| Ghostwriting |
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A ghostwriter is paid to write books, articles, reports, speeches and other content that is credited to another person. Will I make money from book sales?Could your nonfiction book be another best-seller? Possibly, but that’s not the point. Being on the best-seller list is not an expectation of the people I write for. For most people, the value is increased awareness, competitive advantage, and professional stature. A book opens doors to new opportunities. And it is those new opportunities where your book pays for itself— many times over.How does ghostwriting work?Because a ghostwriter writes for someone else, the relationship between author and ghostwriter is of tremendous importance. For some clients, it is important for author and ghostwriter to meet face to face. For others, telephone and email work well. However, writing a book can be a significant investment of your time and money. Make sure the relationship works. Are you, the author, and your ghostwriter on the same page? Initially, I like to set up a phone call with a prospective author to discuss the purpose of the book or article, its readership, and some idea of what the book will contain. FeesThe books I write typically take four to seven months to complete at a cost of between $25,000 - $55,000. Hourly coaching: $100 per hour. What should I look for in a ghostwriter?Of course you’ll need a person who can write. Make sure to look for someone who can understand what you want, ask incisive questions, and listen to the answers. A good ghostwriter will make a great effort to find the correct voice and style for your content. The voice may be your voice, the voice of your organization, or a style you have an example of. This won’t be the voice of the ghostwriter. Ghostwriters must have the emotional maturity to put aside their own perspectives when necessary, and write from your vantage point, for your readership.Many ghostwriters’ work comes to them by referral. Most will have an agreement not to disclose that they had written or participated in a book. This makes showing samples difficult. However, the ghostwriter should be able to show you a variety of writing styles, and it is this flexibility of style that should give you an idea of ability. Is the writing clear? Is it to the point? Does it inform? Is it even amusing? Does it draw you in? Does it keep your attention? Is it consistent in tone? How long will it take?Writing your book takes time and effort. How long it will take to ghostwrite your article or book depends upon conceptual complexity, participant availability (that's you), timing, and my professional commitments. You should expect a turnaround time of at least several months for anything approaching book length. While each project is different, it's not unusual to spend between 400 and 700 hours to ghostwrite a 50,000-word (200 page) book.A solid outline of your entire book will get you to your destination faster. A rough guide to allocating time is 40 percent creating the outline, 20 percent writing the first draft, and 40 percent rewriting. Working togetherYou may simply want to talk through your idea because you're not ready to commit to an entire project—yet. I charge a prepaid hourly fee for a minimum of ten hours for new clients. This way, for a small commitment, we can take time to work together in determining the readership, the content, and scope of the project. After ten hours of consultation and/or writing, we should be in a better position create an effective working relationship and estimate the entire project. For small writing assignments such as short articles, this minimum fee may cover the whole project. Getting startedEvery project must have a beginning. Yet that beginning for any ghostwriter can be at different points along a continuum. At one end, you may have vague ideas, rough notes, or an outline; at the other, rough draft, to an almost completed work. However, all projects start with discussion and/or review of existing material, if any. On verbal agreement to work together, I draft a letter of intent which spells out my understanding of what you want and specific next steps in your project. For book-length projects we spell out all work to be done and fees paid in an agreement. Please contact me for fees, details, and availability. |
