What Goes into Ghostwriting a Book
If you have thought about writing a book, and you likely have since over 80% of people say they want to write a book, you know it can take some work. It’s so much work that only about 3% of people who start writing actually finish their book. Those who are really dedicated to spreading the word about what they do know that a book ghostwriter can get them from an idea in their head to a book in their hand.
Ghostwriting is still a little obscure. You know that a ghostwriter is the one who does all the hard work of writing, and you get all of the credit, but what does the process look like?
The following is a brief outline of how it all goes down. While there may be some slight differences along the way, this is how we get started once we’re all fully committed to making this happen.
My 10ish Steps in the Book Ghostwriting Process
When you have that idea bouncing around in your head but haven’t started organizing those thoughts, I’ll help you get there.
Step 1 – We sit down and have an interview. I get all the details, the ideas, the concepts, and the goals. We determine what you want the reader to take away from the book after they have finished reading. We develop the overarching plan and idea of the entire book.
Step 2 – We sit down for another interview. I get a few more details on your goals, ideas, and concepts that will be included in the book. I get clarification on any of the details, the ideas, and the concepts we talked about the last time. If you have some sample books that you love the flow or the structure of, we’ll review them at this time.
Step 3 – I review those notes, other notes you sent over, your website, blogs, and anything else that might be relevant to your book. I organize it into a logical flow that helps draw the reader into the story. We look it over, and if you like it, we’ll take it and run with it.
Step 4 – We go through chapter by chapter or concept by concept, and I ask questions about each one. I get a personal story on how you learned it, how you applied it, and how others can also apply it to their own lives.
Step 5 – We go back through, chapter by chapter or concept by concept. I ask detailed questions about each of those stories to get the feelings behind what was happening. When you walked into that office, what did you feel? Was it hot or cold? Did it smell funny? Were you anxious, nervous, angry, or something else?
Step 6 – I sit down with all the notes and start writing. I string together witty words of wisdom, paragraphs of punny prose, and tales of terrific transformations. Whatever style you’re shooting for, I adapt my writing to capture your voice.
Step 7 – As each chapter is completed, it’s dropped into a Google Drive folder where you can review it for accuracy. Once it’s given the “Looks Good!” I’ll go back and edit for grammar and structure.
Step 8 – When everything has been completed, I review the book again, looking for inconsistencies, mistakes, or things that otherwise just don’t flow. These developmental edits further draw out the story behind it all.
Step 9 – It’s off to editing. The editor does a line edit to catch any other errors, improve sentence structure, explain that “lie” and “lay” cannot be used interchangeably, and all those other little nuances that our brains, for whatever reason, just skip right over.
Step 10 – Once the edits are complete, the book goes to design and, ultimately, publication. This is well beyond the ghostwriting process, so it’s largely out of my hands by this time. But we’ll still work together as needed, and I’ll wait until the book goes live so I can purchase my own copy.
Are You Ready to Be a Published Author?
There’s a good chance you want to write a book. What’s holding you back? Have you started and just pushed it aside for the last several years? Do you just keep saying, “I want to, but I’m not sure of the process”? Or is it just that you don’t think you’re a good enough writer?
Let’s talk about it. I have great ways that you can become a published author within a year and a leading expert who helps other people as you train them to be just as awesome as you are.