Ghostwriting.
Hiring a ghostwriter doesn’t mean what most people think it means. It’s not just hiring someone to write your book. It’s much more nuanced than that. True ghostwriting is a personalized editorial collaboration between you and your ghostwriter.
What makes a good ghostwriter?
Human attention spans are shrinking. Experts say that the average attention span is now less than that of a goldfish (9 seconds). This means that good writing skills no longer make the cut—these days, writers need to know how to structure content in readable and engaging ways to capture and maintain a reader’s attention. A blend of efficient structure, concise prose, and proper pacing is critical to the success of your book.
I've been writing professionally for 15 years. That's quite a long time—when you break it down, it's about 37,000 hours, well over the 10,000 hours required to achieve world-class expertise (a nod to Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers).
As such, the technical aspects of writing come easily to me. This means that instead of being mired within the technical aspects of writing, I'm free to expand to things — like creativity, voice and structure — that less experienced writers aren't able to.
Through structured conversations and other correspondence, I gather the information you want to share and then write it for you using your words. My extensive professional writing experience enables me to optimize how we present your ideas in the book, ensuring the best structure possible. The end result is your thoughts, expertly written, creatively expressed and authored under your name.
“You bring the expertise, and I’ll bring the writing skills. Together, we’ll get it done.
When to hire a ghostwriter.
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Writing is hard.
You don’t enjoy writing or struggle to put your thoughts on paper. You aren’t alone. Many people hire ghostwriters for this reason.
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You're too busy.
Life happens and even the best of intentions get lost in the shuffle. A ghostwriter can help you publish your book while still attending to other priorities
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You're stuck.
You’ve started a book but you’re stuck partway through. Or you lack the time or ability to finish it yourself. A ghostwriter can take it to the finish line.
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Your deadline is tight.
You’re on a tight publication deadline. A ghostwriter can help you finish the book quickly and efficiently while maintaining a professional flair.
Are you the person who can talk for hours about your subject, but the words freeze as soon as you start writing?
If the answer is yes, then hiring a ghostwriter is an ideal option.
Ghostwriting is a spectrum of collaboration.
“Ghostwriting” is an umbrella term that covers a wide spectrum of scenarios.
On one end
On one side of the spectrum, your ghostwriter completes the entire project—everything from idea conceptualization to audience identification to topic research to, ultimately, the completion of the manuscript.
On the other end
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you do most of the writing, and your ghostwriter serves as a developmental editor, helping to polish and revise prose and improve the manuscript's structure.
Two common themes
There are two common themes across these collaboration scenarios:
Voice: Your ghostwriter captures and maintains your voice, ensuring that readers will recognize and identify you as the owner of the book.
Final deliverable: Regardless of the balance of collaboration, the end result will be a completed manuscript.
My ghostwriting services cover this entire spectrum.
Every project is different. During our discovery call, I'll help you determine the best collaboration style for your project and create a tailor-made package that meets these needs.