What do you do if you have a story or expertise to share, but are not a writer yourself or simply don't think you have the time to write a book? The typical belief is that you need to hire a ghostwriter. You Don't!
I've managed dozens of ghostwriters for clients over the years and now work with best-selling authors and writers at the highest level. Let me share with you what I have learned, and the reasons I no longer hire ghostwriters for my clients. Let me save you from the aggravation, unhappiness and wasted money that I've seen too many endure. Then, once you've heard the reasons why you should not hire a ghostwriter, stick around and I'll share with you what I believe to not only be the better approach for your voice and your message, but also the less expensive option!
Remember the movie where the guy hired a hitman to kill his wife? A ghostwriter is kind of like the hitman: they both walk away when the job is over. And they both want the money up front.
When was the last time you saw a ghostwriter touting his new book in a local newspaper? Never, because he's a ghostwriter. It's not his book. He has been paid and has moved on to another project. Where do you think that ghostwriter will be when it comes to marketing, branding, packaging, and publishing your book?
Ghostwriters don't need to make nice with publishers or literary agents, but they like to pretend they have a proverbial foot in the door to gain your business. You may be dazzled by their so-called industry connections, but you'll be sorely disappointed when you discover these connections are nothing more than cousins, friends, and college roommates.
Are you a good manager? We hope so. Because that's part of the role you'll play when it comes to hiring most ghostwriters. With their "You are not the boss of me attitude", ghostwriters aren't particularly motivated by your looming deadlines, pleas for urgency, or even whip-cracking threats.
Excuses. Tantrums. Drama. Personal problems. You'll foot the bill for all these little extras when you work with many ghostwriters. Shouldn't the drama remain in the writing?
Put the fate of your book in one person's hands. A single person certainly has an exceptionally diverse writing background, the variety of perceptions and ideas, and the 4-5 degrees necessary to give you a well-rounded and original manuscript and finished book. Right. Right?
Did you grow up dreaming of writing a book that sounds like it was done by someone else? Probably not. But what sometimes happens is the words that end up on the page read like they came from a ghostwriter's pen not yours.
When you make a huge life decision, you only ask the opinion of one person you barely know, right? Of course not! So why would you trust your manuscript, the one you've labored over forever, to a lone stranger, hoping he can make the words from your soul sing?
It's your story. Don't let someone else write it. Pull up a seat at The Table.
Ready? Contact Erin@roundtablecompanies.com....
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