7 Great Ways to Make it a Priority

I had a ghostwriting client who wanted to tell his story, but his priority also was to surf in the summer and ski in the winter. When the waves or slopes called, he was off. As a result, he never kept to a set schedule, making it impossible to consistently work on his project.

Granted, when we spoke, he was fully committed and never distracted, but our sessions were irregular. I tried for a while, even downloading WhatsApp so we could talk for free wherever he was (once he was surfing in El Salvador), but he still disappeared sometimes for months at a time. 

In September 2024, he took a break to build a house (which was his profession), and then the Palisades Fire in January 2025 delayed things further. He reached back out in August but then went dark in early October. As of publication, I haven’t heard from him since Oct. 7.

Contrast that with J.R. Moehringer’s working with Andre Agassi for his book, Open: An Autobiography. Moehringer told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Agassi would sit for long interviews and answer every question. With each of the nine drafts Moehringer wrote, Agassi would go through every line and cut, add, or shape the text. “In the end he was not only good to his word, he was better than his wor,” Moehringer said.

Ghostwriters understand this scenario: The ghostwriter wants to schedule a next meeting, but the client dithers, delays, cancels, or reschedules. When that happens, it becomes clear that the client doesn’t treat the project with the same priority as the ghostwriter. Any ghostwriter who has a similar client understands that the client is juggling a full life, and the ghostwriter can’t force emotional investment.

However, a ghostwriter can design the process so the client naturally sees the project as more of a priority. Here are seven ways.

1, Anchor the project to something bigger than the book. The first question I always ask a prospect is, “Why do you want to write a book?” I want to know and understand the motivations. Many times, a person’s reasons have less to do with the actual story and more about some deeper priority: legacy, business growth, inspiration, healing, or visibility.

One client wanted simply to leave his story for his family as his legacy. We started working, and he complained we weren’t working fast enough. I offered a second day each week to meet, and he declined for several months. So, I told him, “The next time you feel impatient, that we’re not moving fast enough, look in the mirror.”

He started making second appointments. He remembered the legacy and wanted to finish it as fast as possible.

When the book becomes the vehicle for what the client cares about, the book stops feeling optional and becomes a priority.

2. Use momentum a leverage. When a ghostwriter sends polished, compelling pages with regularity, clients start to see their book taking shape and, in effect, coming to life. That automatically helps them stay engaged and motivated to keep working.

Take the client who finally took me up on my offer of a second meeting each week. We started moving twice as fast (surprise!), and he started saying things like, “We’re making great progress” and “I can see the end in sight.”

I’m reminded of a marble vortex in which a marble spins around and around toward a hole in the center. It spins faster and faster as it gets closer to the center. Here, momentum equals priority.

3. Limit open-ended asks. Ghostwriters can help move things along by requesting the client provide feedback at a specific time. Instead of telling the client, “Send me your thoughts when you can,” tell them to “Please answer my three questions by Thursday.”

Specificity indicates priority and reduces procrastination, but if that doesn’t work…

4. Make delays visible but not vindictive. When delays occur, a ghostwriter can gently show the client how missed deadlines affect the timeline. “If we don’t get to this by Friday, the draft’s completion will have to be postponed for another two weeks.”

It’s important for the ghostwriter to neutrally inform the client doesn’t the client feel like he or she is being scolded. Instead, the ghostwriter’s emotionless tone indicates there’s cause and effect involved. In other words, make it a bigger priority and we won’t have this problem.

Of course, the same rules apply to the ghostwriter. If the ghostwriter says he or she will complete a chapter by a certain date, he or she had better meet that deadline.

5. If the pattern persists, call it out. If the client continues to procrastinate, delay, or disappear, the ghostwriter should inform the client that the ghostwriter is noticing the behavior pattern—again, as plainly, neutrally, and respectfully as possible.

I currently have yet another client who sometimes would rather surf than work (he was a professional surfer, after all, and is trying to get back into it). We started in January and in three months, he has begged off five meetings: three because the “waves are pumping,” according to one text, once because he was sick, and once because it was late and he was tired (even though that was the time he set).

I said to him, “I’m noticing the project isn’t getting the attention it deserves. Do we want to reset the timeline until you return home?” He was in Tahiti at the time.

This was my attempt at honesty instead of silent frustration. He asked for my availability and sent a thumbs-up emoji after I provided some alternate days and times. 

I continue to try and impress upon him that he needs to make his book as much of a priority as I am.

6. Invite the client to own it. I mean the ghostwriter should invite the client into key decisions, such as questions about tone, structure, and ordering the chapters. When clients feel co-ownership, they tend to stay more engaged.

I have a client who likes to get in the weeds. She wants input on all the chapter titles, on the formatting, on what goes into each chapter (and can details be broken into their own separate chapters), on the writing style (it needs to follow the first ghostwriter); and she recently asked if the book could have a preface and a prologue. When I said yes, she immediately knew what she wanted for each.

7. Be professional. Sometimes, modeling the behavior you want results in the client behaving the way you want. Therefore, a ghostwriter should always start meetings on time, hold deadlines, and don’t over-accommodate chronic delays. The ghostwriter’s professionalism sets the tone. In many cases, the client will eventually modify his or her behavior.

The bottom line is this: It isn’t about pushing the client, it’s about aligning importance. When the client experiences the book as urgent, meaningful, and structured, their behavior follow.

Feel free to read and check out my other posts related to ghostwriting. Go to https://leebarnathan.com/blog/