Why Should I Hire a Ghostwriter?

If you don’t have much exposure to ghostwriting, you might think about it like I used to: a secret job done by mysterious, faceless people who are somehow connected to lots of super rich celebrities who can sell a trillion books just by slapping their face on the front cover. They ghostwrite books for those celebrities, charge them millions, and then go back to their mystical writer-caves, never to see the sun until a celebrity summons them once again.

While there is some truth in this (slightly exaggerated) depiction of ghostwriting—celebrities really do write books, and usually those books are written by a ghostwriter—the actual role of a ghostwriter extends far beyond that. And so does the list of people who can benefit from working with one. There may come a day when you find yourself summoning a ghostwriter from their mystical writer-cave.

Ghostwriters can be for anyone and everyone, and there are lots of reasons to hire one. Let’s talk about a few. But first…

What is ghostwriting?

Let’s start with a good working definition of what ghostwriting is.

Here’s the simplest way to put it: ghostwriting is writing on behalf of another person or brand in their voice, to their audience, with their message. The ghostwriter does the writing, but in every other possible way, the client is the author. The ghostwriter writes using the client’s voice and style, and the client gets their name in the byline and final approval on every single word.

A common misconception is that ghostwriting only applies to books, but that’s not true. You can hire a ghostwriter to write anything for you that requires the use of words—blogs, articles, email campaigns, white papers, educational courses, LinkedIn posts, and beyond. And the same rules apply to all of it: the ghostwriter does the writing, and you get to call yourself the author.

Typically, it’s understood that ghostwriting is anonymous. Some authors may choose to share that they worked with a ghostwriter, but that’s their choice—confidentiality is a normal part of the contract signed at the beginning of a project. That means that as far as anyone else knows, all those words came from you.

And to be clear: there’s nothing wrong with that! There is absolutely no moral problem with hiring a ghostwriter. It’s way more common than you probably think—well over 50% of non-fiction books are written by ghostwriters—and it’s a service that the ghostwriter is providing of their own free will. They’re agreeing from the beginning that at the end of the project, everything they wrote will belong to you.

So, why would you want to consider hiring a ghostwriter? Let’s jump into just a few possible reasons.

Reason #1: You aren’t confident in your own writing ability.

The first reason is also the most obvious: you just don’t think you’re a very good writer. That’s okay! We’re all good at different things. I can’t draw to save my life, which is why I will not be illustrating my future bestselling picture book.

But just because you’re not a good writer doesn’t mean you don’t have a book in you. Lots of people have a story worth telling, ideas worth sharing, a message that can make a difference in someone else’s life. If you’re reading this blog post, there’s a good chance you’re one of those people.

That’s where ghostwriters (like me) come in. Writing is only part of the ghostwriting process, but it’s a big, important part. When you hand your idea over to a ghostwriter, you’re trusting that they’ll be able to take your message and put it on paper in a way that sounds like you, only better. They should be able to write in your voice, so that when people who know you read what they’ve written, they’ll hear you in it. You may not have written it, but they’ll know it’s yours.

Reason #2: You can write, but writing a book scares you to death.

Writing is hard. But writing a book is even harder. The prospect of staring down a blank page knowing you need to fill it up with tens of thousands of words is terrifying, even to someone who’s been writing for a long time.

Part of the value of a good ghostwriter is that their literal job is helping people mold their words into the shape of a book. If they’ve been doing it for a while, they probably have a general process they follow for their projects. They know how to structure a book as a whole, how to write a compelling chapter, and what questions to ask you to get the information they need to do it.

Many ghostwriters (like me) also offer services that can help you out even if you want to be the one to write your book, like developmental editing and writing coaching. Whatever way you might choose to go, it’s easier to go through an intimidating journey when you have someone by your side who’s been down that road before.

Reason #3: You don’t have time.

Here’s another tough reality of writing a book: it takes a lot of time. Even if you feel like you already know exactly what you want to say, getting the words onto the page takes a lot of time, energy, and work, especially if you’ve never written a book before. Not everybody has the time to devote to writing a book.

Maybe you’re a CEO who’s acquired a lot of valuable wisdom over the years, but you’re too busy running a company to write the book so many would love to read. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur whose story would excite and inspire people, but writing that story doesn’t fit into your life of hustling after your dream. Maybe you’re a busy parent with a message that could encourage and help other parents, but you’re too busy being a busy parent to ever write that book.

A good ghostwriter will take the job of writing a book—something that can take hundreds of hours, especially if you don’t have experience—and turn it into something easy and non-demanding for you. If you’re working with me, all you have to do is meet with me for a handful of interviews, and we’re golden. Using those interviews (plus any additional written or recorded material you want to share with me), I’ll create your manuscript.

So many time-starved people have incredible stories to share, but no time to share them. If that’s you, a ghostwriter might be exactly what you’re looking for. (And—surprise!—I happen to know one who would love to hear from you.)

Reason #4: You have a book in you, but you don’t know how to get it out.

Has anyone ever told you that you should write a book? When you hear them say it, do you immediately agree? Or do you feel more of a, “Sure, maybe—but what kind of book would I write?”

If that’s you, you know that feeling goes deeper than just not feeling confident in your writing ability. It’s a feeling that you have a story to tell, but you don’t have a fully formed idea of what the story should look like, how you should tell it, or even the bigger “why” behind why your book should exist.

This gets at one of the biggest roles good ghostwriters play when they work with their clients. The best ghostwriters are excellent listeners. They ask good questions, internalize their client’s answers, pick up on consistent themes, and unearth the most important, meaningful elements of the story they’re hearing. They’re able to take even the seed of an idea, help it grow, and nurture it into a fully formed book.

If you want to learn more, reach out.

A good ghostwriter will value your story as if it’s their own. And that’s why, if you decide to work with a ghostwriter, it’s crucial to find someone who you connect with—someone who you feel you can trust to handle your story with the care it deserves. That’s my promise to every single one of my ghostwriting clients.

If you’re looking for a ghostwriter, or if you want to learn about what working with me might look like, I’d love to hear from you. Check out the services I offer, or reach out to me to set up time to chat.