Writing Tip of the Week

Ghostwriting Tip #3

How to Work with a Ghostwriter

(How Your Client Should Work With You)

The author (name goes on the book cover) usually has one of two reasons for hiring a ghostwriter (name goes on the paycheck). One, the author has the ability to write, but lacks the time or the inclination to do the hard work of actually applying fingers to keyboard. As one of my authors said, “I can write this, but you can do in six months what it would take me six years to write.” Two, they can’t write it, but they have something to say and they recognized the need for professional help saying it.

??And that’s why God invented ghostwriters and paychecks.

1.?????Know your message. Be able to state what your book is about in a single sentence. “This

is a book about my life story” isn’t a message. “This is the story of my struggle against sexism/racism/ageism as I climbed my way to the top of the XYZ industry” is a message. “How my faith supported me in rebuilding my business after the market crashed and I became homeless” is a message. “Follow my ten steps to prosperity and personal happiness in your professional and personal life” is a message.

??This step is essential because it is the base of the entire book. It will shape every chapter,

page, paragraph and sentence. Get it right because one wrong step here sets you up to stumble your way through the entire project.

2.?????Make sure you and your ghostwriter are on the same page. This is your book and your

ghostwriter must understand your perspective and the force driving you to have your story written. You may feel some uneasiness at first, but adjustments will be made during the process. You will learn from each other. You must feel confident and comfortable working together so that author and writer can see that the author’s message is told properly. You don’t have to become bowling buddies, but you do have to develop a relationship that encourages open, honest and frank discussion.

??The ghostwriter must know the real audience for the book. Who/what group is the true target audience for the work?

3.?????Keep the lines of communication open and flowing. I don’t require nor do I provide

excessive “hand holding,” but the telephone and especially e-mail allows author and writer with easy, convenient and efficient ways to make sure the project is on time and budget. Don’t nag your writer, but you should expect timely and regular updates. Also, your writer will require additional information and focus throughout the process. Make sure you are accessible and that you respond in a timely manner. You’re the boss, but you are involved also as a collaborator.

4.?????Provide the information your writer needs when he or she needs it. The manner in

which you provide information should be convenient for author and writer. Some of my authors write a very rough first draft which I rewrite using additional materials, interviews and my own experiences. Some authors prefer to dictate their thoughts and then transfer the recording to a CD or send them over the Internet. (If the book is lengthy, I do not transcribe such recordings. The author provides typed transcripts.) Virtually anything can be used as source material provided the writer does not plagiarize that material. The writer can take the information contained in a book, magazine, e-zine, newspaper or whatever and completely re-write it in the author’s voice. He or she cannot legally “cut and paste” material from any source.

??I have had authors tell me to “just take that from the magazine/book/whatever and use it” and

I have adamantly refused. That’s to protect the author from his own foolishness and to protect me from doing harm to my professional reputation. Believe me, if you steal copyrighted works, you will get caught.

5.?????Provide or develop with your writer a chapter-by-chapter outline. You know where

you want your book to go, but your writer really doesn’t. Help him help you by providing the directions. Expect to change the order of chapters, delete chapters, break up or add new chapters as the story develops. This is okay and a standard part of the process, but the original outline helps keep each of you focused on the ultimate message.

??One author told me, “Oh, don’t worry about that. You can get everything you need on the

Internet.” My response was, (a polite), “Well, then why do I need you?” The command to find it on the Internet won’t do. When using source material from the Internet, provide specific websites and the specific materials to be used (dates, titles, and so on). When referencing books, cite the chapters and page numbers where the specific information can be found.

6.?????Write a contract or letter of agreement. Every situation and every relationship is unique,

but an author/writer contract should at least cover the list that follows. As a point of reference, my contract is a page and a half long and in plain English. Always listen to your lawyers, but also listen to your common sense. I’ve seen lawyers so “over-protect” their client that the book involved took significantly longer to produce than necessary. Your message does no one any good if it’s stacked up on someone’s desk waiting for yet another review.

??Define the book. State the subject matter and a working title.

??Responsibilities. State who does what. Generally, that means the author provides the

information and the writer provides the writing.

??Compensation. State the full compensation and how it is to be paid. Expect to make an initial

payment to get the project started.?I get paid in installments as certain portions of the book are completed with a final payment due upon delivery of the final draft.

??Royalties. If the writer is to receive royalties, state how much, how they are to be computed

and how they are to be paid.

??Expenses. Be specific. For example, as a writer I don’t charge for a 15 minute run to the post

office and a postage stamp just to drop something off to an author. I will charge for time and hotel/food/travel expenses if I have to invest a week on location in researching the project.

??Exclusivity. Author and writer agree to work exclusively with each other on the project. It is

reasonable to include a non-compete clause in which the writer agrees not to work on an identical project with another author while working with you.

??Deadlines. A reasonable deadline is one year from the initial payment date. A first draft can

take six months. Three drafts are usually all that are required. The first draft is often called the “rough” draft and for good reason. The second draft should incorporate the author’s corrections, additions, deletions, specific suggestions, and comments. A third draft should be the final version in which you and the writer double-check facts, grammar and spelling, and make any final stylistic changes – were you feeling happy or were you feeling elated and that sort of fine tuning.

??Credit. The writer will ask for cover credit “as told do” or “and” or “with” and that’s fine.

The cover credit, however, is strictly up to you, not the writer. Often the writer gets some type of credit in the Acknowledgments section. I’m often credited as the writer. “Thanks to Dan who took all my crazy thoughts and….” Sometimes the credit is more obscure, such as a thank you for an unspecified “contribution.” In most cases, this isn’t a deal-breaker with me. The name I and most writers are concerned with is the one appearing on the paycheck.

??Note, however, that if you are an author on a budget, cover credit can be a negotiable item

and one most ghostwriters covet.

??Copyright. This is a negotiable matter. Some writers will want to share copyright and others

will just want to be paid their fee and be done with the project.

??Agents/Attorneys. If they’re involved, state who and define their responsibilities and limits.

??Premature termination of the agreement. State what happens to the project and project funds

and payments should either party back out of the agreement before completion.

??Arbitration. It’s a far better option than going to court. If you and your writer are residents of

different states, note the state in which any arbitration will take place.

??Before beginning the adventure of writing your book, invest sufficient time to contemplate

the steps you are about to take. Remember the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the book.”

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Quote of the Week: “The difference between a satirist and a humorist is that the satirist shoots to kill while the humorist brings his prey back alive.” Peter De Vries

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