What Is the Ghostwriting Process? Reveal The Incredible Power of Ghostwriting

What does a ghost do for  you? Or, to put to put it another way, what is the ghostwriting process?

What Steps Are In The Ghostwriting Process

Okay, so you’ve contacted a ghostwriter to write your book. You’ve talked to him or her for a few minutes, explained your concept and gotten some feedback on your ideas. You’re probably feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. After all, you haven’t written a book before … what happens next? What is the ghostwriting process – especially, what happens outside of the writing of your manuscript.

Initial Meeting – Before you sign a contract, you and your ghostwriter need to spend some time, an hour or two at least. going over your book in detail. This can easily be done over the phone or on Skype (or something similar). This time should not be billable.

Statement of Work (Contract) – The first thing you and your ghostwriter need to work out is a Statement of Work, which is a contract specifying the terms of your ghostwriting project. Review it thoroughly and ensure the contract works for you. A good contract is an essential part of the ghostwriting process.

Weekly or regular routine – Is your ghostwriter going to do the interviews up front, then go off and write your book? Or are they going to do a section, maybe a chapter, at a time, letting you review each one? What the case it, that should be specified in your contract so you know what to expect.

Review and revision of the whole book – Once the whole book is done, you’ll review and revise every page. You need to read it carefully to ensure your book says exactly what you want it to say. You and your ghostwriter will work together to make any corrections needed.

Illustrations – If your book is to be illustrated, you can either get your own artist or ask your ghostwriter to find one for you. If you go through your ghostwriter, there will be a surcharge since you are asking them to manage the process of getting illustrations. Note that in general ghostwriters are not artists.

Editor – Always hire an independent editor to review your book and find any grammar and spelling errors. A writer cannot and must not proofread their own works.

Beta Readers – Find some people to read and comment on your book. I’ve found that family members and close friends do not work well. Instead, find a few writers and offer to review their works in exchange for them reviewing yours. The purpose is to get a good critique of your book and get feedback to help you make your book even better.

Self-Publish or Traditional? – If you are planning to use a traditional publisher, you can hire a ghostwriter to write a proposal. This may be done before your book is written or after, depending on your requirements. Writing a proposal will add to the cost of your book project. In fact, the proposal can cost several thousand dollars.

Publishing – Once your book is written and you are happy with the result, you’ll need to publish your book. You can self-publish (which your ghostwriter may be able to help with) or find a traditional publisher. It’s generally a good idea to avoid hybrid publishers (these used to be known as vanity publishers); they charge you to publish your book and may ask you to purchase a thousand or more copies. A publisher should be paying YOU, not the other way around.

Marketing and promotion – Marketing and promoting your book should begin well before your book is complete. Unless you are a marketing expert, you will need to hire someone to do this for you – if you want to promote your book. In general, your ghostwriter is not the right person for marketing and promotion. Hire an expert.

Well, briefly, that’s what is involved in creating a book with a ghostwriter.

Richard Lowe Jr

Richard is the Owner and Senior Writer for The Writing King, a bestselling author, and ghostwriter. He’s written and published 63 books, ghostwritten 40+ books, as well as hundreds of blog articles.