If you’re looking for a ghostwriter for your project, you’re probably wondering where is the best place to look. Hiring the right ghostwriter is not as easy as, say, a plumber when your sink springs a leak or a mechanic for car trouble. Why is that the case? For one, ghostwriters are not necessarily commonly hired providers from your local area. They’re all over the place. Because a ghostwriter is less common, you’re not likely to be able to nudge your neighbor for a recommendation. How to find a ghostwriter takes a little more effort.
This article will show that finding any ghostwriter is easy — finding the right one though? That can be a challenge.
However, if you stick to it and follow good advice, you should be able to land a great pro, at the right price you can afford.
How To Find A Ghostwriter?
The first place you should look to find a ghostwriter is through a Google search. Like the yellow pages of old, only on a massive, global scale, Google offers you a wide variety of high-quality ghostwriting services.
A simple search for terms like “Ghostwriter services” or “ghostwriting” will yield some of the top professionals in the business. A Google search will also yield a few types of ghostwriting services.
On one hand, you will find independent professionals, individuals who provide those services on their own. I am one of those, a professional in the business for myself. On the other hand, you will also find larger ghostwriting organizations and publishing companies that offer an array of services.
There are differences between these two. While a larger company offers more services, they can be more significantly expensive, as you’re paying for a larger company infrastructure. That extra cost, for some clients, is worthwhile, especially when you consider the idea of “one-stop shopping”.
If you want to go deeper into your search, there are outsourcing providers out there like Fiverr, Upwork and Thumbtack that act as on-line resources for finding independent professionals. These services can be a good, cost-effective way to hire out for a job.
There are advantages and disadvantages to this method as well. The advantages are that these outsourcing resources are easy to use. All you need to do is enter ghostwriter services or ghostwriter and within seconds, you’ll have a long list of professionals with easy to access profiles. The disadvantage, however, is that these types of providers tend to serve as a magnet for cheap providers, often from other countries, where English is not the primary language.
Cheap, as we will see in the next section, is not necessarily what you’re looking for in a ghostwriter.
How Do You Determine Quality?
Hiring a ghostwriter for your project comes with some risk. There are ways, however, to help mitigate that risk in advance, before you put money down on the job.
The first thing you should do is to check the provider’s reputation. On outsourcing sites like Fivver, Upwork, and Thumbtack, the ghostwriter’s reputation is easy to find. Providers are given a “star” ranking, and you can read down through user comments, seeing the good (and sometimes the bad) of their work. Usually, you can filter your search criteria by the provider’s rank. This is a great way to make sure you’re picking only from the best.
If you’re stuck between a couple of five-star, polished professionals, your next step should be probing them with a few questions (see below for a book about this very topic). Ask them about their work experience. Find out what books or screenplays they’ve written. If you need more convincing than that, you can talk to their references.
I am a believer that interviews and references are a great way to make your decision. The same criteria for vetting should apply when you’re considering independent professionals and/or a ghostwriting organization. When you meet a prospective ghostwriter, ask them questions. Find out what makes them tick and decide if that’s the right person for your book.
Remember, this is the person you’re going to be working closely with. It’s OK to say no if the match isn’t right. The match isn’t always right, even if the person’s reputation seems outstanding.
When you do settle on the right person, you need to gauge potential value for the cost. Is the total cost for the book proposed by the ghostwriter right? How would you know?
High quality, professional ghostwriters are not cheap. They cost a fair amount of money because they are skilled, experienced writers who can help you get your book onto the market.
In general, those ghostwriters cost between $.50 and $1 per word. That may, at first glance, appear expensive, but really, the most expensive ghostwriters are the ones that deliver an inferior product, ones that produce material you cannot sell. It’s not an exaggeration to say, those writers are out there.
What Should You Expect?
When you hire the right ghostwriter for your project, you should expect the best. Some people say I’m too optimistic, and you know what? I’m OK with that. Over the years, I’ve ghostwritten dozens of books and everyone has been aided by positivity.
The three foundations of a successful writing project are honest, communication, and keen attention to detail. If you are honest with your ghostwriter (and yourself) about what you want, communicate those desires effectively throughout the process, and pay attention to the outcomes, the ceiling for your project is high.
Sure, answering the question of how to find a ghostwriter, may not be as easy or intuitive as your next plumber or car mechanic. But, with a little know-how, asking the right questions, you can come out with a writing project you can be proud of, that will reach your desired audience.
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Do you have any experience of finding a ghostwriter? If so, what did you feel about the cost structure?
If you have questions or comments, please leave them below. I would love to hear from you!