How to separate the best from the rest
The demand for ghostwriters is on the rise. According to Forbes, the global content marketing industry is expected to reach $600 billion by the end of 2024, and all types of people use ghostwriting services.
Busy entrepreneurs use ghostwriters to write business development books to promote their programs. Small business owners hire ghostwriters to keep their blogs fresh and relevant.
No matter why you hire a ghostwriter, one thing’s for certain—you must find the right one.
So, how do you separate the best from the rest?
Focus on Quality over Celebrity
Let me start with a true story. A couple of months ago, I attended a working lunch in St. Louis with a group of incredibly smart and amazing businesswomen. It’s one of my favorite events, and I try hard not to miss it. While at this lunch, I chatted with a woman who used to be an editor in the publishing industry, specifically working with romance writers.
We talked about ghostwriting and how I earn clients’ trust to hire me when it’s hard to share a portfolio. After all, when you’re ghostwriting for someone, anonymity is the cornerstone of the ghostwriter-client relationship.
The former editor I chatted with told me she recently had a friend reach out to her and ask her about a particular company advertising their ghostwriting services online. The company claimed to have worked with two very high-profile fiction writers: Colleen Hoover and Emily Henry.
Does that sound suspicious?
It should, and for good reason. Ghostwriters rarely name names because of the confidential nature of the relationship. Instead, if they’re mentioned at all, it’s in the acknowledgment section of the books as a contributor, editor, or some other vague title. There are exceptions. I have clients willing to share that their books were collaborative projects with me. But for the most part, mum’s the word.
Thank goodness the former editor’s friend reached out to her before signing a contract because here’s where it gets good: The former editor is friends with Hoover and asked her directly if she worked with that company.
I think you can guess the answer.
Consider the Selection Process
The story in the previous section is about a sketchy ghostwriting company offering services for fiction books. At Ghostwriting Solutions STL, we don’t write fiction. The closest we come is memoir writing.
Most of our business focuses on business-to-consumer (B2C) ghostwriting services, with the majority of our clients looking for ghostwritten email newsletters and blog posts. We’re also very choosy about the projects we take.
A common mistake business owners make when hiring a ghostwriter for the first time is choosing a person or company with a long client list. Hiring a ghostwriter based solely on the number of clients they’ve worked with doesn’t mean they’re the right fit for your business or brand.
At Ghostwriting Solutions STL, we can always adapt our writing style to match the voice and tone of our clients’ needs, but we also have to feel a connection to the project.
Before we begin any project, we ask potential clients to fill out a Google document describing their project, its timeline, and what they want from the ghostwriting project. We review this information before we ever email or meet with the prospective client because we never want to waste time—yours or ours.
For example, if a potential client fills out the document and says they want a children’s book ghostwritten, we already know that’s not something that aligns with our brand’s ghostwriting offerings.
The collaborative nature of ghostwriting means both the writer and the client should feel equally passionate about the project. So, when vetting a potential ghostwriter or ghostwriting company, steer clear of those that don’t have a selection process.
Review Sample Work
At Ghostwriting Solutions STL, we don’t name names, but we do ask our clients to allow us to share at least 10% of the written content we write for them. It’s included in the contract they sign before work begins, and it helps us prove our skills and talent to potential clients. It gives us credibility.
We get it. Whether you sign a contract to have a business development book ghostwritten or a contract for us to ghostwrite monthly email newsletters, you want to know the company you hire is legitimate.
But should you pay to have a sample chapter or blog post written?
You might run across this request from ghostwriting companies—and here’s why.
At Ghostwriting Solutions STL, we feel confident that the sample work shared on our website or delivered to your inbox reflects our abilities. However, sometimes, what we share might not reflect the tone you envision for your book or brand’s website.
In a case like this, we will write a personalized sample chapter or blog post for you, for a reasonable fee. Ghostwriters put a lot of time and effort into their work and should receive compensation for that. After all, even if you decide their writing isn’t a fit for you, you walk away with a well-written piece of content that you can likely use again and again for different reasons.
So, use caution and your best judgment. If the company refuses to share samples, that warrants suspicion. You may be dealing with a predatory company.
Stories and Relationships Matter
Hiring a B2C ghostwriter to tell your business’s or brand’s story should never be a quick decision. You want to put thought into it and make sure the partnership you’re entering into is one that feels collaborative and aligns with your vision.
At Ghostwriting Solutions STL, we believe in the power of storytelling and the power of relationships. If you share those same beliefs, contact us today and tell us more about your project.