So how does the ghostwriting process work?
The ghostwriter's process is pretty simple: agree, plan, research, write and revise. Then, hopefully, you publish.
1: Agreeing to work together
First we sort out the nitty gritty of working together. Do we get on? Do you feel I can act as your ghost in writing, putting your thoughts on paper? Do I think your book idea is interesting and publishable? Do I feel I can be passionate about the book, and ghostwriting it? Does the timeline work for us both? Can we agree on a price?
If we're both happy to go ahead, I'll ask you to sign a project agreement that lays down the terms of the ghostwriting – so we both know where we are throughout the process. Then I can get to work as your ghostwriter.
2: Planning the book
Together, we work on an outline for the book – a logical, clear structure. The best writing, in my experience, comes out of careful planning. And by starting with a clear plan, you know exactly what I'll be ghostwriting and how.
3: Researching the book
I can't ghostwrite a book for you out of thin air – I need material upon which to base it. Research can include:
Interviews: These may be with yourself or others. I write notes and record our conversations. This is an excellent way for me to gather material and get a clear picture of your ideas and opinions.
Notes/documents: You may have already written down material for the book, or you may want to pass me documents from other sources (e.g. reports, websites, books, publications) that will inform my ghostwriting. Some clients hire a professional researcher for this: I can recommend one if you need.
My own knowledge-gathering: You may prefer me to do research on your behalf – watching footage, reading books, hunting online, chatting to people.
4: Ghostwriting
Now I'm ready to write, and write, and write. I lock myself in my garret with a thermos of coffee and a pack of biscuits, and I start ghostwriting your book. A few months (and many biscuits) later, the first draft is done.
Depending on your preference, I may send chapters back as I complete them, or I may ghostwrite the book in its entirety and then return it to you at the end.
5: Reviewing and revising
After you receive the ghostwritten manuscript, you review it and, if necessary, you ask for revisions. Hopefully, if we've communicated well at the planning stage and during the ghostwriting process, you're pretty happy with the first draft, and we need only make small amendments. In all the years I've been working as a ghostwriter I've never had a client ask for more than minor revisions.
6: Over to you
After we finalise the manuscript, you're ready to start approaching publishers/agents, or to start the self-publishing process, depending on your preference. As a further service, I can help you put together a professional book proposal (non-fiction) or covering letter and synopsis (memoir).
Book proposal package
Instead of writing the entire book before approaching publishers/agents, you may decide to simply put together a submission package, and commission the rest of the writing only if a publisher takes on the book.
For non-fiction books, I ghostwrite professional book proposals that cover information about you, an overview of the book, marketing details, a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of the contents and the first three chapters.
Agents/publishers are happy to receive proposals for non-fiction books in this form with one exception: although memoir writing (autobiography) is, strictly speaking, non-fiction, for submission purposes it's best to treat it as fiction. Therefore, the ghostwriter usually needs to write the whole book before you submit it to agents/publishers with a covering letter and synopsis.
For more information about my book proposal and covering letter/synopsis ghostwriting service, please get in touch.
