If you don’t have a complete manuscript—or haven’t even started one—you may be wondering if you should hire a ghostwriter, author coach, or developmental editor. But you’re not sure. After all, will people think you cheated if you hired a ghostwriter to write your book? You have no idea if you need an author coach because you haven’t even heard of one before. And developmental editor? That sounds like someone who helps nonprofits. You just wanna write a book. But book-writing is hard…

Book-writing can be hard. That’s why people like ghostwriters, author coaches, and developmental editors are here to help you. Keep reading to learn what they do to decide if you could use a little of their help.

We do have a large and trusted network of such professionals. So if you do decide you’d like a little help, contact us to get you connected to someone.

Ghostwriters

Hiring a ghostwriter is not cheating! Working with a ghostwriter is like working with a team member on a special project. Each person has unique knowledge, skills, and experience that they bring to the table. The project’s goal, in this case, a finished manuscript, is reached because they work together, combining their knowledge, skills, and experience.

That’s what working with a ghostwriter is all about: working with a team member to reach a goal.

Some clients know they have a particular book in them. They have the education, the background, the technical know-how, or the lived experience required to talk about it and teach others. But when they try to put pen to paper or tap on a keyboard, getting the information out of their head and into words on a page is next to impossible. A skilled ghostwriter will interview them, gather that information, and create a manuscript out of it.

Other clients have trouble squeezing the extra time out of their days. Their schedules are so full, they’d have to get up at three o’clock in the morning to write, which would deplete their energy for the rest of the day. By hiring a professional ghostwriter, they can schedule out meetings for them to have calls to discuss the material, and then the ghostwriter does their thing: creates a manuscript.

Still others, particularly those writing a memoir, have discovered the emotional hits they get from dredging up old memories can be hard to deal with, so hard, writing blocks as seemingly impossible to break through as granite prevents any progress. For those clients, ghostwriters who specialize in memoir are the perfect partner to unearth their story and, as you’ve probably guessed by now, create a manuscript from it.

In other words, ghostwriters take your information, your story, and our knowledge and present it in written prose. That’s not cheating. That’s working with someone to help you write your book.

Author Coach

Author Coaches are sometimes called Book Coach. We say “author” here because you, the author, are the person working with the coach. Your book isn’t working with anyone. They are solo artists in that way.

An author coach will have meetings with you to help you figure out what your book is about. They’ll guide you through outlining and structuring your content, set writing goals with you, and be your inspiring voice when you need it. They will also review your written work and offer guidance on how you could make it better.

When you use an author coach, you work the way you would with a physical trainer. A trainer knows what is required for you to achieve your results, they will set goals, offer advice on your form, and provide feedback so you continually improve.

Developmental Editor

Developmental editors are the people you come to when you have something written, something that you think could be a book, but it’s not quite a publishable book, yet. These editors will evaluate your work, assess what you’re doing well and where the manuscript could use improvement. As far as that improvement thing goes, they’ll offer guidance for you to use to better your writing and your book. Some developmental editors will also review the manuscript through a marketing lens and offer ways you can revise it so that your book better fits into the market’s expectations.

Again, if you are looking for a ghostwriter, author coach, or developmental editor to help you achieve your writing goals, contact us! We’ll be happy to introduce you to some professionals we know and trust.