So, you’ve had this fantastic story swirling around in your head and scrawled on scraps of paper at the bottom of your desk drawer for years now. The only thing left to do is to plunk it all down in one, tidy little document. Your hurdle? Time (or the lack thereof).
If your great American novel truly has been languishing, long forgotten, in a tattered notebook for many months or years, what are the odds that that terrific story will ever actually see the light of day? What good does it do to dismiss the idea of hiring a pro, if you’ll never have enough time to get to it? It is difficult sometimes for an author to justify hiring a ghostwriter — ghostwriting can run into many thousands of dollars, depending on the scope of the project — but there are many instances in which the investment is more than justified by the benefits ghostwriting provides.
- Time: An average novel can range from 50,000 to 100,000 words or more. Needless to say, cranking out that kind of volume requires a huge commitment. Even if you spend two or three hours each night writing, you could spend many months, even years, getting your story down on paper. And if your day job is full-time or requires overtime, there’s not much time left for what amounts to a second job. A professional ghostwriter, on the other hand, does this work for a living, assuring that your story gets regular attention — giving you time to live a real life!
- Definitive Timeline: There is no average timeline for writing a novel. Some experienced authors may crank out a rough draft in a few months, while others can
agonize over their manuscript for years. Still others may never complete their work. The advantage of a ghostwriter is that he will work with you to determine the timeline for completion of the work so it’s guaranteed not to linger unfinished. A ghostwritten novel can take anywhere from three months to more than a year, depending on the size and complexity of the project, but it will get done. And the sooner it is, the sooner your book starts selling and earning you money. - Professionalism: Ghostwriters, particularly ones associated with a publishing house, generally have a great deal of experience crafting stories and compelling characters, all while employing the rules of grammar. They’re generally accustomed to writing under strict deadlines, and as such, are conscientious about getting their work done in a timely fashion.
- Tailored Service: Many would-be authors fear that handing the writing over to another person will result in a book that’s not “them,” one that doesn’t reflect their own unique voice. However, this is exactly what an experienced ghostwriter has been groomed all her life to do! Before tackling your project, a professional ghostwriter will spend time getting to know your style. She may also provide you with “preview” pages so you can ensure that the style she’s using matches your vision. If, in the end, you don’t feel the writer is a good fit, you can choose another who is.
- Creative Control: Even once you’ve placed your project in the capable hands of a ghostwriter, know that it is still your baby! It’s your name on the cover and your reputation that will be built. Your ghostwriter will work with you as closely as you wish throughout the project to ensure that it’s heading in the direction you envisioned.
- Potential Savings: In many cases, hiring a ghostwriter can actually save money or result in greater future profits. Whether you’re giving up profitable overtime work at your day job or turning down freelance projects to work on your book, you could lose more money than you think during the writing process, even if you haven’t hired a pro. Add to that the expense of hiring a copy editor or doing time-consuming rewrites, and the writing you did for “free” can start getting expensive.
With the help of a professional ghostwriter, rewriting and copy editing time is greatly reduced, resulting in the quick release of a well-written book that captures readers’ attention.
Do you have a compelling story, but aren’t sure how to bring it to life? Let Outskirts Press show you how to use ghostwriting to get your book on the fast track!
