Updated May 2026 to reflect current data. Original recording: 2025.

Richard Lowe, The Writing King, joined the Hounds of Business Community Happy Hour for a panel on what actually separates a professional ghostwriter from an amateur. Across the hour the conversation kept circling back to one practical idea: most of what you need to know about a writer, or a marketer, is visible on the very first call, if you know how to read it.

The Happy Hour is hosted by Mike Ashabranner and gathers founders, executives, and operators for a candid working session. This one paired Richard with technology executive and attorney Erik Boemanns and educator CJ of Level Up Academy, so the questions came at ghostwriting from the buyer’s side: why executives hesitate, how to avoid getting burned, and what a book is really worth.

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The Conversation

The Most Common Mistake: Writing for Everybody

Mike: Richard, you’ve ghostwritten more than fifty books for clients. What’s the most common pitfall you see for first-time authors?

Richard: They don’t get the audience right. They just start writing. They’ll say, I wrote a book on cybersecurity, and they don’t realize there are a billion cybersecurity books out there already. When a client hires me, we spend the first month figuring out who the audience is, what they want, and why. You have to know who you’re selling to, because you can’t sell to everybody. You don’t have the budget of Pepsi or Coke. So who are you selling to, and then the book gets written to that person. That’s the mistake almost every author makes. They have a great story, they sit down and write it, and it doesn’t sell, because if you’re selling to everybody, you’re selling to nobody.

What a Book Actually Does for an Executive

Mike: Why are executives so ready to invest in executive coaches and management consultants, but they hesitate on personal writing support?

Richard: Because they don’t understand that a book can be the foundation of their whole marketing plan. From that one book you get content, podcasts, TV appearances, all kinds of things that don’t happen easily without it, because it gives you credibility. A lot of executives miss the link between having a book and growing the business. That’s something I work through with people one-on-one.

If you want to be known as the expert, a book raises you up so people can actually see you. Some of the best business books ever written are ghostwritten. The Pepsi CEO’s book about the cola wars is one of the best-ghostwritten books I’ve ever read, short, easy, and it tells his real story. Lee Iacocca’s autobiography is another. Honestly, almost any celebrity’s book is ghostwritten, because they’re not writers and don’t have the time. They pay a professional to do it.

I write for C-levels and coaches who want to lift their brand. I’ve even ghostwritten a science-fiction novel for a triple-platinum rock star. People do it for credibility, for the speaking circuit, and sometimes for legacy, older people who want to leave something for their children. The thing to insist on is a real one, someone who doesn’t lean on AI and who will interview you and pull out the stories that make a reader’s eyes pop: how did this person get there, how did they start, what went wrong along the way.

Erik: I had this delusion that because I know how to write, I could do the book myself. A book is ten or thirty times the size of an article. Saying I can run a sprint is a totally different thing from running a marathon. It’s humbling.

Why the First Call Tells You Everything

Mike: What have you learned about overcoming the trust barrier, especially with someone who’s been burned?

Richard: The biggest signal is the first call. When a person is on their first date or their first one-on-one, they’re on their absolute best behavior. So if they’re not impressing you then, you are never going to see better. That’s the moment to judge. If you’re talking to a ghostwriter or a marketer and you’re getting red flags, stop. Move on. Your gut is producing those red flags for a reason, so understand why.

And listen to how much they listen. A professional listens far more than they talk. When I hire someone, I watch for that. I want them to listen, repeat back what I actually need, and only then tell me whether they can help. If they’re talking at you and selling the whole time, that’s the tell.

CJ: I appreciate that you listen to the client’s voice rather than correcting their thoughts. So many ghostwriters want to override the client. It’s not just about the outcome, it’s the journey of getting the client comfortable with you.

The Testimonials That Didn’t Check Out

Richard: Here’s how much that matters. A client was about to sign with one of the big ghostwriting agencies, but something felt off, so he did the work and called every testimonial on their website. Not one had a good thing to say. He came to me instead, and the first thing I did was hand him phone numbers and offer to set up calls with my own clients. They’re happy to talk, and I make sure they stay happy, because if they aren’t, that’s something I need to fix. We shouldn’t be in business otherwise.

That’s the same reason I hired Mike. At the end of last year I admitted to myself that I’m an amateur marketer, and that’s why my marketing wasn’t working. I looked for a professional, saw his graphics and his work, and didn’t need much convincing, because he listened to what I needed instead of selling at me. A lot of authors are out there doing their own marketing and wondering why nothing sells. Stop. Hire somebody, and use the same gut check to pick them.

Capturing the Voice

Mike: Where does the AI conversation fit in?

Richard: On a larger project I spend a month or so just learning the client well enough to write as if I were them, then we hone it until the book sounds like the way they actually talk. I had one client who swears constantly and asked whether the book should swear too. He said absolutely, so we sprinkled it in and then dialed it back so he’d keep his audience. That’s what the first month is for, finding the voice so I can duplicate it, and believe me, the client is quick to correct me when I miss. That’s a lot more talking than most ghostwriters do. They want one interview, maybe two, and they’re done.

Building Trust the Honest Way

Richard: I also tell people up front that this is a relationship, not a transaction that disappears in a month. For a short book it’s a couple of months, for a long one it can be a year, and we have to talk like adults. If you have a problem with me, tell me. If I have one with you, I’ll tell you.

And I’ll send people away when I’m not the right fit. If someone wants a revenge memoir, the kind where they tear an ex or a former partner to shreds, I don’t take those, so I point them to a writer who will. I also won’t ghostwrite straight academic work, because the author is supposed to do that themselves. Turning work away ethically actually builds credibility, and it gets around. A good ghostwriter listens to the problem, then gently steers the conversation toward the solution, even when the solution isn’t me.

Is the Book Still King for Authority?

Mike: Is the book still king for establishing authority?

Richard: Let me give you a real example. One client used his book to get the attention of his CEO, and the CEO ended up writing the foreword. He got into libraries, got on the speaking circuit at $5,000 a talk, and then raised $30 million in venture capital to start his own company, all built on the book as the foundation. Another client landed a TED talk. They would not have gotten those things without books. If you want to be seen as the expert, a book lifts you up where people can find you. It’s a marketing tool, though, so you have to use it. A hammer in the drawer doesn’t build anything.

Don’t Skimp: Promotion and the Cover

Richard: There are two main reasons a book won’t sell. One, you’re not promoting it. Two, the cover is awful. Put real time into the cover, and use real art, not AI art or clip art, because it doesn’t look professional otherwise. Think about the audience, too. A younger audience may want more spacing and a different look. You’re already spending real money on a ghostwriter, so spend a little more and make it a genuinely professional book. Done halfway, a book sends your reputation down instead of up, and at that point you’d be better off not doing it at all.

Professional vs Amateur: It Comes Down to Passion

Mike: What’s the difference between a professional ghostwriter and an amateur?

Richard: The good ones treat it as their passion, the same way Erik treats his technical field, and you can feel it. If you don’t feel that in the first interview or two, that’s not your ghostwriter. Anyone will say, sure, I’ll write your book, and take your money. The passion is what you’re actually buying. So if you’re a coach, an entrepreneur, or a C-level and you want to stand out, consider a book seriously, and if you hire a ghostwriter, don’t go cheap. You wouldn’t build your dream house with the lowest-end contractor. You’d go at least mid-range, and that’s roughly where I sit.

If you’re not ready to commit to a full book, you can buy a few hours of coaching and we’ll brainstorm the subject, pin down the audience, and even decide whether there’s a real audience beyond your mom and a couple of friends. We don’t have to jump straight into writing.

My first taste of all this came at 17, when I sat down to write a never-published book about my grandfather and discovered he was a war hero nobody in the family had bothered to ask about. That was the lesson that stuck: there are stories out there worth preserving, and most people never get them down.

Find Richard Lowe at TheWritingKing.com.

Notable quotes from this conversation

Common questions from this conversation

What is the most common mistake first-time authors make?
Writing for everybody. A book aimed at no one in particular sells to no one. A professional spends the first month identifying exactly who the reader is and writes the entire book to that person.

How do you tell a professional ghostwriter from an amateur?
On the first call. People show their best behavior early, so if a writer isn’t impressing you then, it won’t improve. Watch whether they listen more than they talk, and trust the red flags your gut produces. Above all, look for genuine passion for the work.

How can I avoid getting burned by a ghostwriting service?
Check references yourself. Call the testimonials. A trustworthy writer will gladly hand you client phone numbers and set up calls. If a service makes that hard, or the references don’t actually endorse them, walk away.

Why should an executive invest in a book?
A book becomes the foundation of a marketing program, generating content, podcasts, media, and credibility. Clients have used books to win a CEO’s attention, get into libraries, command paid speaking engagements, land a TED talk, and raise venture capital.

What makes a book fail to sell?
Two things usually: it isn’t being promoted, and the cover is poor. A book is a marketing tool that has to be used, and a cheap, AI-generated cover undermines the professional impression the book is meant to create.