I have written numerous proposals for clients for about $3000-5000, which subsequently sold to publishers, and in some cases the authors decided to credit me as a with author, though this was a totally voluntary decision made after the book was published.  Most recently these books included American Justice by Paul Brakke which sold to TouchPoint Press; Growing Up in Nazi Germany by Wolf Dettbarn, which sold to Truman University Press; At Death’s Door by Sebastian Sepulveda, which sold to Rowman & Littlefield, and was also produced as a TV series; and Credit Card Fraud by Jen Grondahl Lee, which also sold to Rowman & Littlefield.  Despite a misperception some may have that all a ghostwriter is responsible for is writing the book, I was also involved in finding the publishers for the authors.

Another ghostwriter with the Association of Ghostwriters, Wendy Scheuring, similarly disputed a claim that no good ghostwriter charges less than $15,000.  Here’s what she had to say in response:

I myself have ghostwritten books for less than $15,000 for a number of reasons: I like the story, I think the client and I will make a great writing team, or I think the client has an excellent cause and want to help him or her share the message. The price for ghostwriting services also depends on the length of the book as well; I have ghostwritten books that are less than 100 pages, which don’t require much research. Projects, such as these, warrant a less expensive price.

Moreover, as Scheuring points out, a high price in the $15,000-$75,000 price range or even higher doesn’t equate with a ghostwriter's talent.  Rather what’s important and what a prospective client should evaluate is the type of writing the ghostwriter does, which may be indicated on his or her website, as well as look at some writing samples, endorsements, and past publications.  Then, the prospective client should have a consultation with a ghostwriter to see if they will make a great team in working together.  As Scheuring emphasized, Price is not an indication of quality. Teamwork and the ghostwriter's ‘aim to please’ is.

Organizing and Managing Your Project

The article about ghostwriting that inspired this book wrongly suggested that the client has to manage the project and has to be a good manager, resulting in concerns about missed deadlines, payment issues, conflicts, poor work, and other problems that may arise from managing a freelance contract, or dealing with a ghostwriter who is already looking for his or her next project.  But that isn’t the case. 

In fact, typically, the ghostwriter handles such details, which can include creating a timeline for what happens when, subject to the client’s agreement on when he or she would like the project completed – or when a publisher wants certain materials from the writer. Along these lines, the ghostwriter will work out what he or she needs from the writer in order to meet the schedule. Should the writer later want to change anything – usually to delay the project, the ghostwriter will work out a changed schedule.

Moreover, if the writer has a book project which involves 20 or more hours a week, the ghostwriter won’t be actively looking for another project, since this one project may fill up the ghostwriter’s schedule.  However, if this is a proposal that can be completed in a few days, naturally, the ghostwriter will already have other clients lined up or will be looking for other projects.  At least that’s my experience.  Since I’ve been recently handling the final editing of three complete books, which I previously wrote and sold to publishers, I’ve expanded the hours I normally work to complete the editing to the publishers timeline, and have been too busy to look for anything else for several weeks.

Wendy Scheuring had a similar response.  As she wrote to me: Ghostwriters are usually freelancers who schedule projects according to their editorial calendars. They need to know a client's desired deadline and they need to hear from clients during the process, such as to read and review chapters or segments of the book.  Clients need to be available for interviews and be ready to send any documents, notes, photos, etc. to the ghostwriter that are integral to the project. There have been times when a project has come to a halt because the client does not respond or is unavailable.

The Quality of Work You Can Expect

Ghostwriters typically work until the book is complete, including making edits and final revisions.  They don’t work as fast as possible at a sacrifice of quality, as suggested by the article on ghostwriting.  Depending on the contract, one or two rewrites might be included in a package price, which would factor into the ghostwriter’s per word rate, which is based on the amount of work and number of hours likely. Or the ghostwriter might work on an hourly basis, with the client advised regularly, often daily, about what the ghostwriter has done in how many hours.  Frequently, a package price will come in a little higher than an hourly quote, since the ghostwriter has to take into consideration the possibility of extra time for revisions and additional material the writer might submit as the project goes along. 

For example, I commonly give writers both a cap on cost based on the number of words, with an hourly rate charged if the cost is less.  Plus I include additional costs for interviewing and for Internet research and transcripts, which usually I have assistants do for about $20 an hour or I use a transcription service.  I leave it up to the writer whether to give me a credit on the book or not, though four of my last clients wanted to include me as a co-writer or with writer on the cover, while one wanted only his name on the book.

Scheuring similarly has described how ghostwriters are dedicated to writing a good book for a client, whether they get credit or not.  As she wrote to me: Ghostwriters work until the project is done right, not only because that is the right business thing to do, but also because they love writing, and they want to make their clients happy. Lastly, ghostwriters are like actors in that they must write in the client’s voice and style, even if they don’t necessarily like it or agree.

Another ghostwriter, Melanie Votaw, echoed these remarks when she wrote to me: The majority of people who excel in one type of business haven’t developed the skill to put a book together. Without help, their books wouldn’t be viable, and as a result, we’d be deprived of their expertise on the page. There’s nothing wrong with ghostwriting, as long as the knowledge comes from the person whose name is on the cover. What the writer does is make sure that the information is clear and properly structured in book form.  Paying for a ghostwriter or a developmental editor can be costly, but not as costly as putting a poor product into the marketplace or risking the loss of a traditional publishing contract, which might mean paying back the advance. Books aren’t money-makers for most people; they’re usually a calling card that helps people make more money from other endeavors.

Likewise, a third ghostwriter, Dennis Briskin, who has worked as a ghostwriter for over 30 years, spoke of his commitment to seeing that a client got a successful book through the process.  As he wrote to me: Much of my work has been book doctoring rather than ghostwriting from scratch. Also, beyond doing the work, I teach my clients how and why I make the choices I do. Rather than just approve the text, they understand why my version of the text is more likely to elicit the response they want from their target audience....Also, I make their goals my own, because their success is my success.  I am an idealist who wants to make the world a better place.

The Many Ways that Ghostwriters Can Help

Many ghostwriters can also do much more than simply deliver a book, in which they turn what a client has said into a coherent, polished book that reflects the writer’s voice and tone.  Though some may think you only get a manuscript and nothing else. A starting point may be a few hours of interviews with the author or with many authors, as well as reviewing their notes, journals, and transcripts from workshops and seminars.  Also, there may be interviews with the writer’s associates and experts in the writer’s field to add more information and authority to the book. 

Plus many ghostwriters can do much more, such as bring alive a flat manuscript with stories and dialogue.  One way to do this is by asking probing questions of the author and doing additional research to add more detail and color to the narrative.  For example, I have done this with some memoirs, which started off with brief descriptions of what happened, that were more like an outline for a book or script.  I asked the author to describe the setting, the individuals involved, and the interaction that occurred a little more.  Then I turned these incidents into stories that made exciting what would otherwise be a very dry,