Ghostwriting
Updated June 2025
What Is Ghostwriting?
Ghostwriting is a collaborative service in which a professional writer turns your concepts, research, or life story into a fully drafted manuscript while writing in a voice that sounds authentically yours. You retain full authorship credit and all rights; the ghostwriter’s role is strictly behind the scenes.
Why Work with a Ghostwriter?
Many professionals, entrepreneurs, and storytellers have valuable knowledge or compelling experiences but lack the time, writing fluency, or narrative structure skills to translate those ideas into a market-ready book. A ghostwriter accelerates the journey from concept to polished draft, ensuring the content reads smoothly, meets genre expectations, and engages readers without consuming your schedule.
How the Collaboration Unfolds
Every project begins with an in-depth discovery call to clarify scope, target audience, and core message. The ghostwriter then prepares a chapter-by-chapter outline for your approval, conducts recorded interviews or reviews your source materials, and drafts each chapter in stages. You review, comment, and approve as the manuscript develops, guaranteeing the final voice and tone match your vision. If you already have a partial draft, a manuscript critique can help you evaluate its strengths and guide next steps before committing to full ghostwriting.
What You Receive
You take away a complete manuscript—usually 50,000 to 80,000 words—formatted in Microsoft Word and aligned with your preferred style guide. Supporting assets such as chapter summaries, a book proposal overview, or marketing talking points can be added by agreement. Many authors then schedule copyediting and proofreading to prepare the manuscript for publication. Throughout the process, you retain ownership of all files and intellectual property.
How the Process Works at Authors’ HQ
You may select a ghostwriter from our roster—each profile lists genre expertise and selected publications—or request personalized recommendations. If you would like to compare voices, you may interview multiple writers before choosing. The ghostwriter you select contacts you directly to confirm goals, timeline, and fee structure. All milestones, drafts, feedback rounds, and payments flow transparently between you and the professional you hire, giving you full control of pace and budget.
Writers You Can Trust
Our ghostwriters are collaborative storytellers—bestselling co-authors, award-winning journalists, and subject-matter experts who specialize in capturing another person’s voice. They have penned memoirs that reached national bestseller lists, business books that elevated brands, and thought-leadership titles that opened conference stages worldwide. Each writer brings a proven track record of meeting deadlines, shaping complex material into clear narratives, and working under strict nondisclosure agreements to protect your ideas and identity. Learn more about our full range of book editing services to support your project from first draft to publication. When you partner with a ghostwriter through Authors’ HQ, you gain a seasoned professional who translates your knowledge and vision into a manuscript that sounds unmistakably like you.
Quick Answers
Will I own the copyright?
Yes. A standard work-for-hire agreement transfers full copyright and all subsidiary rights to you upon final payment.
How long does ghostwriting take?
A full-length book typically requires four to eight months, depending on research depth, interview availability, and revision rounds.
Can the ghostwriter help with publishing?
Many writers can provide a query letter, book-proposal synopsis, or suggested next steps for self-publishing. You and your ghostwriter can outline these extras during the initial scope discussion.
