What It's Like to Work With a Ghostwriter

We often see books by famous people, or books in a series that come out so often that you’re hard-pressed to believe that one person is actually writing them. Many people work with what’s known as a ghostwriter for their books. Sometimes ghostwriters are credited, sometimes not – as in, “written by Famous Person and X.” What is a ghostwriter? Simply put, it’s someone who writes a book for someone else. But it’s often more involved than that. Many professionals use ghostwriters to turn their dissertations into books. Here at Dissertation Editor, we're always happy to help you realize your goal of writing a book!

Why do people work with ghostwriters? For a variety of reasons. Sometimes it simply comes down to the time issue: writing a book is time-consuming. It’s a full-time job and then some, and if you’re working full-time, teaching or going to school, and raising a family, finding time every day to write pages is hard. Sometimes people know they don’t have the writing skills to write a publishable book, but they have good ideas and a comprehensive vision; they just need someone to articulate it in a better way. Some people do most of the writing and have a ghostwriter rewrite sections, clean up the text, and add additional material; while some people have the ghostwriter write the entire manuscript. If you're turning your dissertation into a book, sometimes ghostwriters add supplemental material or transitional sections.

So what happens when you hire a ghostwriter? Here are some steps that typically take place during a ghostwriting project (keep in mind that this can vary, based on how you’re utilizing the ghostwriter and the type of book they’re writing with you):

• An initial conference. This is often done via Skype or phone, and if you have material written already, the ghostwriter has usually reviewed it, even if only briefly. During this conversation, the two of you typically evaluate whether you can work well together, and ask each other questions to get a clearer idea of the scope of the project, what’s expected, and so forth.


• Proposal and/or outline. In this stage, the ghostwriter will then send you a proposal of the project, which is like a template. Once you sign off on this, an outline can be developed that will map out the book. Milestones will also be agreed upon, which state how chunks of the material will be completed and reviewed. You will usually give all supplemental materials to the ghostwriter at this point, as well.


• Interviews (if necessary). Sometimes interviews or conversations with you are necessary, especially if the ghostwriter is working on a memoir, or has extensive questions about the material or what you are envisioning.


• Depending on the milestones you agreed upon, the ghostwriter will then submit chapters or sections of the manuscript to you. Other people find it easier to work with a finished manuscript to cut down on a lot of back-and-forth. Sometimes people have conferences during this period to go over any misunderstandings or what still needs to be done.


• Final draft and formatting. The ghostwriter will typically turn in a final draft once all the revisions are done, as well as do any formatting that was specified. Once you approve this, it’s ready to go!

Did you know Dissertation Editor offers ghostwriting services for non-academic assignments? (Please note: we do NOT ghostwrite academic papers, theses, or dissertations. That would be a violation of every school and university Honor Code). Whether it’s a passion project or academic tome, let us help you get your book ready for publication. Contact us today to learn more!

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