How to Choose a Ghostwriter

If you’ve reached this page, then you already know you want a ghostwriter to help you with your book. You have also probably discovered that there are lots of ghostwriters out there, which means you need help to figure out which one is right for you.

This is a personal decision, and it’s one that you should make after careful thought and discussion. The ghostwriter that is right for you might not be the ghostwriter that would be right for a friend or colleague of yours. It’s all down to your specific needs and the needs of your book. Here’s how to start narrowing the decision down.

First, find someone who fits your bill

Start by thinking about what you need your ghostwriter to provide. You can ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you want to meet with them in person or over Zoom/calls? If you want to meet in person, they must be local
• Would you feel more comfortable if your ghostwriter was a certain race, gender, nationality, religion, or had a certain background?
• Do you want your ghostwriter to have had experience in what you want them to write about? (Note that this is not always necessary. The knowledge and expertise comes from you – the ghostwriter is an expert in writing it all down)
• Do you want the book to be finished by a certain deadline? If so, the ghostwriter must be available to complete the work by that date
• Do you have a certain budget in mind? If so, you must find a ghostwriter who is affordable for your needs

Even after narrowing it down like this, you may find you have multiple ghostwriters on your list. If so, move on to the next step – and if you just have one person left, it’s a good idea to undertake it anyway to be sure.

Second, meet and discuss

You should not embark on a ghostwriting project without at least meeting your ghostwriter once – even if only over Zoom. Why? Because this is a serious investment of your time and money, and the ghostwriter’s time – and you need to be sure that you’re a good fit for one another.

You’ll likely be working with this person for six months or a year, so if you don’t get on well with them, it could make the project very difficult. Additionally, you may find that they have ideas or viewpoints which clash with your own. If this could cause problems later on, it’s better to find out as soon as possible. Speaking personally, I wouldn’t want to work with someone who had strong anti-feminist views, for example. That would make us a pretty bad fit for one another.

I also look for other signs that we might not be compatible with one another. I don’t like it when people are late to a meeting and keep me waiting with no explanation or apology, so if someone did that on our first meeting, I wouldn’t book a second. If they were rude or dismissive towards me during the call, I would also think twice about working with them.

The introductory call is a chance to get to know the person and see if you mesh well – and it’s a chance for them to do the same with you, too. You can also go over the finer points of the project and make sure that they are in a good position to provide everything you need from the project.

Finally, you can think about how they made you feel during the call. Do you feel excited to work with them? Reassured that you are in good hands? Do you feel like you could talk to them for hours and share all of your secrets with them? You’re going to need to!

Third, take some time

Finally, if you have decisions to make or you don’t immediately feel like this person is the right ghostwriter for you, take some time to think things over.

Go over your list of requirements again and make sure that your ghostwriter fits all of them. Consider how you would feel if you didn’t go ahead with this person – would you be disappointed not to be diving in? Or do you have misgivings about what will happen next if you do go ahead? Often, our guts can tell us what our conscious brains haven’t yet figured out. Listen to your gut and if something doesn’t feel right, step away – but if it does feel right, get ready to go ahead with them.

Figuring out how to choose a ghostwriter can feel nerve-wracking, but if you approach it in a more methodical way, you should be able to find the right person for you. If you think that we could be a good fit, don’t hesitate to get in touch – I’m happy to meet with you for the first time at no charge and with no strings attached, so we can see if working together will be right for both of us.