Most of us have an idea for a book in our minds. It could be a fictional story, an autobiography, a business book, or something that can help change the world. The problem comes when it’s time to put all those ideas onto paper; not all of us have the gift of knowing how to start and, more importantly, how to organize all our ideas in a way that makes sense for readers.
That is when ghostwriters come in. Their role is to take those ideas and transform them into an actual book. As Scribe Media describes it: “A ghostwriter is someone hired to author a book that someone else will be credited for. Quite simply, you’re paying someone to write your book for you.” In our experience, we’ve found that there is an insidious misconception about ghostwriters taking over your book and removing your original idea from the process, which is simply not the case. Ghostwriters are your companions every step of the way. They listen to you, understand your story, and develop it in a way that feels like your own.
So, if you hire a ghostwriter, what steps should you follow? As professional ghostwriters ourselves, we will walk you through our publishing process and how it can help you become the next best-selling author on the shelves.
Interview
The first thing that any good ghostwriter will want to do is to set up an interview with the author in order to understand them, dig into their thoughts, and come up with an outline. The main problem with some ghostwriters is that they don’t take the time to get to know the author, what motivates them, their goals, and what writing style they are looking to have.
As the author, it is important that your ghostwriter tries to understand your mind and figure out what your story intends to accomplish. Once that’s set, the ghostwriter will be ready to take the next step.
Research
Now that the ghostwriter has the main story figured out, it’s time to research the most important points in a way that will make them make sense for the story. The purpose of conducting research is to find a way in which the book makes sense and doesn’t miss the overall point it is trying to make. Imagine that the author wants to write a fantasy book developed in a forest, then the ghostwriter will need to research fantasy forest creatures, possible landscapes, genre tropes, and more. This step will help the ghostwriter learn about the topic they are writing about and find a way to connect with the audience in mind for the story.
Draft and Edits
Once the research is done, it’s time to get the job done and start writing. The way this task usually goes is that the ghostwriter creates a draft and sends it to the author, then the author will provide feedback accordingly. After making the necessary edits, the process repeats itself until the client is happy with the final result. When there’s an authentic author-ghostwriter connection, the draft shouldn’t have more than a couple of rounds of edits. The point of hiring someone to do it for you was to make less work for yourself, not more, after all.
Publishing
Congratulations! Your book is done; now it’s time to publish it. There are different ways to do this. Some of your options include self-publishing, indie publishers, or the big five publishing companies. Each option has difficulties and advantages that you should look into to determine which path is right for you. If you have any questions about which option makes the most sense, our team would be happy to guide you through professional consulting. That brings us to our next point.
At Dr. Rissy’s Writing & Marketing, we can help you publish your book with our sister company, Gen Z Publishing, where our team of experts will be available for you every step of the way. If you are looking for ghostwriters to get you there, we’ve got you covered on that as well. So, are you ready to become the next best-selling author to add to our list? Schedule a call with us, and let’s get started today.
