Hiring a ghostwriter is a great way to bring your thoughts, ideas, and stories to life, without having to spend countless hours writing. When done correctly, a ghostwriter can provide a polished and professional piece of writing that accurately reflects your voice and message. To ensure a successful hiring process, consider the following steps: Research potential ghostwriters, define your project scope and goals, negotiate a fair price, establish clear communication and timelines, and sign a non-disclosure agreement. By following these steps, you'll have the right person in place to bring your vision to life.
Can I Hire Someone to Write My Book?
Answer: Of course, you can. Lack of resources should never be a hindrance in the way of your goals, especially when you can afford it. We regularly hire specialized resources in our daily lives to handle tasks that we're not well-equipped to deal with. Why should it be any different when it comes to writing a book for yourself?
If you have a concept in your head that you want to convert into a book but don't think you're up to the task on your own, ask someone else who can. There are scores of writers out there who are willing to exchange their time, skills, and knowledge in exchange for money, like every other service in the world.
Speaking of money, getting someone to write a book for you is a service - a service for which you pay the writer. But how much do you need to pay a writer to write your book?
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Ghostwriter?
The cost of hiring a ghostwriter may vary with the writer and their preferred pricing method. Let's take a brief look at the major practices people follow in the ghostwriting industry. These things are usually discussed at the beginning of the contract, so you have to be informed about what you're comfortable with and what to ask for.
The most prevalent way of gauging a writer's tier level or skill is based on the cost per word of that writer. So if you're a celebrity with no limits on how much you can spend on writing a book to tell your story of how you rose to fame, then you may want to go for a new york times recognized writer who charges $5.00/word and lives in a penthouse in New York.
However, the skill level of a ghostwriter is not directly proportional to their cost per word. You can also get a professional ghostwriter with years of experience in around a dollar per word.
So if you don't have a ton of money to burn, doing some research can get you a well-qualified and professional ghostwriter without spending a fortune on it. It all depends on where you're looking and what your requirements are.
But there's a catch. Multiple other factors can affect the total cost of a book writing project. A writer may agree to write a book for you for less than their usual fee if you're a client who understands the troubles of writing a book, will be of assistance in the research process and are easy to communicate with.
But if your book belongs to a niche so exotic it requires extensive research on the writer's end, you should expect to pay for it accordingly.
In general, the writing process will be smooth if you just spend some time, in the beginning, to make sure you are working with the right people. Let's discuss some of the things that you need to know before you get yourself a ghostwriter.
Things You Need to Know Before Hiring a Ghostwriter
The first thing that you need to know is what services you need. Do you just want to prepare the first draft of your manuscript, or do you want the writer to revise the content as many times as you want if need be? Do you want to get your manuscript proofread as well? Do you also want them to format the book according to publishing standards?
Ultimately, you will want to get your book proofread, formatted, and its cover designed and published. Perhaps you even want a book trailer video produced and released for marketing. Maybe even a website with a complete author profile, social media publicity, and custom printing service.
Getting clear in your head on what you want will help you save your costs in the long run.
Let's say you have two potential candidates in your mind. Writer A is charging $1,000 for your project with unlimited revisions. They will also proofread the book line-by-line, format the manuscript entirely, and design the covers and other components of the book's interior, delivering you a complete book ready to be published.
On the other hand, writer B charges $700 for the same project, but they will only send you a manuscript. After that, it takes $1/word for every word they rewrite. You will have to find on your own a proofreader, a formatting service, a cover design artist, and a designer for illustrations. And you will have to pay for these services separately.
Which option do you think is more cost-effective in the long run? Writer A, of course. Someone who is not aware of their needs might make a poor choice and regret it later.
Oftentimes, communication, which is supposed to be the bridge between the author's thoughts and the writer's words, becomes the biggest hindrance in achieving your book's maximum potential.
The writer may be excellent at their job. You may be the most cooperative client in the world. But if you two can't find a way to communicate your thoughts and intentions with each other effectively, the book suffers.
Some writers like to take an advance, collect all required details from you, and disappear for the next 5 months. They'll return to you with a finished manuscript, but in the meantime, they don't want to be disturbed.
In contrast, most writers expect the author to be continuously involved in the writing process. At the very least, the writer expects you to review the content simultaneously as they send it to you. So if the book's going in a direction you don't intend, it can still be saved while it's possible. Along with a hundred other complications that can be avoided simply by the power of open, clear, and consistent communication.
Are you someone who will have trust issues if you had little to no contact with your ghost for months on end? Or maybe you don't have enough time to spend on small details. Decide for yourself before you talk to a particular writer, so you can get an idea of what your experience with them is going to be like.
If the writer is someone who appreciates clients who stay in touch with the writer, providing supporting information and suggestions regularly, they'll be more flexible in their pricing.
And if the writer will have to spend a lot of time on research due to your project's nature, they're going to charge accordingly for that.
But what if you decide to write your book by yourself and skip the troubles of hiring a ghostwriter?