Start With a Clear Brief
Before the first call, write one page that answers four questions. Who is this book for? What should that reader think, feel or do after the last chapter? How long should it be? And what tone do you want: warm, blunt, funny, formal?
Add three books you admire, and say what you like about each. Not the plot, but the feel of the pages. A writer can do more with "short chapters and plain talk, like this one" than with "make it engaging." Also tell your writer what the book is not. If you do not want a self-help tone, or you will not discuss a painful chapter of your family history, say so on day one.
Share anything you already have: notes, talks, voice memos, blog posts, old emails. None of it needs to be polished. Our ghostwriting services begin with this kind of intake, because a good brief saves weeks later.
Make the Interviews Count When Working With a Ghostwriter
For most memoir and nonfiction projects, the interviews are where the book is really written. The ghostwriter listens, asks follow-up questions and turns your spoken material into chapters. Your job is to show up prepared and tell the truth in detail. Sessions usually run best when they are short enough to stay sharp, so ask whether the schedule can be split into several shorter calls instead of one marathon.
A few habits help:
- Skim the chapter plan before each session so you know which stories are coming.
- Tell stories instead of summaries. "We lost the house in March, and I remember the smell of the empty kitchen" gives a writer far more than "times were hard."
- Be willing to go back. Writers often return to a moment three times before it comes alive.
- Ask for the recording and transcript, so you can correct names, dates and numbers early.
- Say when you are unsure. "I think it was 2011, but check with my sister" saves a correction later.
If your book is a life story, a simple timeline of major events helps enormously. Our guide on how to write a memoir covers how to choose which moments belong in the book at all.
Protect Your Voice
Readers should hear you, not a generic author. Voice is built from small things: how long your sentences run, whether you swear, which metaphors you reach for, the phrases you repeat when you are excited.
Give your writer raw material. Record yourself explaining a favorite idea to a friend. Send an email you are proud of. Flag words you would never say, and words you say all the time. Many authors are surprised how much a short list of "never" and "always" phrases improves the first draft. If you tell jokes, mention it, because humor is easy to lose in translation to the page.
Then use the first chapter as a calibration test. Read it aloud. If a sentence makes you wince, mark it and say why: too formal, too slick, too gentle. The second chapter should already be closer, and by the fourth you should hardly need to mark anything.
Keep in mind that your voice on the page is not always your voice at dinner. Writing tightens speech. The goal is you at your clearest, which is why a read-aloud test is more useful than asking whether it "sounds right."
Give Feedback That Moves the Draft Forward
Vague feedback slows a project more than any other habit. "I don't love it" gives the writer nothing to fix. "The opening scene tells me about your fear, but I want to see the room first" does.
Some rules that keep rounds short:
- Read the whole section before you comment, then comment once. Trickling in notes over several days leads to contradictions.
- Start with the big things: structure, missing stories, wrong emphasis. Leave word choice and commas for later, since a paragraph you rewrite in round two does not need its commas fixed in round one.
- Say what you want, not only what you dislike.
- Mark facts you need to verify, and mark places where you simply changed your mind. Both are normal.
- Reply within the agreed review window. A late response is the most common reason schedules slip.
If two people are reviewing, such as you and a spouse or business partner, collect their comments into a single list before it reaches the writer. Conflicting notes from two readers cost a round of revisions, and sorting them out is your job, not the writer's.
Feedback on the draft is different from editing. Once the manuscript is where you want it, a separate pass of book editing catches the grammar, consistency and typos a writer is too close to see.
Keep the Schedule and the Relationship Healthy
Agree on milestones at the start: outline approved, first chapters, midpoint, full draft, final. Put dates beside them and note who owes what. A single project manager as your point of contact makes this easier, because there is one person to ask when something is unclear.
Keep your style choices consistent from the beginning. If you prefer a particular dictionary or follow the Chicago Manual of Style, say so early, so the writer builds a style sheet instead of guessing. Settle small questions such as how to write numbers, whether to use the Oxford comma, and how to treat names and nicknames.
Finally, be honest when something is not working. Most problems are cheap to fix in week two and expensive in week twelve. A short, polite message such as "this chapter is not landing for me, can we talk?" is far better than silent approval followed by a rewrite request at the end. If you are still choosing a writer, see our advice on how to find a ghostwriter first.
Confidentiality, Credit and Ownership
Before any ghostwriting begins, there should be a signed nondisclosure agreement, and the contract should say in writing that you are the sole named author and that you own the work. Rights should transfer to you on delivery, not at some later point. Learn the basics of copyright so you know what you are asking for, and read the fine print before you sign anything, with a lawyer if the stakes are high.
You can also read what the Authors Guild publishes on author contracts for a wider view of fair terms.
FAQs
How much time will I need to give my ghostwriter?
Plan on interview sessions at the start and a few hours for each round of feedback. The exact amount depends on book length and how much material you already have.
Can I ask for changes after the first draft?
Yes. Revision rounds are normal, and the number included should be written into your quote before work begins.
Will the book really sound like me?
It can, if you share voice samples and give specific notes on the first chapter. The more of your own words the writer has, the closer the draft gets.
Working with a ghostwriter should feel like a conversation you look forward to. Get a free consultation to talk through your book, or submit your manuscript if you already have pages.
