How to Hire a Professional Ghostwriter: A Guide

Have you ever dreamt of writing and publishing a book? Turning that dream into a reality can seem overwhelming, especially if you have to juggle work, family, and other priorities. If you find it hard to sit down and get that manuscript written, you might want to find a professional ghostwriter.

You may think this means getting someone to type words out for you, but it’s really a partnership. When you hire a ghostwriter, you get a seasoned expert who understands the art and craft of turning your stories and ideas into a polished manuscript. 

No matter what your book is about, when you find a ghostwriter who understands your vision so well they can lay it out in words, they’ll become your secret weapon to creating a page-turning book. 

Keep reading to learn how a professional ghostwriter can help you bring your ideas to life and why choosing the right partner in your publishing journey is the key to turning that book in your dreams into reality.

Why You Should Hire a Ghostwriter

Not everyone with a good idea for a novel or the expertise to fill a book has the time, inclination, or experience to turn these into a compelling manuscript. If you hire a professional ghostwriter, you’ll work with a partner who can bring your story to life—and more importantly, the written page.

You’ll find that a ghostwriter can help you with the nitty-gritty elements of getting your story told. A professional ghostwriter can and will:

• Organize your ideas and topics into chapters and sections, factoring in how your audience would like to read them
• Capture your voice in a way that makes the reader feel like you’re speaking to them directly
• Suggest ways to make your story and knowledge resonate better with readers
• Save you time, frustration, and effort by taking over the writing process while you focus on your life and work

As an author, when you hire a ghostwriter, it’s not a cheat or a hack for writing a book. It’s about finding an expert partner to help you focus on expressing your ideas and knowledge so they can translate these into the written word to help you deliver a top-quality, engaging manuscript.

The Ghostwriting Process: From Idea to Manuscript

How a professional ghostwriter takes your ideas and puts them onto the written page might feel like magic. But the secret sauce to the process is a mix of experience, expertise, and hard work. Here’s what you can expect to happen when you hire a ghostwriter:

Initial Consultation

Your journey from idea to manuscript starts with a discovery call. You and your ghostwriter would discuss:

• Your vision
• Your goals
• The target audience for your book
• Ideas you have 
• Topics, facts, or anecdotes you want to include
• Any questions you have about the process or about content you might not be sure about
• Questions they might have about what you’ve shared with them.

This consultation also gives you the chance to get to know your ghostwriter. Use it to check if they’ll be a good match for you and your book.

Outlining

After doing research and reviewing any materials or information you have provided, your professional ghostwriter will take your input and create a detailed outline of your book. The outline serves as a roadmap for your eventual readers’ experience and should include:

• Important themes
• Chapter breakdowns
• Significant points, including scene elements or anecdotes.

It doesn’t have to be set in stone, but the outline keeps both you and your ghostwriter focused and aligned as to how the final manuscript will be organized.

Drafting

Now comes the bulk of the work you probably had in mind when you first decided to hire a ghostwriter. Using your outline as a guide, the ghostwriter starts drafting your book. You’ll review sections as they’re written, usually on a set schedule for milestones in the drafting process. You’ll want to provide feedback on each section to ensure the manuscript captures your voice and message. 

Revisions

No manuscript is perfect in its first few drafts—whether you hire a ghostwriter or pen every word yourself. No matter how experienced or professional a ghostwriter is, there will be imperfections in what they initially write. Maybe they phrase things in ways you wouldn’t, or they miss out on information you need to provide them with. 

Because ghostwriting is a collaborative process, expect to go through multiple revisions. With each revision, you and your ghostwriter will refine your manuscript to better your vision and fulfill your goals in writing it.

Finalizing the Manuscript

When your manuscript is ready to move to the final stages, you’ll need to bring in fresh eyes and minds to look it over. Professional editors, proofreaders, and formatters will fix up your manuscript, working with your professional ghostwriter to polish it to perfection. Then, you can move on to publishing it.

Three Must-Haves for a Successful Ghostwriting Project

Collaboration and communication are the key elements for ensuring success when you hire a ghostwriter. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re just going to dump ideas on a professional ghostwriter and then sit back and wait for a manuscript to appear. 

Here are three essentials to ensure your manuscript is the best you and your ghostwriting partner can make it:

Trust and Rapport 

Because you need trust to build a solid client-writer relationship, find a ghostwriter you can connect with personally and professionally. You don’t have to be buddies, but the more comfortable you are with your ghostwriter, the better the ideas and stories will flow. When you hire a ghostwriter you respect and identify with, who respects and understands where you are coming from, you’ll find your manuscript will turn out more authentic to your voice and vision.

Your Unique Voice

A professional ghostwriter’s true superpower lies in capturing the uniqueness of your voice. Because the way your manuscript is written should actually sound like you, your ghostwriter will need to adapt their style to reflect your tone and personality.

But to do that, they need to immerse themselves in it. To help them do this, you might have to:

• Participate in interviews the ghostwriter will conduct with you
• Provide examples of your past writing
• Record yourself speaking, lecturing, or recounting stories.

Feedback Loops

Too many people think that when you hire a ghostwriter, you can share your ideas over a few calls or emails then have them go forth and produce a manuscript from that. On the contrary, a successful ghostwriting project requires a back-and-forth process involving regular check-ins and feedback sessions. The more active you are in this collaborative process, the better you’ll ensure the final product is something you’ll be proud to put your name on.

Tips to Find Your Ghostwriter Match

Here are a few tips to ensure you hire a ghostwriter who meshes well with you and is a good fit for your project:

1. Access a Network of Professional Ghostwriters.

A well-established publishing company can help you find a professional ghostwriter faster than doing it on your own. They will already have a pool of writers with experience in specific genres to match you with. After all, you don’t want to hire a writer who’s mostly worked on novels to write your business book, or vice versa. For example, Jenkins Group offers a structured Ghostwriting Search and Selection Process to ensure the best pairings between clients and writers.

2. Ensure an Organized, Transparent Process.

When you work with an experienced publishing company, they’re more likely to have a clear, tried-and-true roadmap for how to get to your goal of a polished manuscript. This “map” will include milestones and provisions for alternate routes to better fit your needs. You’ll also get regular updates and direct communication so you’ll be confident your project is in good hands.

3. Find a Publishing Company That Can Assist You Beyond Ghostwriting.

Hiring individual writers instead of professional ghostwriters affiliated with a publishing company can mean lower costs, but also higher risks and lower quality. If you choose a company that can help you through every stage of the publishing journey, you’ll get a more seamless final product. Your ghostwriter will be able to work alongside your editor and proofreader when polishing your manuscript to award-winning quality.

Real-World Examples of Successful Ghostwriting Projects

When you hire a ghostwriter, you’re investing in a creative partner with the know-how to transpose your ideas and knowledge into engaging stories meant to captivate your readers.

Check out these real-world examples of how Jenkins Group’s professional ghostwriters have brought unique projects to life.

Commemorating a Corporate Milestone

For an international mining company’s 10th anniversary, ghostwriter Shawn Smucker traveled to the company’s remote headquarters, where he interviewed executives, stakeholders, and local residents. He used their stories to showcase the company’s positive impact on its community. 

With over 1,000 copies going to print in early 2025, this commemorative book celebrates the company’s legacy, sharing its corporate history with a sense of depth and authentic human experience.

Capturing a Century of Passion

To celebrate the 125-year legacy of a renowned model train company, professional ghostwriter Ellen Neuborne dove deep into the company’s history. She collaborated with insiders and enthusiasts to craft a compelling account to honor the brand’s heritage and create a narrative that resonates with long-time fans.

The book will launch in spring 2025 with a beautifully designed print run of 5,000 copies.

An Inspiring Business Memoir

We are set to launch an inspiring business memoir exploring how the CEO of a global medical solutions company used his experiences with adversity to shape his leadership philosophy. Seasoned ghostwriter Marcia Layton Turner recounts personal stories with sensitivity and insight in this memoir, which will have an initial print run of 3,000 copies.