Is there a great story in your mind that is just crying out to be told? Are you an expert on a certain subject and want to share your knowledge with others? Do you try and try but can’t get the words out of your head and down on paper. What can you do to get your book written?
There are many people with a great story to tell but they just can’t get it out of their heads and down onto the paper. What can they do? They hire a professional to write it for them. This process is called hiring a ghostwriter. The process is pretty simple.
•Decide on your topic
•Decide whether it is fiction or non-fiction
•List the sources you want to use for reference
•Write down your information, as best you can, for the person you hire
•Decide on the number of pages you want the book to be
•Decide the number of words you want written
•Visit sites online that offer the services of a ghostwriter and pick one
•Discuss the job with the person in question
•Decide on a price for the job
•Decide on how much you will contribute to the text and how much leniency you will give the ghostwriter with your book
•Sign an agreement assigning the copy write of the book you when it is finished
•Have a confidentiality agreement drawn up between the two of you
•Decide on a set of milestones and dates for them
•Decide on a date for final delivery of the book to you
•Deliver the information you have prepared for the ghostwriter to him or her
•Review the book’s text at regular intervals while the ghostwriter is working and make changes as needed with the ghostwriter
•Review the final copy the ghostwriter provides
•Either make changes or give your approval on the book
•Make the payment to the ghostwriter
Once the work has been performed and you have it in your hands, you can begin to make arrangements to get the work published. There are several POD publishers that offer services to assist in Amazon.com offers a program to publish your book. WWW.authorsden.com offers a program to publish your book. Several states offer publishing programs through their university presses. Some of these are self publishing programs. It is important to realize that self publishing means that you, the author, must make some payment for the privilege of having the book published; these programs do not pay the author to publish but they do pay dividends on the number of books sold. WWW.LuLu.com does have a program that is free. Your only cost is for the number of copies you purchase for yourself. Self publishing is finally something that an aspiring author can afford.
Once you have received the work from the ghostwriter and had it published, it bears your name and is all yours. You will reap all of the benefits of the published book. If there are television appearances they will be made by you. This means that you will need to know the information in the book in case they ask you questions. You can’t be the expert if you don’t know the text.
Ghostwriters put words down on paper for people who want to write but just can’t put things into words. You will want to check out your potential ghost before hiring him/her so that you can feel comfortable putting your name on the finished product. Read some work done by your ghost before you decide. You will want the ghost’s voice to reflect your own.
How do you find your ghostwriter?
•Check out the ads in magazines for writers (Writer’s Digest, Bookclub; Romantic Times, writer’s journals from your state and writer’s groups
•Check freelance sites online such as GURU, ELANCE and others
•Check the library for publications and books that will have this listing
Good luck with getting your book on the shelf at your nearest bookstore.
PD Rivers is a freelance writer based in central Florida who ghostwrites for people who just can't get their words down on paper. As a ghostwriter for other people she has continued her education past her University days and continues to learn about new topics every day. She always does her own research and writes in a conversational tone that is easy to read and understand. Her own years writing a weekly newspaper column have given her an insight into what readers want in a book. She has experience copy writing, editing for established publishing companies as well as the newer self publishing companies that are springing up everyday.
"Being a ghostwriter means you never step into the limelight. If you want to be recognized when you walk down the street because of a book you have written then you won't make it as a ghostwriter. A ghostwriter has to give every his or her best effort even though he/she will never receive credit for what he/she has written. You can't be a spot light type of person and be a ghostwriter."
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