What Is a Ghostwriter?
If you’ve read a book by a business leader, politician, movie star—or anyone else who isn’t a professional writer—there’s a good chance the actual writing was done by someone else. A ghostwriter. Ghostwriters are the open secret of the publishing industry. A ghostwriter is a professional writer who pens (or heavily edits) a manuscript, based on ideas, content, or subject expertise supplied by the credited author. Ghostwriters usually work anonymously and confidentially, but are occasionally credited by a “with” or an “as told to” on the book cover.
Why Use a Ghostwriter?
Writing is a high-level craft that requires native talent and years of dedicated practice to master. Most people who want to author a book don’t have the time or inclination to learn to write at this level. Why would they? They have other skills to work on, like running companies or painting portraits. They want their book out there now, and they want it to be excellent. They know they need professional help to get it there.
Think of it this way. If you wanted to custom-design a house, you might sketch out some of your desired features and write down a list of ideas and specifications. But you probably would not attempt to draw the architectural plans or do the actual construction; you’re not a trained architect or builder. You would employ experts to take the plan from the idea stage to the wood-and-plaster stage. Working with a ghostwriter is similar.
How Do Ghostwriters Work?
A good ghostwriter collaborates with authors at whatever skill level they’re at to produce compelling, professional, and publishable manuscripts. Sometimes the ghostwriter “pulls” the book from the author via a series of interviews; sometimes the ghostwriter works with notes, outlines, or early drafts provided by the author. There is then a drafting process, in which the ghostwriter sends the author chapters as they are written, and the author makes notes and comments. Finally, there is a revision and approval stage. A good ghostwriter is flexible and tries to make the process as painless and enjoyable as possible for the author.
Is Using a Ghostwriter Ethical?
Consider this: is it “ethical” to take readers’ money for a poorly written book that will bore and confuse them and they’ll never finish? You want to give your readers value for their money, and you want to get your message across clearly and compellingly. Ghostwriters help ensure you accomplish both goals.
In the end, the book is still authentically yours. It contains your ideas, your stories, your information. And you collaborated on the writing. So your authorship is not “fake” in any way.
Why Work with Andy?
Andy Wolfendon is a top-tier ghostwriter who has worked with business leaders, self-made millionaires/billionaires, spiritual teachers, thought leaders, and subject experts to create exceptional books that have made bestseller lists, won awards, and been published by top houses such as Random House, Berkley, Impact, BenBella Books, Skyhorse, Brown, and HCI Books. He can write in virtually any subject area, and is especially strong in self-help, business advice, inspiration/spirituality, memoirs, children’s, humor, and psychology. Adding a touch of humor and relatability to otherwise “heavy” topics is one of his specialties.
Andy also writes exceptional book proposals, which have led to numerous publishing deals for his clients.
Want your book to jump off the page with glow-in-the-dark writing/editing? Andy can help.
How Much Does Ghostwriting Cost?
It’s impossible to offer a single price for all books, because every project is different in terms of length, complexity, required research, and the amount/quality of input from the author. Some projects are more in the editing realm; others are pure writing jobs.
Keep in mind, though, that a writing a good book typically takes 2-4 months of full-time work. Freelance websites like Guru or Upwork tend to create the impression you can get a book written for $250 or $1000. But paying a “writer” a fraction of minimum wage is not the ticket to a great book. Generally speaking, decent ghostwriters’ fees begin in the low five figures and range upward, depending on the requirements of the job.
For an estimate, click here or go to Contact Me. Briefly describe your project and Andy will send you writing samples and a fee estimate.