5 Questions to Ask Before Sealing a Deal with a Ghostwriter
That you are engaging the services of a ghostwriter doesn’t mean that you must go “ghost” during the period of his work on your book. There are basic questions that must be asked by you, and which must be answered for you both to effectively journey through the entire process. Have you seen or heard about anyone who couldn’t go through with ghostwriting? Then it probably may have resulted from the fact that they failed to ask the right questions when they should have. Asking the right and necessary questions gives you the assurance of being on the right path.
Why do you want to write a book?
Book writing (whether you are self-writing or hiring the services of a ghostwriter) isn’t something you just embark on without having clarity in your heart. Why do you want to author that book? Why did you pick that subject of interest and not another? What is your message? Are you passionate enough about the message you are trying to pass across? What is the probability of you not giving up halfway through?
Quite frankly, you need to be able to give confirmatory answers to the above questions. Your passion to author a book is what gears you up against all odds during the seemingly long process of ghostwriting the book. I have encountered authors whom after engaging the services of a ghostwriter lost interest in birthing their books. Some would go as far as cancelling the deal and terminating the birth process. Is that the turn you want your authorship journey to take?
For you to effectively go through with the process of ghostwriting, your passion to see that your book is birthed must be at the forefront, clear enough for you see and for it to propel you forward. Maintain the same high level of energy and enthusiasm you had at the onset.
Do you have an outline ready?
Before any book can be written successfully, there are several steps to go through. One major step, which I consider as the bedrock, is outlining your book. Your book outline is like the road map which your book follows from its inception to its birthing.
Your book outline can be so detailed that it spells out what each chapter and paragraph would and should capture. Therefore, it is important to share with your ghostwriter the outline you want him to work with. With this, he would be able to properly capture the in-depth of your heart. That’s why Mercedes Lackey once said, “I always work from an outline so I know all of the broad events and some of the finer details before I begin writing the book”.
Perhaps you don’t have an outline drafted ahead of time, you can work together with your ghostwriter to draft a suitable outline for your manuscript.
Note, however, that an outline is only a guide. It is not a rigid format that must be strictly followed come what may, neither is it the actual writing in itself. At some point, you may have to make a little adjustment – add more details or tweak out some part of the outline. Therefore, keep the outline as flexible as possible.
Do you have a content or manuscript ready?
This is another beautiful question that your ghostwriter would definitely ask you. Some authors/authors-to-be may already have scraps of their book contents ready before engaging the services of a ghostwriter. They may have initiated the writing process but got stuck halfway through, hence their need for a ghostwriter. On the other hand, the authors-to-be may not have a word written down.
If you are in the category of those who already have a brief sketch of their manuscript, endeavour to share it with your ghostwriter. This would give him a clearer picture of the kind of book you want. Many a time at Tebeba Global Publishing, we have worked with clients who have already made up their content, either as a written document or as a voice recording. In this case, you have made yourself actively involved in the ghostwriting process.
Contrarily, if you don’t have a content written down or voiced, there should be no cause for alarm. Your ghostwriter can always help out by having series of interview with you in order to be able to draw out cogent content from you.
How long will it take?
The duration for ghostwriting varies from book to book, depending on the category of the book you are working on. For example, a book of 300 pages might take a longer time to finish than that of 100 pages.
Another factor that determines the duration for ghostwriting is whether or not there is content for your ghostwriter to work with. If you are the one providing the content for your ghostwriter to work with, it would focus the bulk of his attention on the writing process, and just a little on extra research. But in a situation whereby he is responsible for the research process, coming up with the entire content, and the actual writing, the book would take longer time to complete.
On the average, it may take 5-6 months to ghostwrite a book of 300 pages. However, this time span may be flexible, depending on the already existing agreement made between you both. Whichever way, it is best that you have this conversation with your ghostwriter before sealing the deal.
What is your budget?
Ghostwriters don’t run a philanthropic organization. (Smiles.) As a result, you will be charged for their services. The consultation period with your ghostwriter is the best time to negotiate the price for his services. This would, in a way, prepare you ahead for the financial commitment.
We Have a Track Record
At Tebeba Global Publishing, we are known for our speed of delivery when it comes to ghostwriting. We have ghostwritten books of high quality within the shortest period one can think of as regards ghostwriting. We have highly qualified ghostwriters who are ever ready to work hand in hand with you through the birthing of your dream book.