You say you'd love to write a book—but is that really what you want?

When I tell someone about the books I’ve written, there’s a good chance they’ll say, “I really want to write a book!” My response is generally, “No you don’t. You want to have written a book.”

For most people, the glossy book with their name on the cover is what they picture. The hours and hours of work that go into planning, writing, and rewriting their book don’t sound as appealing. Who has that kind of time?

Refining your concept, fleshing it out, organizing things into a structure that makes sense to readers, expressing your ideas in a way everyone can understand, and on and on—writing a book is a huge undertaking when you are already busy with your career and life. It’s not something you can just “squeeze in” when you have a moment.

Still, you'd like to have written that book you have in the back of your mind. So how do you make it happen? Call in an expert: a ghostwriter.

You already have a job, and it isn’t writing books
You’re an expert in your own field and you have great ideas and knowledge that you want to share. People write books with a lot of goals in mind. Some common ones are:

• attracting new clients
• positioning yourself as a leader in your field
• sharing your knowledge
• inspiring others
• changing things for the better.

To accomplish any of these goals, your book has to be well thought out and powerfully written. It’s a skill set that you may not have, but your book can still be a success!

Call in an expert
You have knowledge stuck inside your head that can help others. You just need to connect them to your knowledge and inspire them to take action. So how do you create a book that does that? All great leaders know when to call in an expert to get a specific job done right.  When it comes to your book, that expert is likely a ghostwriter.

A great ghostwriter help can release your book
from the back of your mind into the world. 

A ghostwriter works closely with you to take your ideas and knowledge and translate them onto the page at a professional level. It’s still your book, filled with your wisdom and personality. You’ll work as a team to ensure that you are proud to have your name on the cover, and readers will get everything from the book that you hoped for.

How does ghostwriting work?
First, you need to find a ghostwriter who is a good match for you and your book. Before hiring anyone, be sure to read samples of their writing. They may not be able to share ghostwriting they’ve done for others (since many people don’t want anyone to know they didn’t write their book or article themselves) but they should have a portfolio of work they can share.

Ask yourself:

• Is this writing style how I want to sound?
• Do I like the way this writer explains things?
• Would I be likely to read a book written by this person? 

Your ghostwriter does not need to be an expert in your field. You provide the expertise, and they translate it for your book’s target audience. In fact, it’s often helpful if your ghostwriter is not a subject-matter expert, since it will help them to see things from the reader’s perspective.
When the final draft is done, you can publish the book in your name, and you will own the copyright. Your ghostwriter will happily fade into the background.

Don’t set yourself up for disappointment
The lonely corners of Amazon are filled with poorly written, self-published books that have sold fewer than 50 copies. Millions of these are published every year. Their authors' dreams are dashed and those many hours of writing and rewriting are wasted. 
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To reach your readers and make your book a success, approach it with the same careful planning and investment that you put into the rest of your work. You want that book with your name on the cover to be something you’re proud of.

If you’re ready to make your book a reality, I can help. Contact me to talk about ghostwriting.