You’ve heard about the existence of ghostwriters for years, and now you are finally ready to take the leap and hire one of us to help you tell your story. Bravo! This is an exciting decision and one you’ll be glad you made. But you want to be careful, to do it right. I get it. Investment in a skilled ghostwriter can be significant, starting at $15k for a newbie ghost on up to mid-six figures for an experienced one. Writing your book is a big deal.
Perhaps the most important thing you can do at the beginning stages of your book project is to choose a ghost whose writing style you enjoy (read their website and social media content carefully and see whether it strikes your fancy). Next, you should select a ghostwriter whose personality is a fit for yours.
After all, the author-ghostwriter relationship is an intimate one. Sharing your hard-won wisdom and life events with your ghostwriter will feel like a cathartic—and hopefully, enjoyable—therapy session. Notice how you feel when you get off the phone with them. Are you energized? Enthusiastic? Filled with ideas? Good.
A skilled ghostwriter seeks to understand you, to see the world as you see it, to capture your voice. It’s an art, and those of us who’ve practiced this art for years tend to be highly empathetic and special individuals. (If I do say so myself. Ahem.)
With that in mind, here are five key tips to maximize your collaboration with a ghostwriter to create the best book possible.
1. Hire someone with experience, pay them well, and trust their suggestions. As a ghostwriter, I delight in the collaborative aspect of this work. It's not about me at all, it's about drawing the very best book out of YOU. But I do need you to trust me and follow my lead. I’ve got you—and every decision I make is in service of building the best book possible for your readers.
2. Get vulnerable and tell us your best stories. Don't hold back or save things for Book 2. Stories drive change in readers and have done so since the beginning of history. Before you even hire me or another ghost, reflect on your biggest moments of transformation. Your hardest-won wisdom. The risks you’ve taken. I want stories, even quiet ones…not lists of events. Your resume, no matter how robust, won’t help you here.
3. Share your process, and take the time to think about your clients' (or your own) biggest transformations. Yes, stories are key…but so are your tips, techniques, practical tactics, and action steps if you’re writing a business book or creating a guide to supplement your speaking engagements.
4. Share sensory details to help your ghostwriter create engaging prose. If you're trying to summarize years of your life in one or two sentences, stop. Think of the moments that really mattered. Paint us a picture. Put us *right there* as the plane is going down, so to speak. What do you see? What do you think? What do you smell?
5. Be responsive to your ghost's messages and set a regular meeting time for calls. We never, EVER want to waste your time, but we do want to get your book finished in a matter of months, not years. You hire a ghostwriter to keep things moving, so keep things moving. The best schedule is generally a once-per-week meeting or phone call of about 45 to 60 minutes in length. You can supplement this time by responding to questions over email, by supplying your ghost with existing materials you’ve created (such as blogs or speeches), and even by sending along short audio recordings as an important thought occurs to you.
I'd love to answer any additional questions you might have about the ghostwriting process or what to expect from a professional during a collaboration. Please ask in a comment or reach out to me at lauraschaeferwriter.com.
Laura Schaefer
# # #
About the Author
www.lauraschaeferwriter.com on LinkedIn and Twitter at @teashopgirl
Thank you for hosting me, Tony!
ReplyDelete