If you are looking to hire a ghostwriter, your selection could seem endless. Do you want to hire by price or by quality? Is there a way to get both? Do you want the ghostwriter to have English as their first language? Does the ghostwriter’s voice matter? Are they proficient (or at least familiar) with the topic I need written?

After you take a quick inventory of what you need completed by a ghostwriter, make a pros and cons list that will aid in your search. Doing so will allow you to get an idea of how much a ghostwriter can help with your writing project…or it can reveal that you might not benefit from having someone ghostwrite for you. The following is a small list to get you started.

Pros

• Save Time: If writing isn’t your niche, think of what you could be doing with your time (i.e., promoting your project, finding a publisher, etc.).
• A New Voice: It has happened to all of us at one point or another; we know what to say, but don’t know how to make it sound quite right. The appropriate ghostwriter can help you sound more professional, laid back, humorous…anything that you need your project to be.
• Support: Having someone who is proficient in writing is a great luxury when you need new ideas for your project. A good ghostwriter will be constructive and encouraging with your written project, allowing for a completed work that is acceptable to you.

Cons

• If English Isn’t the First Language: Although there are some rare exceptions, when a writer’s native tongue isn’t English, you can sense it in their writing. Make sure you know who you’re hiring and what quality (if any) you’ll be sacrificing.
• Royalties/Contracts: Some ghostwriters prefer (or require) some type of royalties for subsequent sales of the book or writing project. This may be okay if you don’t want to pay a lot upfront, but it could be more than you’re willing to pay in the long run should your manuscript sell many copies. Be sure you know the boundaries of your ghostwriting contract.
• Pricing is Too Low or High: C’mon, are you really expecting brand new, articulate work that is written by an experienced professional for about $3 a page? How about a 300-page self-help book written in three months for $10,000? Personally, I would steer clear of the “dollar menu pricing” ghostwriters (lack of quality) and the “my pen writes with liquid gold…really, that’s why I charge this much” ghostwriters (lack of…reality?).

(Note: There are ghostwriters that have attained “pen writes with liquid gold” status, but it is far from the norm, in my opinion.)

Luis D. Bonilla
luis@wordszilla.com
Wordszilla, LLC