Ghostwriters and Co-Authoring

There are some situations that call for a ghostwriter or co-author. If you find yourself in any of the following situations, you might consider seeking help from another writer.

YOU MIGHT NEED A GHOSTWRITER OR CO-AUTHOR:

• If you feel the topic of the book is over your head
• If you have a compelling story to tell but don’t have a clue how to get itdown on paper.
• If you don’t have a platform
• If your writing skills are not up to par
• If you can’t figure out how to get the information to flow
• If you need to lean on the advice of an expert in the field in which you’rewriting
• If your material has two points of view and you wish to show both
• If your chances of getting the book published are better with a particularco-author or ghostwriter
• If you have trouble figuring out basic things like hooks and symbolsDon’t ever feel bad about needing help, particularly if you have a hot button topic. You want your book to be the very best that it can be.
• GHOSTWRITING
• Let’s talk for a moment about ghostwriting. What is it, exactly?When you hire another author to write your book, this is considered ghostwriting. The same would hold true if a publishing house approached a writer to pen your book for you. Initially, the term ghostwriter was used because the writer’s name would never be disclosed to the public. Thankfully, the process has morphed over time. These days, the name of the ghostwriter usually appears along with the owner of the story.
• Here is a good example of how this works: The book 90 Minutes in Heaven (Don Piper’s miraculous story of dying and coming back to life) was actually written by Cec Murphy. The story belongs to Don Piper.Several years ago I worked as a ghostwriter on several books for little girls. The stories within those pages were completely those of the author who hired me, not my own. I simply wrote them down because she didn’t have the skill to do so. My name was on the inside front page in the acknowledgments, where I was listed as the writer. The author’s name went on the cover. In another case, I was approached to ghostwrite a couple of books for a local evangelist. The project didn’t pan out, but if it had, this is how it would have worked: I would have listened to hours and hours of his video and audio teachings, then compiled what I heard into some sort of book project. Again, my name would have either been mentioned on the front cover, along with the evangelist, or on the inside front page.

THINGS TO CONSIDER IF YOU HIRE A GHOSTWRITER

If you want to hire another author to ghostwrite your book, make sure you have a solid contract and make sure you offer the writer the option of adding his/her name to the book, along with yours. If you’re wondering how much to pay for these types of projects, you might start at ten cents a word. A 50,000-word book, for instance, might cost you $5000 for the writer’s work, more if he/she does extensive editing. In some cases, publishing houses will give the ghostwriter a percentage of the royalties in lieu of a large fee. Proceed with caution and consider involving an agent.

• So, what do you think of the idea of ghostwriting?
• What would you do if another person approached you to write abook for him or her, but did not want to give you credit?
• If you did take on a ghostwriting project, would you feel morecomfortable with a contract in place?
• How much would you charge to ghostwrite a book? Would youcharge by the page? By the word? By project? That decision is up to you.
• HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU NEED A GHOSTWRITER OR A COAUTHOR?
• You need a ghostwriter if you have the material, but not the know-how. You need a co-author if you’re unsure of the material and need to lean on his/her expertise. Remember, when you approach experts for help, you’re doing them a favor, as well. Putting their name on your book will be great PR, helping them promote their agendas/projects. So don’t ever feel bad about approaching an expert.
• FINAL THOUGHT ON CO-AUTHORING:Co-authoring is a bit different from ghostwriting in that you don’t actually pay the co-author up front. You split the proceeds of the book with him/her. You’re simply partnering to write the book, in the hopes that it will sell.

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