The consultation call is the single most important step in hiring a ghostwriter, and most people waste it. They treat it like a sales call and listen for reassurance. What you should be doing is evaluating the person: how they listen, how they pull a story out of you, whether they understand your subject, and whether you can stand six months of working closely with them.
I offer a free consultation to every prospective client, and most reputable ghostwriters do the same. The list of questions to ask is covered in how to hire a ghostwriter. This is about what to watch for while the conversation is happening, because how a ghostwriter handles the consultation tells you more than any answer they give.
Has the Ghostwriter Been Published?
This question eliminates more candidates than any other.
Many people call themselves ghostwriters without having completed and published a book. Writing a manuscript is one skill. Getting a book through editing, formatting, and publication is another. A ghostwriter who has never taken a book all the way from draft to publication is learning that part on your money. For more, see how to hire a ghostwriter and how to spot a bad ghostwriter before you sign the contract.
Ask how many books they have ghostwritten and how many have been published. Ask how many of their own books they’ve published. A ghostwriter who has written books for clients but none have made it to publication may not understand the full lifecycle of a book project. I have ghostwritten 54+ books for clients, and I publish under my own name too. That track record means I understand every stage of the process.
Due to nondisclosure agreements, most ghostwriters can’t share samples of their client work. But they can share their own published books, which gives you a clear view of their writing quality, range, and ability to deliver a finished product.
Does the Ghostwriter Understand Your Subject?
A ghostwriter can learn your field through research and interviews, so expertise before the project starts matters less than it sounds. The question is whether they can absorb complex material quickly and write about it with authority.
Ask about their experience with similar subjects. Ask how they approach research for topics outside their expertise. A skilled ghostwriter will ask you pointed questions during the consultation itself. That tells you more about their research ability than any claim they make about their background. If your book involves technical content, a ghostwriter with relevant experience saves significant time. I spent 33 years in the technology industry before becoming a ghostwriter. That means clients writing about technology, business systems, or operational processes don’t need to teach me the fundamentals.
Does the Ghostwriter Like Your Idea?
A ghostwriter who disagrees with your subject matter or finds it uninteresting will produce flat, disengaged writing. You’ll feel the difference. A book by someone who doesn’t care about the topic reads like someone who doesn’t care about the topic wrote it.
Ask directly whether the ghostwriter is interested in your subject. Encourage honest conversation, even disagreement.
A book by someone who doesn’t care about the topic reads like someone who doesn’t care about the topic wrote it.
A ghostwriter who challenges your ideas during the consultation is more valuable than one who agrees with everything you say. A yes-person is no use to you. You want a collaborator who will push your ideas to be sharper, clearer, and more absorbing.
If a ghostwriter takes your project despite having no interest in the subject, the quality of the work will reflect that. You’re both better off recognizing a mismatch early. I tell prospects I’m interviewing them at the same time they’re interviewing me. I’m not interested in writing boring books, and I don’t take everybody who asks, because I don’t have the time.
Will the Writing Be Outsourced?
Some ghostwriting firms assign your project to a writer you never spoke with during the consultation. The person who sold you on the project isn’t the person writing your book. I think it’s a poor way to treat somebody trusting you with their story, and you need to know about it before you sign anything.
Ask whether the person you’re speaking with will personally write the manuscript. If they’ll assign the work to someone else, insist on interviewing and approving that writer before you finalize the contract. Get their name in the agreement. If you’re working with a solo ghostwriter, outsourcing the writing itself shouldn’t happen without your knowledge and consent. However, outsourcing related tasks (editing, proofreading, cover design, indexing) is standard practice and expected. Writer switches during a project create noticeable shifts in voice and style. I’ve seen books that clearly changed hands midway through, and the reader can always tell. If you’re working with a firm, make sure the contract addresses what happens if your assigned writer leaves.
Is There a Contract?
Never work with a ghostwriter who doesn’t provide a written contract. This is nonnegotiable. A ghostwriter without a contract is an amateur, regardless of their writing ability.
The contract should cover copyright ownership, payment schedule, project timeline, revision limits, confidentiality, termination terms, and what happens if the project is abandoned before completion. If any of these elements are missing, ask why. I’ve seen contracts that stated nothing beyond the price and payment terms. That kind of agreement doesn’t protect either party.
When the Julian Assange memoir fell apart in 2011, the contract decided what happened next. Assange had signed with the Scottish publisher Canongate in December 2010, and the writer Andrew O’Hagan ghostwrote a draft from more than 50 hours of interviews. In 2011, after he’d seen that first draft, Assange tried to withdraw from the deal.
By then, according to ABC News, he’d already signed his advance over to his lawyers. Canongate said it would honor the contract, and in September 2011 it published the draft as Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography. Assange said the manuscript was never corrected or fact-checked by him and accused the publisher of opportunism.
Once the author walked away, the signed contract decided what became of the manuscript.
I’m not taking sides on anyone involved. My point is that once the author walked away, the signed contract decided what became of the manuscript. Ask any ghostwriter you interview what their contract says about an abandoned project, and read that clause twice. Treat this like any other professional business relationship. You wouldn’t hire a contractor to remodel your house on a handshake. Don’t hire a ghostwriter on one either.
A well-written contract protects both you and the ghostwriter. It clarifies expectations, defines deliverables, and provides a structure for resolving disputes. A ghostwriter who treats a request for a fair contract as an insult is showing you how they’ll behave when something goes wrong. I talked with another author about this in my interview with ghostwriter Terri Tonkin. Negotiating one is plain professionalism.
Will the Ghostwriter Maintain Confidentiality?
The default in ghostwriting is confidentiality. The ghostwriter writes the book. Your name goes on the cover. The arrangement isn’t disclosed unless you choose to disclose it.
The contract should include a nondisclosure clause. If subcontractors are involved (editors, proofreaders, interview subjects), they should sign nondisclosure agreements as well.
Some ghostwriters request permission to include brief samples from your manuscript in their portfolio. This is a reasonable request, but it requires your explicit written consent. No ghostwriter should share your material without permission.
During the consultation, pay attention to whether the ghostwriter mentions other clients by name or shares details about other projects. If they disclose someone else’s confidential information to you, they’ll disclose yours to someone else.
Are the Rates Professional?
Ghostwriting rates vary widely, and the variation tells you something. Professional ghostwriting for a full-length book typically costs between $15,000 and $150,000 depending on the ghostwriter’s experience, the project’s complexity, and the length of the manuscript.
You can find my current pricing on the ghostwriting page, and it reflects 54+ completed ghostwriting projects and a process refined across every one of them. For more on telling a pro from an amateur, listen to my conversation on Hounds of Business Happy Hour.
Be cautious of rates that seem too low. A 50,000-word book offered at $3,000 or $5,000 means either someone without professional experience is writing it or the seller is outsourcing it to writers who may not produce publishable quality. The most expensive mistake in ghostwriting is hiring cheap, getting unusable work, and then hiring a professional to do it correctly.
Payment should be milestone-based. A typical structure starts with a signing payment, followed by payments tied to chapter deliveries or project milestones. This protects both parties: you’re not paying for undelivered work, and the ghostwriter is compensated as they produce.
Does the Ghostwriter Understand the Legal Issues?
Books create legal exposure. Nonfiction books require factual accuracy, proper citations, and avoidance of plagiarism. Memoirs that name real people can create defamation liability if the content isn’t handled carefully. Even fiction can generate legal problems if characters are too clearly based on identifiable people.
An experienced ghostwriter understands these risks and writes accordingly. They know when to change names, when to verify claims, and when to recommend that you consult a lawyer before publishing specific content.
Ask the ghostwriter how they handle legally sensitive material. If they have no answer or seem unaware of the issues, that’s a significant concern. A lawyer specializing in publishing law is always recommended for books that involve sensitive personal, legal, or business content.
Does the Ghostwriter Have Good Interview Skills?
The interview process is where your book comes from. A ghostwriter who conducts shallow interviews produces a shallow book. The quality of the questions directly determines the quality of the material. A skilled ghostwriter conducts multiple in-depth interviews, asks questions that challenge your assumptions, pushes for specifics when you speak in generalities, and draws out stories you didn’t realize were relevant. You should feel slightly surprised by some of the questions, that means the ghostwriter is going deeper than surface level.
Pay attention during the consultation itself. Is the ghostwriter asking insightful questions? Are they taking detailed notes? Are they actively engaged, or are they agreeing with everything you say without pushback? The consultation is an audition for the interview process that will drive your entire book.
Is the Ghostwriter a Fluent Speaker of Your Book’s Language?
If you’re sourcing ghostwriters from freelance platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, verify language fluency. Writers who bid low on projects may not be fluent in the language your book requires. Nationality has nothing to do with it (talented writers exist everywhere).
Fluency in the target language is nonnegotiable for producing a publishable book. Skilled writers command professional rates regardless of their location. A writer offering significantly below-market rates from any country should prompt closer scrutiny of their work quality and language ability.
If your project involves a client who doesn’t speak the book’s language fluently, expect a more demanding interview and translation process. I’ve handled this situation, it’s doable but requires significantly more effort than a standard project.
My take
Treat the consultation call as an audition for the interviews that will build your book. Watch whether the ghostwriter asks hard questions and pushes for specifics, or nods along with everything you say. A writer who agrees with all of it will hand you a shallow book. Ask how they handle legal risk too. If you hear silence, keep looking.
How do you decide after interviewing ghostwriters?
One client talked to more than a dozen ghostwriters before he hired me. He told me he chose me because I was the first one who acted like a person and treated him like a person. I’d put that test above every credential on a ghostwriter’s website.
The consultation should tell you whether this ghostwriter can handle your project.
Beyond the questions above, pay attention to the overall experience. Did the ghostwriter listen more than they talked? Did they ask questions that showed real interest in your subject? Did they explain their process clearly? Did you feel comfortable and confident, or pressured and uncertain?
| What to check | Good sign | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Track record | Books taken through publication; own books to show | No book ever published |
| Your subject | Asks pointed questions during the call | No answer on researching unfamiliar topics |
| Interest in your idea | Engages and challenges your ideas | Agrees with everything you say |
| Who writes it | The person on the call, named in the contract | A writer you never spoke with |
| Contract | Covers copyright, payments, timeline, revisions, confidentiality, termination, abandonment | No written contract, or price and payment terms only |
| Confidentiality | Nondisclosure clause, including subcontractors | Mentions other clients by name |
| Rates | Professional rates, paid by milestone | Rates that seem too low |
| Legal awareness | Knows when to change names, verify claims or call a lawyer | No answer on sensitive material |
| Interview skill | Insightful questions, detailed notes, pushback | Nods along without pushback |
Once you’ve decided, tell the ghostwriters you didn’t pick. I understand silence after a five-minute sales pitch. After an hour and a half of consultation, the least anyone owes is “I’m not interested,” and I hate getting ghosted.
I let prospects talk, because people often talk themselves into it, and a prospect who gets heard knows I understand. I also redirect when a call wanders. On one sales call, the salesperson let business coach Joe Rockey talk for an hour and never said what he did. His first sentence should have been “I do lead gen for executive coaches. Now, tell me about yourself.” Mine is “Hi, I’m Richard Lowe, I’m a ghostwriter. Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself?”
The relationship between you and your ghostwriter lasts months. You’ll share personal stories, business details, and ideas that matter deeply to you. Choose someone who respects that responsibility and has the track record to deliver on it. If you hung up feeling sold to instead of heard, believe that feeling and keep looking. Schedule a free consultation to discuss your book project and see whether we’re the right fit. If you want more than a conversation, the Book Discovery Intensive gives you a sample chapter from your own interviews.
For more on the consultation and what follows it, The Ghostwriting Advantage is my guide to getting your book written for you, written from 54+ projects.
