Dealing with 2 Great Lingering Clients

I have two clients whose manuscripts I have pretty much completed. Time to usher them onto the editing phase.

But wait! They’re not ready to move on. They’re dawdling, as if they are afraid to leave the comfort of the year-plus relationship they have enjoyed with me. I’m trying to get them to think about what they want in an editor, but they’re not getting back to me.

Christine Kloser, publisher of Seshat Press, has a term for people like that: “the lingering client.”

To be fair, one client might have a legitimate reason: He recently received a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia. Our twice-a-week meetings that lasted ninety minutes are now one session of between thirty and ninety minutes as he lays in a bed in a medical rehab center recovering from chemo, infusions, and whatever other treatments he must endure. Fortunately, he has paid in full, and all that’s left is to massage the last paragraphs of the final chapter and finalize the book’s title.

That leaves the other client. Again, to be fair, he is reading the entire manuscript one more time (it’s currently 242 pages and 81,785 words) when previously he only had to read 15,000 to 20,000 words at a time because we set it up that way.

Still, ghostwriting relationships often blur into something more personal than transactional, at least in the client’s mind. A ghostwriter needs to make a clean break, an elegant closure if you will, for everybody’s benefit.

Here are seven professional ways a ghostwriter can disengage without burning bridges or harming their reputations.

1. Finish strong and close formally. A ghostwriter must continue to deliver all contracted work at a high level, then send a clear closing message summarizing what was completed and confirming the project’s conclusion. Professional closure prevents ambiguity.

Here’s a sample email:

You now have your completed draft manuscript. Congratulations! I’m sure you feel tremendous satisfaction, as I do, at realizing this longstanding goal of yours. It is now time to move forward to the next phase of the process (then state what that step is, whether editing, designing, publishing, or marketing). I have thoroughly enjoyed our time together, and if you have any questions going forward, please don’t hesitate to ask.

2. Decline future work promptly. A client might try and create other jobs related or unrelated to the project. When a new request comes in, a ghostwriter should respond quickly and respectfully. 

Try this: “I’m sorry, but I can’t take on additional work right now.” Then you have a choice of either leaving it alone or telling the client when you might be available: “I see my schedule opening in six months.”

Or if you can take on the job, make sure the parameters, roles, responsibilities, and deadlines are clearly set (including the new fee, how many revisions will be allowed, when and how often you will allow communication with the client, and what kind of feedback is allowed and when).

Either way, clarity prevents lingering hope.

3. Shift your focus. This works if the ghostwriter has switched specialties or niches, such as no longer writing historical fiction in favor of turning to nonfiction business books. If they no longer fit your area and you tell them promptly, the separation will feel less like a rejection.

“I want to announce that I am switching things up. No longer am I ghostwriting poetry. Now, I’m turning my attention to the very rewarding world of children’s books, so I won’t be able to work with you anymore. I wish you much success, and I fondly remember our time together.”

4. Recommend a successor. If the ghostwriter is no longer writing what the lingering client wants, you can always say, “I’ve got somebody in mind for you. Would you like me to set up an introduction?”

Referrals signal goodwill and show a ghostwriter cares about continuity, not abandonment.

5. Offer a transition period. When a client just can’t seem to finish, a ghostwriter can propose a defined period to finalize all loose ends. It can be as little as a week or as much as ninety days, depending on several factors such as, but not limited to, how many loose ends are there, the client’s temperament, and the ghostwriter’s schedule.

Doing this will make the eventual departure more intentional and not seem so abrupt.

6. Become a consultant. If this is appropriate, a ghostwriter can transition to occasional consultant. This maintains dignity and reduces emotional dependency.

Consultants have a lot of experience and a deep understanding of the industry they’re in. They might conduct research to find the best way to do what the client wants or what to avoid. They might put together timelines for the client. They might assist the client in the tasks (and get paid additional monies for the work) and then present that work to the client. They might follow up with the client. Or they might do some of these, all of these, or none of these. It really depends on the client’s needs, wants, and desires.

7. Tell them directly. This isn’t the easiest way, but sometimes the most ethical solution is to be honest. “I believe we have brought this project to its natural completion, and it’s time for you to move forward. I have done all I can. I wish you success.”

However, what a ghostwriter says is perhaps less important than how it is said. These words must be spoken calmly and quietly, with little emotion beyond a matter-of-fact tone. This way, respect will be increased instead of decreased. And if the client resists, the ghostwriter should simply repeat the words in the same tone until the client gets the hint.

By implementing these strategies, you can minimize the time spent on unproductive work and effectively manage or remove clients who refuse to conclude their projects. At the same time, you will have been clear, complete, and professional.

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