Considering hiring a ghostwriter/"collaborator"...what should I know?

hearosvoice

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I have a learning disability/am dyslexic. I've really busted my butt to try and write my memoir. The story has a bit of everything, but I guess the crux of its value is that it deals with a hot-button medical issue that I have yet to see portrayed in a book on the market.

I write write and write but I lack structure and the ability to plot. I have thousands of notes, but at this point they're just notes.

Working on this project has literally taken a toll on my health. And the rate at which I'm progressing seems grossly inefficient.

I'm considering hiring a ghostwriter or a "collaborator" to help me out.

I think I have a strong writing voice and I want to preserve that. So I'm reluctant to call it ghostwriting. But I feel like I need someone to map out the story, distill the themes and messages, weed out what's weighing the story, and shape it into a novel-like entity that is constantly building tension, has suspense, and in a sequence where the plot is constantly being pushed forward. Basically, someone to create the structure and or me to ill in the blanks. Perhaps a literary "project manager" or consultant.

I feel a LITTLE bit defeated considering this route, but when I step back and assess the situation, I think it's good compromise.

I don't know how this goes.

Obviously, I want the most talented person possible to mentor and guide me. I don't have infinite budget, but I could pay a decent rate in terms of hourly service. I am open to giving a backend % and obviously the advantage of that is that they will have a stake in its success and theoretically give it a better effort.

I'm curious if anyone has general advice about this.

Also, I am wondering if people have tips for accessing the very best person possible to take on the role I'm describing. My priority is the integrity of the book, not necessarily "just" getting someone competent enough to get the job done on the cheap. And I really would like the person's involvement to be an asset to the book, in everyone way possible, and not just a crutch in the process of churning out a mediocre book.

Thanks in advance to anyone who has ANY advice on this. This is all foreign territory for me.
 

T Robinson

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#1: Don't hire anyone yet.

#2: Get to 50 posts so you can use SYW.

#3: Post the beginning of your work at that point and get free advice. It might be painful, but you can't beat the price.

#4: Structure is in the eyes of the beholder. In one of your earlier posts, someone told you to write chronologically and see what happens. That imposes a structure you do not have to think about and something else may show itself to you.

#5: You mentioned a percentage. Don't. Pure ghostwriters will cost multiple thousands of dollars. Memoirs do not usually make money unless the person is famous. In another post of yours, someone mentioned that they could not tell who your planned audience was. That should be one of your first considerations.

#6: Listen to what people tell you, read other memoirs, juggle it together and use what works for you.

#7: If you have physical issues, have you explored software that types what you speak?

HTH
 

cornflake

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I have a learning disability/am dyslexic. I've really busted my butt to try and write my memoir. The story has a bit of everything, but I guess the crux of its value is that it deals with a hot-button medical issue that I have yet to see portrayed in a book on the market.

I write write and write but I lack structure and the ability to plot. I have thousands of notes, but at this point they're just notes.

Working on this project has literally taken a toll on my health. And the rate at which I'm progressing seems grossly inefficient.

I'm considering hiring a ghostwriter or a "collaborator" to help me out.

I think I have a strong writing voice and I want to preserve that. So I'm reluctant to call it ghostwriting. But I feel like I need someone to map out the story, distill the themes and messages, weed out what's weighing the story, and shape it into a novel-like entity that is constantly building tension, has suspense, and in a sequence where the plot is constantly being pushed forward. Basically, someone to create the structure and or me to ill in the blanks. Perhaps a literary "project manager" or consultant.

I feel a LITTLE bit defeated considering this route, but when I step back and assess the situation, I think it's good compromise.

I don't know how this goes.

Obviously, I want the most talented person possible to mentor and guide me. I don't have infinite budget, but I could pay a decent rate in terms of hourly service. I am open to giving a backend % and obviously the advantage of that is that they will have a stake in its success and theoretically give it a better effort.

I'm curious if anyone has general advice about this.

Also, I am wondering if people have tips for accessing the very best person possible to take on the role I'm describing. My priority is the integrity of the book, not necessarily "just" getting someone competent enough to get the job done on the cheap. And I really would like the person's involvement to be an asset to the book, in everyone way possible, and not just a crutch in the process of churning out a mediocre book.

Thanks in advance to anyone who has ANY advice on this. This is all foreign territory for me.

That's ghostwriting.

The way to get a ghostwriter is to pay them - NOT to offer a percentage of the profits or what have you. There is no advantage to that to anyone besides you, frankly.

A good ghostwriter will cost somewhere in the tens of thousands of dollars. It's not a $12-an-hour job. This is why most ghostwriters are hired by publishers.

If you've really got a unique tale that'd have a market, you can shop it around and hope to find a publisher, who would then get you a ghostwriter.

If your story is not one that'd garner that kind of bid from houses, you're probably better off figuring out how to write it yourself. If you feel you've got a voice and just need organization, you can do that. Look around the site, try posting portions, once you've amassed 50 posts, etc.
 

hearosvoice

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Thanks!

I have tried things like software for typing as one speaks but it did not necessarily help me personally.

Although I am confident in my story, it seems like a long shot for anyone to get a publisher's serious attention based on a pitch alone for memoir. I'm confident in the pitch, too, but I just am not confident it will actually get looked at or taken seriously.

I did write a book review about a "celebrity" memoir that was ghostwritten. I suppose I can dig up the email address of the liaison who I corresponded with and ask her for input, although she may have been the publicist and perhaps a bit separate from the publisher(?).

There are other alternatives. I know UCLA's writing program (continued education) offers some sort of mentorship arrangement for 1 month for like $1,000 where you workshop a manuscript one-on-one.

I really struggle with the "audience" question. My writing gets compared to David Sedaris a lot, and I can't even think who I'd categorize as his audience as it seems broad. And my story has tragic plot points, it's seems simply my humorous voice is Sedaris-like.

I have taken some classes and gotten feedback. But the responses are the same and I still don't seem to have made progress addressing the shortcomings. They say it's witty/funny and heart-aching, but tangential and "...but what is the point/message?"

I guess it feels like I'm the basketball player, and I need the coach to give a certain degree of instructions and offer perspective from a macroscopic view of the project.

I will definitely consider the SYW forum, but I'm just afraid the feedback will be the same as that I received in classes and I'll still be shrugging my shoulders a bit.

Thanks again for sharing your input!
 
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hearosvoice

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FWIW, the lady's title that I corresponded with was "Publicist, HarperCollins Publishers." Might she be a good person/connection to inquire about pitching a story too, with the intention of getting connected to work with a ghostwriter to finish the actual manuscript?

I feel like she could be a valuable contact, but I'm afraid I only have like one shot in asking her a favor, so I don't want to waste it.
 
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Old Hack

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Don't try to involve the publicist in pitching your novel. She won't be able to help and you will alienate her.

I would advise against looking for a ghostwriter, too. I've ghosted a few books now and I'd expect payment upfront and more on completion, plus expenses. It's expensive to work with a good ghost and you wouldn't want to work with a bad one. Usually, publishers find ghostwriters for their authors, and deal with all the payments too. When writers pay ghosts they'd better have a deal already arranged and an extensive knowledge of publishing, or they'll get stuffed.

I think your best bet is to spend more time and effort learning the craft of writing. I know it's hard, but it can be done: and I know how awful dyslexia is, and how difficult it is to work with (my son has dyslexia; I have dyslexic tendencies). It is something many people cope with. Best-selling writer Katie Fforde has dyslexia, and I am sure there are other writers with the condition too.

As the people who have already read your work have come up with much the same thoughts about it, why not see if you can find courses which deal with those issues? It seems you know what the problems are: that puts you in a strong position to resolve them.
 

hearosvoice

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Don't try to involve the publicist in pitching your novel. She won't be able to help and you will alienate her.

I would advise against looking for a ghostwriter, too. I've ghosted a few books now and I'd expect payment upfront and more on completion, plus expenses. It's expensive to work with a good ghost and you wouldn't want to work with a bad one. Usually, publishers find ghostwriters for their authors, and deal with all the payments too. When writers pay ghosts they'd better have a deal already arranged and an extensive knowledge of publishing, or they'll get stuffed.

I think your best bet is to spend more time and effort learning the craft of writing. I know it's hard, but it can be done: and I know how awful dyslexia is, and how difficult it is to work with (my son has dyslexia; I have dyslexic tendencies). It is something many people cope with. Best-selling writer Katie Fforde has dyslexia, and I am sure there are other writers with the condition too.

As the people who have already read your work have come up with much the same thoughts about it, why not see if you can find courses which deal with those issues? It seems you know what the problems are: that puts you in a strong position to resolve them.

Thanks, I will refrain from contacting her. Thanks for the rest of your input as well!
 

Gringa

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I will definitely consider the SYW forum, but I'm just afraid the feedback will be the same as that I received in classes and I'll still be shrugging my shoulders a bit.

Thanks again for sharing your input!

What kind of classes? In person or online? What level? Pros? Or academic, student-ee.

In SYW, there are pros and students. All types from all over the world. Ya might try it out.

my .02