More of my work lately comes from clients within driving distance, and they come to me. We usually meet first over a meal at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa. Once the working sessions start, we move to the library almost next door, because libraries are far quieter than restaurants, and I record those sessions on a tablet.
A surprising number of people don’t like Zoom, and that’s fine with me. We meet in person or talk by phone, and phone calls are recorded too, as the contract says. Clients accept the recordings. What bothers them is being a face on a screen while they tell a stranger their life story, and I think that’s a reasonable thing to feel. The format that gets you talking is the right one, and a ghostwriter who forces his preferred format on you has put his convenience ahead of your book.
Do ghostwriters meet clients in person?
Some do, and many don’t. Most ghostwriting interviews now happen over video calls. That shift started before 2020 and accelerated sharply after, and it’s become the normal way to work for clients and ghostwriters alike. I do, for clients close enough to drive, and I like it. A meal and a handshake before the first working session tell both of us more than a week of emails, and I think people who’ve shared a table settle into the interviews faster.
Local ghostwriters are more likely to offer in-person sessions to nearby clients. Ghostwriters who work nationally or internationally mostly work by video and meet in person only for special cases, such as a kickoff, a client who can’t use video, or a book that requires seeing a place.
Why won’t my ghostwriter meet me in person?
For practical reasons that have nothing to do with you.
Travel takes days out of a ghostwriter’s schedule for a few hours of interviews.
Those days come out of other clients’ books. Travel costs money that someone has to pay. Video recordings are clean, easy to transcribe and simple to revisit, while in-person recordings in restaurants and living rooms can be noisy. Video also makes shorter, more frequent sessions practical. Memory works better that way than in marathon days.
Some ghostwriters also have personal reasons, such as health, family or a preference for focused work at home. None of those make them worse at the job. A ghostwriter who won’t travel still owes you a plain reason. Claiming it’s impossible when the issue is who pays for the trip is a small dishonesty, and I’d wonder what else he’d shade over the course of a book.
Are video ghostwriting interviews as good as in-person interviews?
For most books, yes. What makes an interview good is the questions, the listening and the trust between two people, and all three travel well over video. Video has real advantages. You’re at home, comfortable, with your photos and papers within reach. Sessions can be an hour at a time instead of whole exhausting days. Recordings are clear. Scheduling is easier, so interviews happen more often and the book moves faster. In-person has advantages too. Some people open up more easily face to face, especially older clients or anyone uneasy with technology. Seeing a place, like a factory floor, a family farm or a neighborhood, can add detail no conversation captures. For those books, some in-person time is worth the cost. When a client clams up on video, I’d pick the room over the screen every time. A guarded interview produces a guarded book, and no amount of editing puts back what the client never said.
| Factor | Video | In person |
|---|---|---|
| Comfort | You’re at home with photos and papers within reach | Some people, especially older clients, open up more easily face to face |
| Session length | An hour at a time | Travel can mean whole exhausting days |
| Recording quality | Clean, easy to transcribe and revisit | Restaurants and living rooms can be noisy |
| Scheduling | Easier, so interviews happen more often | Travel takes days out of the ghostwriter’s schedule |
| Travel costs | None | The client covers travel, lodging, meals and possibly travel time |
| Best for | Most books | Clients uneasy with video, or books that require seeing a place |
Can I pay my ghostwriter to travel to me?
Yes, and many ghostwriters who don’t normally travel will agree when the client covers the costs. Expect to pay for travel, lodging and meals, and for the ghostwriter’s travel time if they charge for it, since it takes days away from other work.
A guarded interview produces a guarded book, and no amount of editing puts back what the client never said.
The most efficient version is a single in-person kickoff: a day or two together at the start to build trust, see the places that matter and record the first interviews, followed by video for the rest. You get the handshake and the relationship, and the rest of the project runs at video speed.
Should I hire a local ghostwriter so we can meet in person?
Only if in-person meetings matter more to you than finding the best fit. Location is one factor among many. Voice, experience with your kind of book, process and chemistry matter more to how your book turns out.
If you find a local ghostwriter who’s also a great fit, that’s ideal. If the best fit lives across the country, a video relationship with a great writer will produce a better book than in-person sessions with a mediocre one. My article on how to hire a ghostwriter covers what matters most in choosing. Nobody should choose a writer because he lives nearby and then spend a year on a book that doesn’t sound like them. A short drive is a poor trade for the wrong voice.
What if I’m not comfortable with video calls?
Say so. It’s more common than people admit, especially among older memoir clients, and it’s easy to work around.
A family member can set up the calls. Phone interviews work well for many people and record just as clearly. Some ghostwriters send questions in advance so you can think before each call. And a single in-person visit at the start can make video feel much less strange afterward, because you’ve already met the person on the screen.
How do I build trust with a ghostwriter I’ve never met?
The same way you’d build it with anyone: through the first few conversations and the way they treat what you tell them. Trust comes from being listened to, from seeing your words come back accurately in a draft, and from a writer who keeps their promises about schedule and confidentiality.
Start with a longer first session that covers your whole life or career in broad strokes, so the ghostwriter knows the shape of the story before digging in. Share something mildly personal early and notice how it’s handled. Read the first chapter closely. By the time the hard material comes up, you’ll know whether you trust this person, and a screen won’t have much to do with it. My article on trusting your ghostwriter with what you tell them goes deeper.
Watch how a ghostwriter handles the first mildly personal thing you tell him. A writer who’s careless with a small story will be careless with the big ones, across a table or across the country.
How do I work with a ghostwriter who’s in another city?
The same way you’d work with a local one, with a calendar. Agree on a regular interview schedule, the same day and time each week if possible. Find a quiet, comfortable spot with good light and sound. Keep your documents and photos nearby. Test the technology once before the first real session, so the first interview isn’t spent fixing a microphone.
Time zones matter a little. Ask about them up front and find a slot that works for both of you. After that, distance mostly disappears.
Distance mostly disappears once the schedule, the setting and the technology are settled before the first interview.
My take
Video is fine. I’d hire the best writer for your book over the closest one every time. If a face-to-face kickoff matters to you, say so early and offer to pay the travel. Then judge trust by what happens to your words. Watch how the writer handles the first small personal thing you tell him. Careless with a small story means careless with the big ones, at any distance.
What should you do if meeting in person matters to you?
Say so on the first call. Ask whether the ghostwriter meets locally, whether they’ll travel, and what travel would cost, and consider one in-person kickoff with video or phone after that. Any ghostwriter who makes you feel unreasonable for wanting to see his face before you hand him your life story has the relationship backward, and I wouldn’t hire him.
If you’re in the area, my Safety Harbor, Clearwater and Tampa pages explain how local clients work with me. If you’re farther away, my remote ghostwriting page covers the rest. Wherever you are, my ghostwriting services work the same way.
Video or in person, the interviews are what make the book. The Ghostwriting Advantage explains how to get your book written for you and how the working sessions run.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Zoom usage peaked at 300 million daily participants in April, Engadget
- About, City of Safety Harbor (Safety Harbor Public Library)
