Am I 1 Great Right Fit for You?

I recently had a first conversation with a ghostwriting prospect. Toward the end, she asked a very standard question: “What makes you the right person for me?”

My answer: “I can’t say I am right. That has to come from you.”

This might seem like I was passing the buck. What I really did was shift the conversation away from selling and move it toward compatibility.

Ghostwriting is a mutual decision. You’re deciding whether to hire me. I’m deciding whether I’m the right person to tell your story.

Here are seven reasons why that’s true.

1. You can’t manufacture chemistry. When you and your ghostwriter interact, your personalities shine through. There’s either sympathetic understanding and rapport, or there isn’t. That’s a connection that can’t be forced. You either have it or you don’t.

You have to “click” with your ghostwriter. You have to feel like you relate to him, that your philosophies match, and that your ghostwriter will provide you with the amount of encouragement, enthusiasm, and candor that you seek.

Remember that you’re about to enter a relationship that might last months or years. As writer Kovi Fine, founder of a service that creates personalized autobiographies, put it:

This is more than just checking boxes on a resume. You’re looking for a creative partner, someone you can trust with your most personal thoughts and professional insights. It’s a bit like dating. You need real chemistry for it to work.

Personal fit matters. You could have two ghostwriters of similar ability and experience that will give you equally good books, but one’s personality might fit you better. Ask yourself, “Did I enjoy talking with this ghostwriter?”

2. You have to trust. Don’t hire a ghostwriter because they tell you they’re trustworthy. Hire one because, after your talk to them, you feel comfortable enough that you will tell them something you hadn’t planned to share.

Any ghostwriter can talk about their abilities, strengths, and limitations and how they can do the same for you. Any ghostwriter can brag that they know how to handle those deeply emotional and vulnerable moments with the right amount of sensitivity and care because they’ve done it.

Pay less attention to what they claim and more attention to how they behave. Do they ask thoughtful questions? Do they listen carefully? Do they answer difficult questions directly? Do they to explain what they don’t do well? 

Actions speak louder than promises and claims.

Researchers at University of Dayton and Xavier University found trust is built from the client’s perspective, not the professional’s. Read it here.

Only you can determine whether you’ll feel comfortable sharing those extremely personal moments, events, and feelings. Emotional safety is important, and only you can decide if your ghostwriter creates the proper safe environment.

Remember that trust does’t come after five minutes. A feeling that you can trust does, but then your ghostwriter’s actions has to back it up. Ask yourself, “Would I feel comfortable telling this person something I’ve never heard before?”

3. What’s “right” = what you need. I had a client that wanted to get our project done in three months, and that’s what we did. He wanted speed.

I have another client who has taken two years, and we’re still not finished. He values getting the story right over getting it done faster. 

I’ve had clients want speeches written less than a week before the event; another came to me six months before he would need it.

Whether I’m the right ghostwriter for you depends on your priorities.

4. Communication styles differ. Some clients want frequent meetings. Others want more independence. Some want their ghostwriter to be rah-rah. Others want their ghostwriter to be blunt and unforgiving. And I have one client who wants both. He wants to be assured that he and I are seeing the story moving in the same direction, and he wants me to tell him when his idea isn’t working.

How strongly do you want to feel heard, understood, and respected during conversations? How do you want your ghostwriter to express those? I can say I’m a good listener, but only you can decide if you feel truly heard.

You have to know how you respond to different types of communicators, then decide if I’m right for you. Ask yourself, “Did I leave the conversation felling understood?”

5. So do expectations. A project succeeds when both parties share and agree to expectations about the process. For example, I have run into problems when clients don’t understand that a first draft is just that: a first attempt. It will get better. You have to understand that.

Similarly, you have to accept that ghostwriting is an incredible collaborative venture that will require us to spend copious amounts of time together.

The above study reported that agreeing on expectations is a core element of successful working relationships. Ask yourself, “Do I understand exactly how this project will work?”

6. What kind of book? Some ghostwriters are great at memoirs. Others are better at YA fiction. You need to do some homework and figure out if I can write the type of book you want ghostwritten.

I write nonfiction, specifically memoir/autobiography, business books, and expository essays/points of view. I would be wrong for you if you wanted a poetry book, a sci-fi novel, or historical fiction.

7. Go with your instincts. If possible, talk with more than one ghostwriter. Ask each the same questions, then pay close attention to their answers and to how you felt while talking to them..

Did you feel heard? Respected? Did the ghostwriter seem more interested in your story than in selling their services?

Credentials matter. Experience matters. But so does chemistry. If you don’t feel comfortable trusting that person with your story, move on.

You’ll be spending months, perhaps years, working together. The right ghostwriter isn’t simply the one with the best résumé. It’s the one you trust to tell your story with honesty, skill, and care.

That’s why, when my prospect asked, “What makes you the right person for me?” I answered, “I can’t say I am right. That has to come from you.”

If you’re thinking about a book and want to talk through whether we’d be a good fit, take a look at some of my other posts on ghostwriting at https://leebarnathan.com/blog/ or reach out directly to set up a conversation.