By Lisa Montalto

While the word “ghost” might bring up images of a floating spirit, a ghostwriter is all about bringing your ideas to life. An experienced ghostwriter can be one of the most valuable assets for your project.

There are many reasons why you might want to hire a ghostwriter, even if you’re a writer yourself, but here are just a few to consider.

● Inexperience
The first, and most obvious reason, you might consider hiring a professional ghostwriter is because you’re not a writer. You may not have experience with writing and want your project to appear professional, without common spelling and grammar mistakes, structural issues, or flow. The bigger the project, the more it makes sense to consider a ghostwriter. When writing a novel or screenplay, there are specific skills involved that a ghostwriter can provide and that you might not be adept at yourself.

● Not Enough Time
You may be a writer yourself, but just don’t have the time. Maybe you’re working on other projects or have another job, a family, or travel obligations. These are great reasons to contact a ghostwriter to get your project done. They can take your idea and run with it, while you attend to other things. A good ghostwriter will keep in constant contact and deliver pages on a regular basis for your review.

● Polishing
Even if you’ve written something yourself, you may want another set of eyes or thoughts on what you’ve written. A ghostwriter not only writes, but they edit, and therefore they can polish your work and make it shine. Even if you think it’s perfect already, you’d be surprised at what a ghostwriter can do to take it to the next level of professionalism and creativity.

How to Find A Ghostwriter

So how do you find ghostwriting services? The important part of your search is doing your due diligence. This means doing your research to make sure the ghostwriter is a good fit. Just because they’re a good fit for someone else, doesn’t mean they’re right for you. One of the first things to consider is if the writer has experience with your type of project. Some ghostwriters specialize in articles or web content, while others are more proficient in writing novels or screenplays, and genre is equally important. If you’re writing a thriller and hire a ghostwriter who specializes in comedy, you might not get exactly what you’re looking for. Now, most ghostwriters have experience in many genres, but you just want to make sure you’re connecting with someone who understands your vision. The best ghostwriters are able to adapt their work to match your voice and style.

It’s very important to look at the writer’s credentials, view samples of their work, and ask about their timeline for delivery. A phone call with the writer is also essential in determining if you will work well together. If someone offers to write an entire book or screenplay in a week, that could be suspect. Ask for an official contract with a concise outline of what is expected as far as delivery of pages, number of edits or polish, payment structure, and due dates. Any good ghostwriter will provide all this.

One of the most crucial things you can do when hiring a ghostwriter is to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). This protects your work and maintains your full ownership rights over the material. You should also discuss credits. Most ghostwriters do not expect their names to appear anywhere on your work, but in some cases, you may want to give them a writing credit, which is entirely up to you but should also be discussed up front and stated in the official contract.

Working with a ghostwriter is typically a mutually rewarding experience for both parties involved, and can even be a learning experience for you when you view their work. Most times you’ll want to work with that same ghostwriter again and again. There are many ghostwriters out there and ghostwriting service companies usually contract with the best of the best. Their ghostwriters are already vetted, and the services company will handle any grievances and make sure the project is delivered on time and is highly polished. So, if you’re thinking about your next project, consider hiring a ghostwriter. We have many expert ghostwriters on the roster at Ghostwriters Central, Inc. Help is just one click away.