It can be difficult to relinquish control. As a Type A personality who likes to ensure the best possible outcomes, I get it. But I’ve also seen the stress that comes along with this, and through being aware of this, have seen the benefits of releasing control as well.
There’s an ease that can come along with the ability to focus your time and energy elsewhere. And as with anything, balance is the key. It’s about picking and choosing what we should control and what we can release.
For something like a book, control can feel like a big deal. A book is a deeply personal experience and is an investment of time and money. Hiring a ghostwriter is a great way to help you strike a balance of control while ensuring you get actually get the book written in an impactful way.
Your Intentions
There’s no one right way to go about writing a book, and there’s definitely no one right reason to write a book. Each author will have their own intentions, and those intentions will shape how the book is written, how the writing process goes, and what the publishing and marketing will look like.
Quality ghostwriters take the time to really understand your intentions and make them the foundation of the book writing journey. When you hire a ghostwriter, they take care to understand what your intentions are and work with those; they aren’t locking you into a specific reason and fitting you into a process that aligns with that.
Intentions are the core of a book. If you’re worried that your intentions will get lost in a ghostwriting process, have no fear. Quality ghostwriters love to know your “why” and honor that.
Your Stories, Your Content
Although someone else is doing the actual writing of the book for you, you still get to control what stories and what content goes into the book. While a ghostwriter may encourage you to share certain facets of your knowledge or journey, they will never force you into it. As the author, you get the final say of what’s included in your book.
This starts early on in the process. You’ll work with the ghostwriter to develop an outline that feels right to you and includes the content that aligns with your intentions. You’ll then get the opportunity over several interviews to share what’s important to you.
This is an iterative process as well. As you review your draft, you have the final say in if you want to remove content that had been included or if there’s additional content that you’d like to add.
Ultimately, it is your book.
Your Message
You as the author are still in the drivers seat of what you want the readers to take away from your book. While the ghostwriter will provide some strategic guidance on what themes might resonate most with readers and what will make the most impact, the final say in the messaging and tone is up to the author.
The messaging of a book ties heavily back to the intentions. The intentions will help set the tone and will guide how the messaging is positioned based on what the author wants the readers to do after the turn of the final page.
A quality ghostwriter will honor all of this and position the book, tone, theme, and structure in a way that is aligned with your intentions.
Your Voice
The job of a ghostwriter isn’t just to get your stories and content on paper. It’s to do it in your voice. This is often a major objection to hiring a ghostwriter. Authors obviously want their book to sound like them, but ghostwriters pay special attention to this.
And you don’t just have to trust them. You get to have input on where the ghostwriter has hit the mark with your voice and where there needs to be some improvement. As part of my process, the author gets to review the first chapter or two before the rest of the book is written to ensure the voice is aligned with the author’s expectations.
If you’re worried about giving up control when writing your book, have no fear. You still get to have the say in the meat and potatoes, you’re just releasing some of the extra time and energy that comes along with the book writing process. Interested in learning more? Book a free strategy session using the button below!
Disclaimer: This blog should not be construed as providing, or intending to provide professional financial, legal, psychological, or other professional advice. It is simply meant to share my experiences with those who may find them relatable and helpful.