Choosing the Right Ghostwriter
Selecting a ghostwriter for your writing project can be a daunting task. Finding the best ghostwriter for your project will depend on what you need the writer to do; however, there are a few qualifications that every great ghostwriter will possess.
Writing Skills
Make sure your ghostwriter has a website. Make sure the website is displaying articles or samples written by the ghostwriter. While the articles might not be the style you seek, keep in mind that great ghostwriters can emulate almost any style. You are looking for solid writing skills. A lack of formal education is not a determinant of a great ghostwriter; in many cases, extensive writing experience will suffice. The best ghostwriters possess a mix of both hands-on and formal education and experience.
NOTE: Due to the nature of their work, the writer will most likely not be able to show you completed manuscripts for other clients; however, many of these writers are published authors themselves, or should be able to present you with several sample clips from their portfolio. The best ghostwriters will be proud to showcase their work and will have samples readily available on their Web site.
Style
A great ghostwriter does not have a style; a great ghostwriter can emulate any style. In other words, your ghostwriter should be able to write in a variety of different styles in order to select one that will be best suited to your project. Viewing sample clips from the writer will give you a better idea of their capabilities and style. If your ghostwriter is a published author, read their work first to get a feel for their personal style. Again, the best ghostwriters can adapt their writing to any style, but the writer’s published work will allow you see what the writer is capable of.
Research Abilities
Research is a vital part of almost any writing project. If your writing project is technical, historical, or relies heavily on the research of others, the ghostwriter’s research abilities will be of utmost importance. Because you are credited as the author of the work, you will also be held responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect information within the project. Fiction works, opinion pieces, and original ideas have more leeway, but accuracy and up-to-date information is still important if you want your book to be a credible resource for readers.
The writer may have little knowledge about your specific topic, so the majority of their content will be derived from research and the materials you provide. The ghostwriter will use the Internet, books, magazine and journal articles, and in many cases, interviews with you and other experts in the field to learn about the subject matter. A great ghostwriter will be able to quickly learn about your topic and transmit the information in a manner that will captivate and hold your audience’s minds. Attention to detail is of utmost importance, especially when you consider the large volume of research materials the writer will be utilizing.
If you have already delved into the research aspect of your writing project, your writer must be able to interpret your work to continue on the research on their own. You will need to provide clear, detailed information about your expectations for the book or project’s content so that the writer will be able to research and present content that best suits your needs.
Communication Clarity
Because the ghostwriter will often be relying on your directives to formulate the project, it is essential that the lines of communications are clear between you and the writer. The best ghostwriters are great listeners; they will be able to easily identify and understand your needs and expectations for the project. As such, exceptional listening skills are a characteristic of a great ghostwriter.
If your communication style is incompatible with that of the ghostwriter, the project is most likely going to face many unnecessary obstacles and require multiple rewrites. For instance, if you lean toward written communication and prefer to correspond with the writer via e-mail and the exchange of printed materials, you may want to avoid working with a writer who works best with verbal communication such as phone calls and in-person meetings. A great ghostwriter should be able to adapt their preferred mode of communication to you, the client.
Deadline Oriented
Although quality of work is of utmost importance, the timeliness of the submitted work is a close second. After all, if the project is not complete in time for publishing, the quality of the work becomes meaningless. As the client, you should be able to work with the writer to set established deadlines for individual milestones in the project as well as the date for the completion of the manuscript. The best ghostwriters are known not only for the quality of their writing, but also for their respect for deadlines. Your ghostwriter should meet all established deadlines, and respond to phone and e-mail correspondence promptly. Unlike the quality of the ghostwriter’s work, which you can verify through portfolio clips and samples, you cannot check his or her timeliness track record. Ask the ghostwriter for the names of references and former clients who would be willing to discuss the writer’s timeliness on past projects.
Discretion
If you intend to publish your project under your own name without crediting the ghostwriter as an editor or collaborator, discretion is of utmost importance. Similarly, you may need to share confidential trade secrets or other private information with the ghostwriter in order to produce the work. The best ghostwriters are tactful, discrete, and trustworthy and will maintain your confidentiality or nondisclosure agreement at all times.
If you want your writer to be a great ghostwriter, verify that they possess the required characteristics so that you can guarantee a finished project you will be happy to share with others as your own.
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