You’ve got a great idea for a book. You’ve gathered all the information you need or you’ve developed the characters and plot. You know who would enjoy your book and have thought of how to appeal to them. You crack your fingers and sit down at the keyboard to write … and nothing comes out.
Frustrating, right? You’re not alone. There are many people out there that have great ideas for books but don’t have the knowledge of how to get it on paper. Or they’ve got a great life story that could inspire many if only they could find the time to get it into print. That’s where a ghostwriter comes in.
A ghostwriter is just that; a writer you and the reader never see. They take your great ideas and express them in a way that sounds like they came from you. Once you’ve found a ghostwriter to help you it can be hard to know where to start. Afterall, you have a ton of ideas in your head and couldn’t get them onto paper. You may find yourself confused and frustrated at first. Here are a few tips to help you get the best from your ghostwriter.
Organize your thoughts. A good ghostwriter can help you do this but if you have your ideas jotted down or recorded somewhere it helps give them a good place to start. It’s helpful to your writer if you have some organized direction of where you want your book to go.
Have some key quotes, anecdotes or examples ready. This is something you’ll want to choose yourself in order to set the tone of your book. Even having just a few of them for your ghostwriter will set them in the right direction. Additional examples can be added by the writer once they’re on the right track.
Know what style you want. It helps your ghostwriter if you know from the start whether you want your book to take a humorous, serious or educational approach. If you’re not sure, that’s okay; but your book will move along more quickly if you have a general idea before your writer starts. If not, your writer may move the book in one direction only to have you change it after several chapters have been written. This definitely slows the progress on your book, but isn’t a killer.
Review consistently. At the beginning of your project your ghostwriter should send you copy to review fairly frequently. This establishes good communication and helps the writer understand what direction you want to go. This also helps you understand your ghostwriter’s style of work. When you recieve copy to review look at it as quickly as possible. More than likely your writer will continue working while waiting for your feedback and if the direction or tone is wrong your project will be delayed.
Be clear in your feedback. It’s a good idea to use a word processing program to make changes, highlighting those changes within the copy or making general notes at the bottom. If there are small changes that you’d like to see feel free to do them yourself if they are minor, like changing a word or adding punctuation. Communicate any concerns to your ghostwriter clearly to be sure you are both on the same page.
Be open to your ghostwriter’s ideas. You’ve hired this person to do something you weren’t able to do yourself so you must have some trust in their expertise. A ghostwriter should never be argumentative with a client; however, listen to their ideas and think carefully on them. They’ve done this before and more than likely know what works and is only looking out for your best interest.
Working with a ghostwriter shouldn’t be a challenging experience. It should be fun and you should end up with a finished work you are proud of. Follow these few simple guidelines and you’ll finally be able to share your ideas with the world.
