Do You Need a Ghostwriter?

Don't see the ghost? Look for the foot in the doorway.

I get a lot of calls and questions from people who think they need a ghostwriter. Some of them are businessmen and women who want books to boost their businesses but who don’t consider themselves writers. Others are professional speakers, who feel more comfortable in front of a lectern than in front of a computer. Sometimes these people are writers who have simply gotten stuck in the middle of their book project–or even at the beginning, and believe someone needs to complete it for them.

These individuals ask me to ghostwrite their books or to assign them a ghostwriter from my staff. Typically, I tell them they do not need a ghostwriter. Why? Because the information that belongs in their book is in their heads and the voice that needs to come across the pages of their books is theirs, not someone else’s.

So, how can they get their book’s written? Easy. I have them map out the content of their books and then speak their books into existence. The process is pretty simple. It has 5 steps:

1. Map out your book’s content.
2. Speak your book based upon the detailed content plan.
3. Get the audio of your book transcribed.
4. Self-edit and revise your transcripts into a manuscript.
5. Have your manuscript professionally edited.

Most people are capable of reading through a transcript of what they have said and revising it so it becomes a document that reads more like a book. If this feels too difficult, an editor can do this for you, and then you can take a pass. Then you can have it professionally edited and polished one last time.

With this process, you will pay much less money than you would if you hired a ghostwriter. Ghostwriters tend to be quite expensive. Plus, you will end up with a book filled with information that came straight out of your mouth and that has your voice–as if you actually wrote it. Additionally, this process can be accomplished very quickly.

So, do you need a ghostwriter? No. You do not. What you need is a good writing and book coach, a transcriptionist and an editor to help you plan out your idea, speak it and carry it through to a finished book manuscript.

Would you like to speak your book?
Click here for more information on writing or book coaching.