What Exactly Does a Ghostwriter Do?

I’m asked all the time about what is included in my services and what isn’t. This handy breakdown will give you a complete list of the services you can expect from your ghostwriter – and some that you can’t.

What does a ghostwriter include in their services?

Writing.

That’s pretty much it, as far as what you’re guaranteed. Every ghostwriter may offer something different – for example, I will interview my clients, work with them on a plan for publishing the book, write the book, and edit it before I send over the final manuscript. If they wish to take it further and get it edited again for quality control, they’re free to do so, but I always make sure that my final draft is as polished as I can make it.

If you go to a different ghostwriter, they may have someone else interview you, and they may expect you to get the editing done separately, handing you the first draft only. The only guaranteed service with a ghostwriter is the actual writing, so it’s always a good idea to clarify upfront what you can expect from your project.

What might a ghostwriter do?

This category is a bit more broad. Some ghostwriters are able to provide extra services above writing, based on their own particular skillset. This is likely because they have been immersed in the world of books for long enough to have developed a lot of knowledge and knowhow that they can bring to bear on your project. The extra services you might be able to hire a ghostwriter for could include the following:

• Editing
• Layout and interior design
• Blurb creation
• Cover design and layout
• Print on demand services
• Publishing (through services like Amazon KDP)
• Shopping your manuscript to agents and publishers in search of a sale
• Marketing plans and advice
• Copy for advertising and marketing purposes, such as email blasts and blog posts
• Advertising services
• Writer coaching

Note that all of these services will incur an extra fee on top of the fee you will pay for the writing alone.

Some of these options will be fairly rare for ghostwriters to offer, while some may be more common. Often, if we don’t offer the service you’re looking for, we’ll know a professional in the industry who does.

What doesn’t a ghostwriter do?

So, what are some preconceived notions I often see about ghostwriting that are just plain incorrect?

One is that a ghostwriter will work with you on spec, writing your idea for a book and then taking a share of royalties later. This is not advisable as a business model, mostly because the actual selling of the book is not down to us – ghostwriters just work on the quality of the text itself, but marketing and selling is a whole other wheelhouse. This means that we could write the best book ever put down on the page, and it might still flop if the right marketing is not in place.

A professional ghostwriter with experience under their belt will never work for royalties alone. They might agree to take a chunk of your advance if you already have an advance secured, but you could really just think of this as them taking an upfront fee like in any other case. A ghostwriter who would accept royalty share as their sole form of payment likely has very little or no experience in the industry and doesn’t yet realise what a bad deal this would be for them. Do you really want to work with someone like that?

If you’re wondering whether your ghostwriter can provide X or Y service, your best bet is to assume that they only offer what I covered in my first point: just writing. If you want something else, you’ll have to ask for it, and the likelihood is that you’ll have to find another professional to handle that area.

Don’t be disheartened or put off, though. Your ghostwriter will help you out where they can, whether that means negotiating some extra work to finish the project fully or referring you on to a trusted colleague who can get the job done.

If you want to talk through my services – from ghostwriting to editing and coaching – then you can get in touch through my contact form today.