7 Sure Fire Ghostwriter Questions

Last week, I wrote about four questions every ghostwriter should ask a prospect. Read it here. One could argue that those are the four most important questions because they should be asked first, but that doesn’t mean the next seven aren’t important, too.

What format should the book take? As I’ve written previously, there are seven parts to the book process. The second part deals with format. Ask this question because to see if the prospect has thought about the project beyond the story. Is the prospect aware of how long and detailed the story is? Does the prospect think it’s detailed enough to be a full novel, or is it more like a novella or ebook?

If the prospect does’t have the answer to this question, that’s okay because that can be left to the ghostwriter. 

How would you like to publish? This is related to last week’s question about what success looks like. In many instances, a prospect or a client has an idea of whether they want to self-publish or pursue publication via a traditional Big Five publisher or a hybrid publisher.

I believe movies and TV shows have done a terrible job of showing how difficult it is to successfully get published the traditional way. The reality is that Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster have one primary goal: make as much money and profit as possible. That means they want to sell as many copies of a book as possible. That means they want to go with known quantities, established bestsellers, celebrities, or people with name recognition. That means they’re not interested in taking a chance on somebody new or lacking in public recognition.

That means the odds of getting signed by one are astronomical. That leaves hybrid and self-publishing. 

I believe movies and TV shows also have done a terrible job of showing just how expensive it is to get a book written and published. Quality ghostwriting costs between $15,00-$50,000. Hybrid publishing is pay to play, so a person only pays for the services wanted or needed. But that can run up to $100,000, and there’s no guarantee the hybrid publisher will work hard to get the book sold. It’s crucial to do your homework and pick a hybrid publisher that’s right for you. I have a network and can introduce clients to them, but that doesn’t mean the client or the publisher will agree it’s a fit.

Self-publishing is easily the cheapest and fastest way to get a book published. It usually costs less than $10,000. Amazon has a complete publishing platform called Kindle Direct Publishing that a lot of people use. 

The next three questions should be asked to get a sense of how far down the line a prospect is thinking. The more complete the answers, the more thought a prospect has given. It’s okay if they haven’t, it just means a ghostwriter will have to answer those questions eventually.

What kind of editing do you need? Many people hire a ghostwriter because they want a finished manuscript to shop around. The reality is that no matter how solid a job the ghostwriter does, there still needs to be an independent set of eyes looking at the manuscript once it’s complete.

There are many types of editing, from developmental to copy editing  to line editing to proofreading. There’s also beta reading, which isn’t editing but can serve a similar purpose. 

Once the manuscript is done, a ghostwriter can advise what type of editing is needed. It’s not very expensive, and it provides great value. Again, I have a list I can refer.

What kind of title/book cover have you considered? Most prospects have an idea for a book title (I include in all contracts that the ghostwriter does not have final say over title but can make suggestions), but if they don’t, that;’s okay. I have found that as the writing process continues, a title usually makes itself known.

Most prospects don’t give the book cover or page design much thought, and that’s okay early on. Eventually, they will need somebody to design the pages. That includes determining the font and size of the words, the margins, the chapter heads, and wrapping copy around any photos, charts, or graphics (if applicable) or skipping a page because a piece of art takes the entire page.

Then there’s a need to come up with a cover that will be attractive and help sell. According to designer Jen Montgomery, the cover needs to look good as a thumbnail on Amazon.

Montgomery says a cover and interior page design costs between $6,000 and $11,000.

How will you publicize/market your book? This question also is related to the success question. Again, I blame movies and TV shows for failing to show how much work goes into alerting the public about a book. It looks like the book’s published and just flies off the shelf, which is simply untrue.

Marketing to the target audience is critical to have any kind of success, so if the prospect hasn’t thought about how to do that, the ghostwriter can offer some suggestions.

It’s very easy to do it yourself. A person can reach out to his/her/their network of friends, family, business associates, associations, mailing lists, chambers of commerce, people they meet at conferences, civic groups, and/or religious groups and let them know. A person can reach out to local libraries or bookstores and arrange a reading or a talk. 

Social media is another outlet: a website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram—wherever the target audience is. There also are book promotion websites like BookBub or Goodreads. 

Another option is hire a professional marketer, but expect to pay between $900 and $20,000 a month for at least six months before seeing any kind of return.

What questions would you like to ask of me? A ghostwriter spends a lot of time talking to a prospect to see if the project is intriguing and worth investing a year or more. But it’s a two-way street: A prospect also has to feel comfortable with the ghostwriter, so a ghostwriter should give the prospect a chance to ask anything about the ghostwriter’s philosophy, process, past experience, and anything else related to working together that the prospect wants to know.

It’s important that the two sides “click,” meaning they relate to each other, their philosophies are similar, there’s equal enthusiasm for the project, and the sides can speak freely without worry.

Finally, I finish with a yes/no question: Assuming price is no object, are you ready to move forward?

If the answer is no, then there are issues still to be resolved, and they need to be resolved before price is discussed. If the answer is yes, then financial terms get disclosed and discussed. Approving those means the contract gets sent out.

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