Tips for Working with A Ghostwriter

Tips for Australian authors considering working with a ghostwriter for the first time!

What are some tips for working with a ghostwriter? It’s not an uncommon question that Australian authors ask when considering hiring a ghostwriter to help them complete their book. If you’re an Australian or New Zealand author considering hiring a ghostwriter to work on a book for you, you’re 100% not alone.

Getting a best-selling book on sites like Amazon isn’t always as easy as you think.

As an author or client, before you approach a ghostwriter, there are a few things that you can do to make the process a lot easier for yourself and any potential ghostwriter. Although ghostwriting involves a lot of research on the ghostwriter’s behalf, the more prepared you are, the better the experience and the smoother your relationship with your ghostwriter will be.

Summary of key tips for working with a ghostwriter:

- - - - Creating A Writing Brief
        
        Give Your Ghostwriter the Information they Need
        
        Writing the Outline | Creating A Roadmap
        
        Share Examples of Books or Writing Styles you Like
        
        Constructive and Clear Feedback is Essential
        
        Communication is King
        
        Be Flexible with Your Expectations
        
        Review Written Content and Give Feedback Promptly
        
        Building A Relationship and Acknowledgments

If you haven’t fully committed to ghostwriting, check out What Is Ghostwriting? The Complete Guide to Ghostwriters! where we cover everything there is to know about ghostwriting and ghostwriters.

You Have An Idea | Defining Your Novel or Book

The first part of the process starts with you as the author or client. You have an idea for a best-selling book or perhaps just a story that needs to be told, and you want it turned into a book that other people can read and enjoy. It’s a story as old as time, but there are a few reasons why you might be considering hiring a ghostwriter. Common reasons for hiring a ghostwriter include:

- - - - You have an idea for a book, but you don’t have the skill or confidence to turn that idea into a book, and you don’t know where to start.
        
        You have an idea for a book but don’t have the time to turn that idea into a book.
        
        You have an idea for a book, but you are pretty happy to let someone else write it while you focus on other areas of your business or personal life.

Why you’re choosing to hire a ghostwriter doesn’t matter. That’s your choice, and there’s no stigma attached to authors using ghostwriters. For decades, best-selling authors, athletes, celebrities, and politicians have used ghostwriting services.

People like Michelle Obama, Donald Trump, Brittney Spears, and so many other celebrities have utilized the skills of professional writers to turn their stories or lives into a book.

The first step is to define the project.

What story do you want to tell? Who is the target audience? What is the goal of the project?

Creating A Writing Brief

Top tips for working with a ghostwriter list would be creating a writing brief. Although it can be hard to part ways with an idea, especially one you’ve been thinking about for a long time, if you truly want someone to write it, you must tell them about it.

Create a writing brief that includes the topic/subject, the book’s purpose, the target audience, the genre, desired length (words), tone, and style.

Give Your Ghostwriter the Information They Need

After your ghostwriter has reviewed your writing brief and has shown interest in the project, now is a good time to supply them with any additional information you have. Have you started work on an outline, characters, plot, and topic research? You don’t have to give them everything you have, but information, notes, links to articles, references, or even audio recordings will help your ghostwriter a lot more than you think.

Writing the Outline | Creating A Roadmap

The first step that any professional ghostwriter will take is preparing an outline for your project based on the information you’ve provided them about your ghostwriting project. It will offer a set roadmap for you to see where the story is going and give your ghostwriter a clear path to follow.

Share Examples of Books or Writing Styles you Like

If you have a book or author you love, and you want your book to be written similarly, share some examples with your ghostwriter. It’s an easy way to say, ‘This is what I like, and this is how I want the tone of my book to be’ that your ghostwriter can understand.

Constructive and Clear Feedback is Essential

If you don’t like something or the way something is written, tell your writer. Tell them early in the project as soon as possible. Don’t wait until the end. If you see an issue developing with a character or the book’s direction, let your ghostwriter know why. It’s okay not to like something, but unless you let your ghostwriter know why you don’t like it, how can they fix it?

Communication is King | Tips for Working with A Ghostwriter

At Author Services Australia, we encourage our clients and ghostwriters to communicate as much as possible. Once you start working with a ghostwriter, almost all of the writing, drafts, and feedback are handled between the writer and the client. We encourage writers to set clear deadlines to check in with clients, and we want our clients to check in with their writers. You don’t have to phone or email every day, but if you have set goals and timelines, stick with them.

Be Flexible with Your Expectations

Ultimately, you hired someone to write your book for you. Your ghostwriter isn’t a mind reader, and their thoughts and ideas, while based on your idea, will ultimately be their own. It’s essential to be flexible and collaborative on the project. Be open to new ideas and be prepared to consider someone else’s opinion.

Review Written Content and Give Feedback Promptly

If your ghostwriter is working to a deadline, and you expect them to deliver on time, give them feedback on delivered work just as promptly. If you can’t review something straight away, let them know when they should expect it. Keep that communication line open.

Building A Relationship and Acknowledgments

A good relationship with a professional ghostwriter is extremely valuable. If you’re planning more than one project, or the first book turns into a bestseller, reaching out to your ghostwriter again makes the next project much more straightforward.

Ghostwriters work with the strict understanding that their work may never be publicly acknowledged, regardless of how good it is. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t acknowledge them. You don’t have to put them on the book’s cover or add them as a co-author, but even allowing them to list your book among their resume or list of completed clients means more to them than you know.