Finding a Ghostwriter Capable of Writing Your Bestseller

The ads on the Internet for ghostwriters and ghostwriting companies claiming "Clients have become bestsellers" just go on and on, don't they?  Unfortunately, this is a hollow claim.  A potential client last week told me that he'd contacted one of the big ghostwriting firms and been handed over to a young girl, an English major, who had just graduated from college.  She'd never written a book in her life let alone a bestseller.

I have written for fiction writers and businessmen and businesswomen who are tops in their fields.  One client has been affiliated with Doubleday, Random House, Oxford University Press, and Rizzoli.  Another recent client has sold books in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

So how can you find a ghostwriter who can make your novel or nonfiction book a contender?

First, don't believe everything on the Internet about ghostwriters.  In fact, believe almost none of it.  Most ghostwriting websites are filled with glitzy ads that don't hold up under scrutiny.  Choose an independent ghostwriter since almost all ghostwriting firms deal in volume and are really POD companies attempting to get customers who will pay to have a book printed after a rookie has produced a poorly-written manuscript.  These companies couldn't care less about your dreams, goals, or the quality of the writing.  They just want your money. 

Contact a ghostwriter with a query email that summarizes your proposed book.  You own the copyright to your material, so be professional and don't merely write an email that says "I want to know about your service.  Call me at 555-5555."  Agents and editors in New York City delete these kinds of queries or throw them in the trash.

Talk with the ghostwriter on the phone and/or exchange emails to see if the ghostwriter handles your kind of book or story, but beware.  Most low-level ghostwriters will handle any job even if they have no expertise in a given area.

Next, check to see if the ghostwriter has a publishing record, both for his clients and under his own name.

Finally, select a ghostwriter who shares your passion and interest.  Make sure you're not just another job or number.  The ghostwriter should be able to connect with you and your ideas at a deep level.  Remember that online ghostwriting is becoming both a scam industry and a place for amateurs and moonlighters to earn some extra money.  In the end, you get what you pay for.  You don't pay a doctor five dollars to take out your tonsils.

~William Hammett

Contact: wmhammett@aol.com