[00:00:00] Welcome to Beyond the Book presented by Juxtabook. I'm Zach Kristensen. It's our weekly, Q&A episode. Answering your questions about writing publishing and launching your book. Let's begin.
[00:00:13] Hey, I've been involved in a couple books, but I'm, I'm curious to know if you have a good set of criteria on when um, a person should hire a ghostwriter to be involved in the project. Is there good guidance on when you do that and when you shouldn't do that? I know it costs a lot of money, but when is that investment worthwhile?
[00:00:40] What's your recommendation?
[00:00:42] This is a very important question for any author to consider whether or not you've seriously thought about hiring a ghostwriter or not. Now it's important to remember that even though a book might have a single author's name on the cover, it's often the product of a team's hard work. From [00:01:00] editors to cover designers and, and the ghost writers that may or may not be brought in, but each person plays a crucial role in bringing the book from an idea into a high quality published manuscript.
[00:01:13] So I want to approach this from, from two different angles. First is when you should consider hiring a ghostwriter and signs that may indicate that you really might need one.
[00:01:24] So why consider a ghostwriter? If you're thinking about bringing a ghostwriter on board. It's really crucial understand your why as the author. The process of hiring a ghostwriter can vary widely in terms of the time effort, costs and expectations that they invest. A common misconception is that people hire ghostwriters purely to write. While this is part of what a ghostwriter does it's not necessarily the whole story of what they can offer or do.
[00:01:53] So we need to consider before hiring a ghostwriter is how far along is your book? Do you have a well thought out [00:02:00] idea of what your book is, is going to be about. A, ghostwriter is going to ask you lots of questions that will help them grasp the concept and the ideas of the book so they can translate it into your voice and translate the knowledge that you have into something that's not just readable, but also enjoyable for your audience.
[00:02:21] So a ghostwriter, if you don't have the ideas fully thought out yet can help you develop your idea further and act as a sounding board, ideation partner, or I like to call it a brain buddy. But this, keep in mind, often requires ,more time and investment for the ghostwriter. They will be able to assist you in organizing your thoughts into a well-structured book and outline or chapter and ensure that what you have as a vision comes to life on the page.
[00:02:51] So when hiring a ghostwriter, here are three different roles that they can play.
[00:02:55] First idea development, a ghostwriter can help you refine and expand your [00:03:00] book and serve as your ideation partner, brain buddy.
[00:03:04] Second, the actual writing. Through interviews, the ghostwriter will take what they've learned and the questions they've asked you and turn it into an actual writing that you'll review. You don't have to necessarily be involved in the actual writing.
[00:03:18] Third developmental editing. In the role as being a developmental editor, the ghostwriter can provide the feedback on your written content.
[00:03:26] When considering each of these three options or roles the cost and timeline involved with a ghostwriter will depend on how much of the work you want them to take on. The more work they do, the higher the cost will likely be, but it could also be in a faster timeline and getting your book done and published. If you prefer to do more of the writing yourself, the timeline might extend, but the cost could be lower.
[00:03:48] Now jumping into the second part. Here's some signs that you might need a ghostwriter
[00:03:54] if you're struggling to find the time to write something that is timely for your readers, [00:04:00] and you want to be one of the first to get it out there, it might be time to sign. a, ghostwriter. Not every author is a naturally gifted writer. If you've been receiving feedback that your writing isn't compelling or clear, or if you're finding it difficult to produce high quality writing. A ghostwriter could help you elevate your manuscript to the next level. Plus working closer with a ghostwriter could also improve your own writing skills.
[00:04:22] So wrapping this up when considering whether or not to hire a ghostwriter. It's crucial to have a clear understanding of what you expect from them. What areas you need help with and how a ghostwriter fits into the scope of your project and the longterm impact of it. If it ghostwriter can help you achieve your goals faster and with better quality, it might be worth the investment.
[00:04:44] So sit down today and decide, what are my strengths? What are my weaknesses as an author? And what could a ghostwriter helped me improve.
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[00:05:00] If you have any questions about a recent episode, I'd love to hear from you. Visit juxtabook.com/beyondthebook and click the appropriate button to leave your question and we will include it in our weekly Q&A episode.
[00:05:16] Your book is just one chapter in your author journey. Think beyond the book as you craft your path. Thank you for your questions and thank you for listening.
