Ghostwriting services explained: What you’re actually paying for.
By- Michael McKown
Listen up
Every prospective client unfamiliar with the writing process wants to know: “What am I paying for?”
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- You’re not paying for someone to type your story.
- You’re not paying for someone to listen to your story and offer suggestions.
- And you’re not paying for someone to take your diaries then magically turn them into a book without your direct involvement.
What you are paying for is to have a storyteller – a creative – design your story in a compelling way, then write it. In close collaboration with you, the client. And write it in your “voice,” meaning anyone who reads it will think that you did the writing.
That is my business, a provider of ghostwriting services to clients worldwide. The company is Ghostwriters Central, Inc. We’ve been helping clients with their stories for over 20 years.
Just get it done
If you’re sitting on your hands, you’re wasting time. If you will be writing your memoir or autobiograpny, then you’re likely to be a senior. I’m also a senior, and to be frank, if you’re not taking action, you’re putting your legacy, your lessons, and your stories at risk. My advice? If you’re going to write a book, then write the damned book. Why are you delaying?
Now that you’re aware of your mortality and can see the end on the horizon (sometimes called motivation), let me describe the process that will lead to mission accomplishment with minimal hassle.
This is what’s next
Literally everyone has a story. But telling the story in book or article or screenplay form is a whole other thing. Ghostwriting is storytelling. You can write it yourself if you’ve got the skill and time. Or you can outsource it. And the entire process is secret. Only you know that you hired a ghostwriter to do the heavy lifting.
You get author credit, you get the book sale royalties, and you get the invitations to speak at gatherings, clubs, civic organizations and conventions. The ghostwriter just disappears, like a ghost. Ghostwriting is a secret service, and legal.
The impact of your book could be substantial. At the very least, your profile will be enhanced. And should you receive offers to speak in public, my company also offers speechwriting services, as well as live video rehearsal.
The typing myth
You’re not paying for typing. Professional ghostwriters are not typists, although typing is part of the job description. Typists are far less expensive than ghostwriters.
The reality is very different. Typing is the smallest part of the job. The value comes from everything that happens before and after the words appear on the page.
What you’re paying for is expertise. It works like this:
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- You find a ghostwriter.
- You tell your story or stories to that ghostwriter.
- The ghostwriter, through exceptional storytelling skills, crafts your stories into a manuscript suitable for publication.
- It’s the crafting part that distinguishes a ghostwriter from a typist.
You’re not paying for keystrokes. You’re paying for expertise.
Understanding the story
The writer you select will need to thoroughly understand your story. It could be your memoir, or a fiction piece, true crime, self-help, or whatever.
Your writer will need whatever source material you can provide, such as notes, journals, diaries, newspaper or magazine articles, material published online, recordings or whatever else that fleshes out their knowledge of the story.
Then there are the interviews. You and the writer must set aside time for detailed conversations.
The interview process
You two will need to schedule interview sessions. These are usually accomplished by phone, Zoom, FaceTime or live social media conferencing. In the event you’re unfamiliar with the technical aspects of live conferencing, your writer will be able to walk you through the process. In-person visits are also possible.
The goal is to discover and extract your story, or stories. Then organize years or decades of material.
In the case of fiction, it’s a matter of understanding the story line, characters, character arcs (how the character develops over time), dialogue, conflict and resolution.
Extracting memories
In the case of a memoir, one of the writer’s major challenges is digging into your memories. Then he or she must decide whether a memory is relevant to the story, and how to add it to the narrative structure. Every memory has the potential to change that structure. Surprises are common, and therefore structural changes are common.
As interviews progress, the ghostwriter will develop a sense of how the story ought to be constructed. This structure will be in the form of an outline, and an outline is the skeleton of the narrative.
For you, the client, recounting individual stories is far less difficult than writing them, organizing them into something that is logical and flows well, and incorporating all that into an overall framework. This is the tedium of ghostwriting.
Structure: Smoothing out the bumps
“Structure.” There’s that word again. Most readers never notice structure when it’s done well. But readers will definitely notice when it’s done poorly, or not at all. The disorganization will be apparent, and disorganized work is hard to read. In fact, it could test the patience of the reader.
That’s certainly true in my case. I’ve been a writer and reader for a lifetime. Books that excessively try my patience end up in the recycle bin. The judgment I make is: Would my time be better spent doing something else? If yes, goodbye book.
Interview accessibility
When clients call, I walk them through the process. I make it clear that the writer will need to have direct, easy access to the client, and that the client will have direct, easy access to the writer. By phone, text, email, or whatever. There should be no person or process in-between to slow matters or create confusion.
Some freelancer platforms limit communication to its own messaging system. That is a terrible way to work with a writer. Don’t do it. Access must be simple and easy. You really don’t need that headache.
The elements of the ghostwriting process
A professional ghostwriter has a lot on their mind when taking on a new project. He or she will develop a concept of the organization of the manuscript once well into the interview process. Some aspects of the story should appear in the book, other aspects are not central to the story. Extraneous elements will be cut. The reason is: move the story forward. Will the reader care about unimportant or irrelevant elements? Don’t bore the reader.
How is the story to flow? What is the correct pacing of that story? How to sustain reader engagement?
Then there is the narrative arc. The progression of the story from the setup, to the inciting incident and rising action. This is followed by the climax, then falling action, and the resolution, during which loose ends are tied up.
These are things that you, the client, are probably unaware of but it’s procedural for a writer. For a typist, perhaps there is minimal awareness. Ghostwriting services lie well beyond the purview of a typist.
Research and fact verification
Not every project requires extensive research, but many do. To sustain reader interest, that reader must feel that the information they’re getting is accurate and credible. Legend has it that the Pentagon took great interest in Tom Clancy’s description of submarine nuclear power details in The Hunt for Red October. “How did you know that?” Clancy was reportedly asked.
Historical details must be correct. If they’re not, then a reader familiar with those details will roll their eyes, and that book might be tossed in the trash. Or deleted, if digital.
Business information needs to be accurate. Industry terminology must be correct. Timelines must be verified. Facts must be checked.
Writing in someone else’s voice
This is a really big deal. Above, I discussed accuracy and credibility. A ghostwriter’s task is to become you, the client. The ghostwriter must absorb your speech mannerisms, cadence, idiom usage. That ghostwriter will present your work as having been written by you. To maintain that illusion – and an illusion it truly is, like acting – the writer’s voice must become indistinguishable from yours.
Is it ethical? Why wouldn’t it be? Ghostwriters are normally hired due to writing skill and/or time constraints. All they’re doing is helping you express yourself and letting you take credit for the finished work.
Absorbing your style
Writing in your voice also means capturing your personality and tone. The writer needs to understand how you sound authentically you. Like with an actor’s performance, he or she needs to slip into your personality and think as you do. The style of communication follows from that.
At all costs, the writer must avoid stepping outside that voice into some sort of generic “ghostwriter voice.” Doing so breaks the illusion. It takes time to learn how to speak and write as you do. This is a major part of the interview process. Voice adaptation is effective when the writer is undetectable.
Editing is included
Many clients imagine writing and editing as separate services. They are not. A competent writer edits as they write, revise and rewrite. You will not need to hire an editor to clean up or polish a ghostwriter’s work. It’s returned to you in finished, polished condition.
That writer has gone through multiple drafts and revisions. They’ve organized then reorganized the material into a cohesive whole to maximize reader engagement. They’ve tightened and clarified. They’ve excised unimportant parts.
The first draft is precisely that, it’s the first go-round. You and that writer should be collaborating throughout the process. Review the draft, discuss improvements, then the writer will run through it again to further refine the work.
It’s a mystery of the sea
I remember a commercial set on a ship on the ocean. The presenter was bundled up against the cold. Fog abounded. He talked about automobile pricing. He said that Mercedes-Benz cars were more affordable in Europe than in the United States. Why? Then he looked over the rail to the fog-shrouded ocean and said, “It’s a mystery of the sea,” with a slight smirk.
No, it’s not a mystery. Grocery stores outfitted with digital pricing displays can now adjust product prices based on your individual buying habits from data collected with each purchase. It’s called dynamic pricing. The object is to charge as much as they think they can get away with. Some writers do the same sort of thing.
Let’s discuss writer pricing.
Dissimilar ghostwriting fees
When you hire an experienced ghostwriter, you’re paying for expertise, professional judgment, efficiency, problem-solving skills and reliability. You are not paying for hours worked, you’re paying for years invested that will yield the book you’ve wanted to write for so long. Skill and dependability cost.
Deep discount writers cost less but the end product will likely not meet your requirements, and there’s an excellent chance the work will not be delivered by deadline.
Inexperienced or offshore writers may offer to write your book for a small amount of money. An expert writer will charge a lot more, because they know what they’re doing and will deliver quality work on time. A famous writer will charge a famous fee because, well, it’s a mystery of the sea. You’d be paying for ego, which is pointless given that the famous writer’s name will not be on the work. Plus, fame is no guarantee of writing excellence.
At my company, we don’t seek out famous writers to put under contract. The ghostwriters we do sign have great expertise, excellent client relationship skills, are great at collaboration, and are rock-solid reliable. The end result: a happy client. Our ghostwriting fees are readily apparent.
The real product
Many clients believe they’re only paying to have a book written. On its face, that’s correct. But that doesn’t include the impact of that book. The impact is the reason for the book. It’s your legacy, even if privately published for your family. Your great grandchildren will learn about you and your contributions to the family of which they are part.
The book brings authority. It enhances your public or professional profile. It can lead to business growth and further opportunities. The book brings credibility to your observations, arguments, analyses and conclusions. When you’re being interviewed via video from your home, the book will be visible to the camera over your shoulder.
That book is the deliverable, but the outcome is what matters.
Is it too expensive?
That depends on your circumstances. If it’s beyond your means, you can write it yourself. Writing a book manuscript, however, is a literal minefield. Publishers and literary agents are notorious for rejecting them. A professional ghostwriter knows how to navigate minefields and get the job done in a reasonable time frame.
J.K. Rowling experienced some 12 rejections before finding a small London-based outfit to publish Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. You can believe publishers that claimed in rejection notes that children will not read such a long book sincerely regretted saying that after the first book became an enormous hit. It’s ironic they didn’t realize it’s not the length, it’s the story.
Unfinished manuscripts adorn endless desk drawers and dusty closet shelves. Is it worth your time, let’s say two years, to write then abandon it? No? Then write the damned book with the help of an expert ghostwriting services provider.
A ghostwriter is a creative force who harnesses the power of words on your behalf but in your voice. They mold your experiences, ideas and stories into a compelling manuscript suitable for publication. Then benefits follow. That’s what you’re paying for.