Blog

What is the Process for Working with a Ghostwriter: How Does Ghostwriting Work?

May 26, 2021 by KMcCreadie

If you have ever wondered, “Should I hire a ghostwriter”, part of the unknown is often how it works. What’s involved? The implication associated with ‘ghostwriting’ is always that someone, usually someone hidden from view, (hence ‘ghost’), does all the writing and therefore all the work. And whilst it is almost certainly true that the ghostwriter will do the lion’s share of the writing, it is not true that they do all the work.

There may be ghostwriters out there who are happy to be given a topic and told to go away and write a book on that topic. I’m not one of them. The process for me is very much a collaboration. It is the deliberate joining forces of two people with unique skill sets to create something that neither one could have created alone.

My clients are always subject experts. They have a ton of knowledge and expertise in their field and they have something useful to share with the world but they are also very busy. Most of the people I collaborate with are business leaders, coaches or consultant who are running successful businesses. As a result, their aspirations of becoming an author languish on their New Year’s Resolution list indefinitely. My skill set is writing books. So far, I’ve written 82 on subjects as diverse as leadership, parenting, personality profiling, sales, big data, AI, innovation and investing. I can write on anything – but only if the author is an expert in that subject.

The tragic irony of authorship is that those who genuinely have something useful and valuable to share in a book, often don’t write it because they are too busy doing that thing. And the people who have the time to write a book, don’t have the material that matters so they simply regurgitating tired ideas and other people’s thinking. Ghostwriting is a crucial service that can address that irony.

As for the actual process it focuses around a series of interviews which are recorded. Let’s say you are a subject expert and you really want to write a book. You may have started… 50 times, you may have 104 separate files of information and ideas. But still no book. Someone suggests a ghostwriter. Initially you think that might be cheating although you are not sure why. No one thinks twice about hiring a designer to create a logo or new branding so why is hiring a ghostwriter any different? If we don’t have the time, inclination or skill to do something, the smart move is to outsource it. And that goes for writing as much as anything else.

Say, you find me. First, we would have a chat about your book and you would tell me what you want to cover. (I’m always happy to sign an NDA before this chat if required). From that early discussion I can usually come up with some type of structure if you don’t already know what that might be. This is the chapter outline and what is likely to be covered in each one. To give you a better sense of what I might do with your material I write a couple of thousand words as a sample. And if you like that then we crack on. Our collaboration involves you preparing for interviews so that you can talk me through that you want each chapter to cover. I ask questions and you may also send me any supporting information, videos of presentations or audio files – whatever is easiest for you.

From those interactions and any additional material, I write your book. You must be engaged and ready to answer questions or point me to research resources and you must make yourself available for an ongoing interview. Hiring a ghostwriter is not a free pass – you will have to noodle on your material and be able to articulate your ideas and concepts clearly to me. Oh, and you have to read the book and give feedback and edits so that we can finalise the manuscript. The time frame between, “Wow I love this sample” to “OMG I’m finally an author” is usually about three months. And you are the author. The manuscript you hold in your hands is yours. All I did was get it out of your head and put it on the page. So, if you’ve ever wondered, “should I hire a ghostwriter?” The answer is “Yes”, why not. Or if you are still unsure get in touch and let’s just have an informal chat.

Is Ghostwriting Cheating?

May 25, 2021 by KMcCreadie

Have you ever thought about hiring a ghostwriter but wondered if it’s cheating? I’m a ghostwriter so you would expect me to say, “No” – right? But actually, it’s a little more complicated than that…

It is definitely cheating when students are hiring a ghostwriter to write reports or dissertations that will inform their result in their qualification. That is cheating.

Hiring A Ghostwriter

Ghostwriting fiction is also skating on thin ice in my opinion. Look at any bestseller lists and there will be a known author in huge writing on the cover, with a tiny other name underneath. OK, so did the big-name author write the book? No, they may have come up with an idea or plot outline and then the person in the tiny writing did the rest. I’m sure that the author in tiny writing isn’t complaining because the big-name author will probably ensure far higher sales but it still feels a bit off to me.

According to Joseph Campbell there is only one story – the Hero’s Journey. Every story ever told is just a variation and his theory has been widely used in books and films. So, if there is just one story then surely the writing of that story is what creates the magic. I could come up with a cunning wheeze about a boy wizard but I’m never going to create Harry Potter in a million years. Sure, in fiction, the idea is important but the execution, in this case the writing, is where a good idea comes to life. So, I’m going to stick my neck out and say hiring a ghostwriter for fiction is also cheating.

But nonfiction is very different.

Great nonfiction books provide information, make knowledge accessible, or solve a problem. They inform and whilst they still need a strong structure and narrative arc so that the reader knows where they are and what to expect, there is no Hero, no story and no characters. Skill is still required for nonfiction but the Hero in nonfiction is the information. The only way for a ghostwriter to get that information is from the author. I can write about property development or share trading if I collaborate with a property developer or share trader – they have the information, not me. The author is the Hero in this case because they have the information. All I’m doing is getting that information out of their head and organising it in a way that will make sense to the reader, be engaging and inspire action. Don’t get me wrong, there is a skill in that ability, but I am not the Hero in this story. The author and their information are the Hero.

The resulting book is not my book, I couldn’t have written that book without the author. I didn’t have the knowledge or the insight. They did. Sure, I could have enrolled in a PhD but I’m writing books in three months not 5 years! I bring the writing and structuring skill, honed through over 80 books and the author brings their subject expertise to create a manuscript neither of us could have created alone.

Ghostwriting nonfiction is absolutely not cheating. It is smart outsourcing. If I need to revamp my website, I could faff about with it myself and end up with something that looks more like a high school project than a professional calling card or I could recognise that I am neither a designer nor an IT expert and hire someone who actually knows what they are doing. At no point in the decision-making process do I wonder if I’m cheating if I hire a professional! So, if you have a nonfiction book in you, but don’t have the time to excavate it, hiring a ghostwriter may be the perfect solution. Contact me today to find out how I can help.

How Long Does It Take To Write a Book?

May 24, 2021 by KMcCreadie

How long does it take to write a book? How long is a piece of string? There are too many variables to factor in to give a definitive answer but, in my experience, anywhere between 6 weeks and 2 years!

According to BookStatistics.com it takes 725 hours for a first-time author to write a standard-length nonfiction book (80,000 words). If those hours were spent in consecutive 8-hour days then that’s 90 days or three months. For a first-time author however, there is usually an inordinate amount of time spent staring at a blank screen. Or revising the first page 328 times.

I have worked with clients who have been in the ‘staring at the blank screen’ phase for years. I had one client who handed over a thumb drive with 109 separate files and yet he was no closer to a finished manuscript after the 109 files than he was after one. I worked with another client where everything he’d done so far was stored on his computer under ‘The Damn Book!’

The idea of writing a book is something that a huge percentage of the population would like to do but actually making it happen is much rarer.

So, how long does it take to write a book? The time frame comes down to three things.

1. How clear you are about what you want to write about.

If you have a chapter outline together with a bullet point list of everything you want to cover in each chapter then it really can be written in 3 months. That is assuming of course that those bullet points equate to sizeable chunks of content. One of the most common challenges I come across as a ghostwriter is an underestimation of content. People love the idea of writing a book but almost without exception they massively underestimate the depth and breadth of content required to fill a typical nonfiction book. Often, there is a sizeable chasm between the diagram scribbled on a napkin at dinner than planted the seed for a book and the execution of that book.

Structure is incredibly important in the writing process. Not only in mapping out exactly what the author wants to cover but also to really drill into the question – “Do I have a book or it is actually a bumper sticker?” A good structure also makes sure that the reader doesn’t get lost or confused about why they are being told something. Get the structure right and it acts as the spine of the book making it much easier to populate the chapters in a naturally engaging and logical way.

2. How much time you have to dedicate to the process?

In short, the answer to ‘How long does it take to write a book’ will very much depend on how much time you have to commit to it. It’s a serious commitment and that’s true even if the author hires a ghostwriter. I’ve lost count of the people who have been uber-enthusiastic at the start but who have then literally taken years to read their own book and provide edits. There is always something else that’s more important and this is especially true if the author is a business person. There is always a more important priority. The irony is that the book, if finished and published could do a lot of the brand building and marketing work for the author but it’s always pushed down the priority list.

3. Experience

The first time we do anything is always the hardest. It’s a learning curve. This is why hiring a ghostwriter can be the perfect solution for a busy author. Unless you plan to write 10 books, why scale the curve? There is also an opportunity cost associated with that learning curve. Let’s be optimistic and assume that it is 725 hours to write your first book. How much is that, based on the hourly rate you charge for your services? Even if you decide to write your book outside work time, what’s the opportunity cost of that in terms of your relationships with your family?

Writing a book is a worthwhile goal, especially in business as a brand-building tool. But it might be quicker and more enjoyable to collaborate with a professional who could shorten the timeframe significantly. If you are interested in hearing more about ghostwriting services, feel free to contact me.

How Common is Ghostwriting?

May 21, 2021 by KMcCreadie

According to the New York Times, “On any given week, up to half of the books on any nonfiction bestseller list are written by someone other than the name on the book.”

JFK’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, Profiles in Courage was ghostwritten by Theodore Sorensen, Kennedy’s close aide and speechwriter although Sorensen denied it until shortly before his death. It is thought that The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas was at least partially ghostwritten. The wildly successful Jason Borne series is based on the work of Robert Ludlum but Ludlum only wrote three books published from 1980 to 1990. Eleven more books in the series were released between 2004 and 2017. Ludlum died in 2001 so unless someone worked out how to channel him from beyond the grave it later books were ghostwritten. This happens a lot. Stieg Larsson author of the Millennium series starting with the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo died shortly after delivering the manuscripts of all three books to the publisher but that didn’t stop three more books in the series from being published. Although the author, David Lagercrantz, is named as author as continuing Larsson’s series. Ian Fleming didn’t write all the James Bond books.

Suffice to say, ghostwriting is very common. It tends to be more common in nonfiction but ghostwriter’s have been writing books, articles, speeches, reports and blogs for centuries. (OK maybe not blogs!)

A ghostwriter by definition is someone who writes the book but doesn’t get credit for it. As a result, there are not many famous ghostwriters. Famous in this context would probably equate to how prolific the writer is. My goal is to reach 100 books which I should reach in the next few years. So far, I’ve written 82.

However, the perception and awareness of ghostwriting as a profession has definitely changed since I started in 2000. I was amazed to learn for example that many publishers work with ghostwriters – usually very quietly. I have been commissioned by several mainstream publishers to ‘fix’ a manuscript. Turns out just because someone is a celebrity doesn’t mean they can write!

Over the years more and more people have come to recognise, especially in nonfiction that writing is a skill like any other. If someone has something valuable to share with the world, it would be a shame for them to butcher that delivery and potentially ruin the book just because they didn’t have the requisite skill set to bring that book to life. If they have the knowledge and the experience that could help others but perhaps don’t have the time or skill to write it then collaborating with a ghostwriter makes sense. It is also increasingly common to acknowledge collaboration. The ghostwriter may not appear on the cover but they are often mentioned in the acknowledgement sections of the author’s book. This is a much more honest and transparent approach and also helps to prevent any inference of foul play. Ghostwriting is not cheating and acknowledging the collaboration helps to clarify that.

We all have strengths and weaknesses. Decades of research has proven that there is very little point trying to elevate a weakness beyond stopping it becoming a liability. All our effort should be focused on what we are already good at and get better at that. Most of the nonfiction authors I work with are very good at what they do, they are experts in their field and often run successful businesses providing that service. Taking time away from that ability to focus on something that doesn’t come naturally is unproductive, not very cost effective and often extremely challenging. Hiring a famous ghostwriter or at least one with a strong track record will help them to become an author faster and it should be much more fun. If you are interested in finding out more about how a ghostwriter could help you, then please message me!

5 Easy Ways to Improve your Skills as a Writer

May 19, 2021 by KMcCreadie

Writing is a funny thing. The vast majority of us are taught how to write. At least we are taught about words and sentence structure and how to bunch those sentences together to create paragraphs which build into larger documents or even books. And yet, most of us, including me would struggle to explain the rules of writing. Who really knows what a split infinitive is? Not me. I know when something isn’t right but I couldn’t always tell you why.

In truth it doesn’t really matter. I am a professional ghostwriter and I have been since 2000. Between 80 plus books and countless blogs and reports, I must have written well in excess of ¾ million words during that time. But beyond school I’m largely self-taught. My degree is in business not English or creative writing.

My point is that anyone can become a better writer. Below are 5 easy ways to improve your skills as a writer.

Write

Writing is like any other skill set, it requires practise. It will come as no surprise therefore that the first easy way to improve your skills as a writer is to write. A writer is only a writer when they write. There really are no shortcuts. Just do it more, and you will get better.

Aim for 15

One of my dearest friends is terrified of writing. She’s done a master’s degree and occasionally writes articles for industry journals. The pain of that experience for her is palpable. After weeks of wrestling and editing and rewriting she will invariably send it to me to check. I always have to read it at least three times to even understand it. My friend can write, she’s a smart woman and more than capable of writing an opinion piece for a magazine but she always overthinks it. She seems to get sucked into the vortex that is ‘industry technobabble’. It’s an easy and common mistake to make.

The second super easy way to improve your writing skills is therefore to imagine your audience is a reasonably intelligent 15-year-old. This can feel odd, especially in business where waffle and the use of big words has been elevated to an art form. But what’s the point if no one can understand it? George Orwell once said, “Never use a long word where a short one will do.” And frankly if it’s good enough for Orwell, it should be good enough for us!

Out loud

Whatever you write. Read it out loud. You don’t need an audience but the sound of your own voice will alert you to when your writing is getting a little muddled or the sentences are too long. If you have to read it twice, to understand what you wanted to say, something is wrong. Revise.

Two sides

The fourth easy way to improve your writing skill is to clearly separate writing from editing. They are two sides of the writing coin. Both are essential for good writing but they are very different and need to be kept apart. Too often people start writing and then start editing in the middle of the writing. They second guess themselves and start to review what they’ve already written. Don’t do it. Instead, focus on getting what you want to say down on paper or on the screen. Don’t worry about spelling or punctuation too much – just say what you want to say. Then leave it for a day if you can and come back to it with fresh eyes. Read it out loud and aim for clarity.

Kill your darlings

There is some dispute about who said this first, it was either William Faulkner or Dorothea Brande, both American writers. Whoever said it, it’s gold. That said, this last idea for improving your writing is not actually that easy. It’s very easy to get attached to an idea or turn of phrase. We think it’s genius. Part of the editing process above is to give that genius time to bed in and look at it again in the cold light of day. Is it really that clever? Does it add to the narrative or have you just become enamoured with it? It may be time to kill your darlings. Good writing is as much about cutting back and deciding what not to say, as it is about the initial expression.

3 Lessons I’ve Learned as a Professional Ghostwriter

May 17, 2021 by KMcCreadie

I’ve been a professional ghostwriter since 2000. I did a business degree and worked in marketing for about 10 years first in the UK and then in Australia. The marketing was initially for a bank (that was dull), then a charity (that was more meaningful) then in Sydney I was a senior project manager for a marketing agency. I loved the copywriting but not much else so in 2000 I quit being an employee for good and became a professional ghostwriter.

Goethe once said, “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!” I found that to be true and a quirk of fate brought me my first book – SalesDogs by Blair Singer. Blair had written the book but wasn’t happy with it so I offered to rework it for him and if he liked it, he would pay and if he didn’t like it, he didn’t need to pay. He liked it and that book became an international bestseller.

It’s been an adventure and I’ve certainly learnt a few lessons along the way.

The 3 biggest lessons I’ve learned as a Professional Ghostwriter

Really involve the author.

Looking back this seems obvious now but when I first started, I wrongly believed that the author just wanted the book. Some do, but the majority of author’s really want to be involved. I remember being commissioned by John Wiley & Sons to write a TV-tie for an Australian TV show in the early 2000s called Auction Squad. The show involved a home being valued, then a team of celebrity make-over experts who come in and renovate the home in a day, then it would be auctioned – usually for considerably more than the original valuation. The book was the companion guide on how they did the renovations.

I met the celebrity team, watched a show being made as well as loads of past shows. From that, I worked out a structure and wrote the book. What I didn’t do was check in with the team and make sure they felt involved and connected to the book. I felt a little intimidated and didn’t want to ‘bother them’ but it was a mistake. The book came out and it was all their material but because they didn’t feel connected to it, no one pushed it or mentioned it on the TV show.

It sold OK but I’m sure if I had just kept everyone more involved and asked more questions, they would have felt that it was their book. For most authors, this is their life’s work. Sure, they may want help but they don’t want to feel left out of the process. I’ve never made the same mistake again.

Download test.

If the author can’t explain to me exactly what the book is about then there is trouble ahead. Author and journalist Bill Wheeler once said, “Good writing is clear thinking made visible.” There is another quote that suggests that if you want to really work out what you know about your subject – write a book. Almost without exception, authors underestimate just how many words 80,000 words is. That’s the typical size of a nonfiction book and it’s not for the faint-hearted. It requires deep thinking and a strong narrative arc. A couple of natty diagrams on the back of a napkin won’t cut it!

If it’s about the royalty – run.

When I started, I never knew what to say when authors got excited about their book and how many it was going to sell. There were enthusiastic musings about getting onto Oprah’s couch back when she had her TV show. Now, I’m much more forthright. There is no money in books. It may sound harsh but I’m a great believer in reality. The ONLY commercially sound reason to hire a professional ghostwriter is if the book cements the authors’ position as a thought leader in their field.

Being an author still has power and kudos and a well written, content-rich book can be an awesome business card, it can open doors, increase business and brand awareness. The chances of it breaking even on royalty alone are minuscule but the business upside is massive. One of my first clients, how great friend self-published the first book we wrote together. Honestly – it looked horrendous. It didn’t even have copy on the back cover. Nothing like the beautiful books self-publishing can produce now. And yet by his own conservative estimation, the book has made him more than $1 million in business. No wonder we wrote two more!

Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions about ghostwriting or the service that I provide.

What is the Process for Working with a Ghostwriter: How Does Ghostwriting Work?