Many of my wonderful clients are businesspeople who have come to the decision that they need to write a book about their area of expertise. A business book generally serves three purposes: to provide useful information to the reader, to establish the author as a thought leader (branding), and to generate new clients. Earning a profit from sales of the book is often not a consideration.

Having then decided to hire a ghostwriter, the next and most important step for my clients is to get organized. A book is a project, and the businessperson whose name will appear on the cover is the project manager. The ghostwriter works under the direction of the project manager. Therefore, clarity is essential. There must be clearly defined goals and milestones, and a clear mission to be accomplished.

Outline Your Book Project

Before a single word is written, these questions need to be answered:

– Who is the audience for the book?

– What’s the projected length (the word count)?

– What’s the tone – casual, academic, or even storytelling?

– What specific resources does the ghostwriter have from the client (blogs, notes, research, a rough draft)?

– What’s the call to action (that is, what do you want the reader to do)?
Is there an existing book outline? You cannot begin a book without an outline. It’s like getting into a taxicab and saying to the driver, “Please drive me somewhere.” You need to be more specific.

– Is there an outline or other structure already created?

– What’s the budget?

– What’s the format (Kindle, traditional paperback, free pdf)?

This may seem like a lot of planning, but it’s absolutely essential for success!

– Thomas Hauck is a New England-based ghostwriter and editor of fiction and nonfiction books.

Thomas Hauck, Ghostwriter and Book Editor