A couple weeks ago I mentioned the first pitfall that some ghostwriting clients fall into – not being able to take criticism. Yes, folks, it’s time for another pitfall to be identified.
I see this second pitfall happen from time to time with ebooks. It’s usually from those people who are just trying to crank out some informational product that they can sell. Those clients who are actually professionals in their respective industries and wish to build credibility, build their product offerings and so on, are less guilty of failing to provide information.
If you choose to use a ghostwriter, you need more than an idea.
Yes, let’s read that one again: You need more than an idea.
If you, the brilliant mind who conjured up this brilliant idea can’t even bring it to fruition, how do you think a ghostwriter can do so?
Here’s what you need…at the most base level:
- an idea, a message
- your ultimate intention for your ebook (is your intention to sell the ebook, to use it as a marketing tool, to use it as a freebie to upsell other products or services…?)
- a rudimentary outline or a checklist of the points you want to make in the book
- notes you’ve compiled on the topic or links to sites that contain the necessary information
If you don’t have the items above, then you are not ready to hire a ghostwriter. I’m serious.
If you try to hire a ghostwriter without the necessary information, here’s what you can expect:
- an incomplete ebook missing the information needed to truly get your message across to the reader
- a misdirected ebook that contains information that was not what you expected
- an expensive ebook as 1) the writer will charge you for the research needed or 2) you will need to hire an additional ghostwriter when you DO have the necessary info lined up
- a “later than expected” ebook because it took longer to produce while trying to hunt down the correct information
Starting to get the picture? The cost, the direction and the turnaround time of the ebook does rest on your shoulders as the client in no small part.
If you don’t provide the most basic amount of information to your ghostwriter, you are setting your ebook project up for a world of hurt.
Yes, you can contact a ghostwriter to see what kind of information she needs, what the expectations are and so on. But don’t jump the gun and hire anyone before you yourself have a few pieces of the puzzle to get your ebook project moving in the right direction.
The clients I have had the most problems with are those who change their minds constantly about what they want. The ideas they had at the beginning change to something completely different; i.e., a diffrent “take,” or even a whole new concept. At a certain point the book has to be written, When they agree to the outline, that’s what they’ve told me they want, and that’s what I provide.
The only time I’ve had problem in this regard was when my client had a serious problem with his offline business and even though he had a very good idea as to what he wanted, he could spend time to explain it to me.
I totally agree with you on this one, Tina….Client’s should really try and ascertain what they need from that book and what they expect from a ghost writer.
Hi Kyle – That’s exactly why I have a comprehensive outline be my very first deliverable. And I don’t go any further in writing until I get approval on that (as well as 25% of the fee). Since my outlines typically have a lot of detail, it’s pretty darn easy to see where things are headed and it gives the client a clear visual of the path the book will take. When clients start throwing out other ideas that veer off course, I suggest how those ideas may be implemented in other ways…such as supplemental materials…
Hey Ash – yes, sometimes trying to communicate with clients and really get the info you need from them (esp when it’s bottled up inside their brains) is difficult.