By now if you’ve read some of my other blog posts you have a good idea what a good ghostwriter can do for you. You know a good ghostwriter will take the time burden off you and will bring your expertise to the people who need it while leaving you free to go about your busy life. But how do you find a good ghostwriter? Chances are, you found this blog by googling the words “find a ghostwriter” or “hire a ghostwriter.” Now you’re trolling through the different websites that popped up, trying to figure out whether it’s worth calling any of the writers who own the sites.
Of course my first answer to the question, “How do I find the right ghostwriter for my book” has to be, “Look no further!” right? You’ve found me! Call me up and pay me lots of money.
Of course in my perfect world that is exactly what you’ll do. But there may be many reasons that what you’d really like is some advice on how to go about making sure you’ve found the best ghostwriter rather than the first one. Looking for a service provider in a field you know nothing about can be like sorting through a box of chocolates in the bottom of a dumpster. To paraphrase Forrest Gump, you really, really never know what you’re going to get.
The video below outlines an interesting approach to finding a ghostwriter. It’s by an internet professional who publishes a stream of blog posts, e-books and other publications. His name is Dave Koziel, and his approach is pretty novel. He recommends posting ads on Upwork.com that ask for “a ghostwriter for long term work.” The reason he stresses “long term” is that in this way he can start off the relationship paying relatively little. If the writer delivers good content, future books can happen at a higher rate of pay. A quick check of Upwork shows that there are lots of people following his advice. Several ads there use his wording almost exactly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxGS9vzoSRQ
Another thing Koziel looks for is writers experienced in the same field in which he’s looking to publish. In other words, to produce a book on herbal remedies, he’ll look for a writer who already knows a lot about herbal remedies. He stresses being very specific about what you’re looking for in the job posting. Once he gets some replies, he request samples from each writer that responds. Samples, he says, are key to understanding the quality of any given writer. Further, requesting several samples from each writer is important, because almost every writer has two or three excellent samples they can submit when asked. It’s only when a potential client reads through to sample number four or five that the errors and other problems begin to rear their ugly little heads.
The video is definitely worth watching, and contains a lot more advice for how to find and properly screen a ghostwriter.