Writing & memoir
How to Choose a Ghostwriter: Process, Sample and Agreement
At a glance
Choose a ghostwriter by comparing relevant work, a representative voice sample, the collaboration process and the written scope against the same book brief. Identify who writes, what sources you supply, how revisions work and which rights and final files are agreed. A portfolio image alone does not establish someone's contribution.
Give each candidate the same brief
Start with the book's intended reader, its purpose, the source material available and the kind of help you need. Include the current draft stage, expected interviews, target formats and preferred timing. A writer cannot make a useful recommendation from a title and a requested launch date alone.
If you are still building a shortlist, use our guide to finding a ghostwriter. Once you have candidates, keep the comparison consistent. A proposal for revising your draft and one for researching and writing a manuscript from interviews are different projects.
Ask questions that reveal how the work happens
- Who will write the manuscript? Identify the person or role doing the writing and how you will communicate.
- What happens before the first chapter? Ask about the brief, outline, interviews and sample approval.
- How do you preserve my voice? Look for a review method that goes beyond a general promise.
- Who checks factual claims? Separate source collection, verification and any specialist review.
- How will revisions work? Establish chapter batches, feedback deadlines, included rounds and scope changes.
- What do I receive? Name the manuscript files and any separately included editing or production.
Listen for concrete steps. “We make it sound professional” is less useful than an explanation of how a sample is written, reviewed and revised before later chapters follow it.
Evaluate a sample as a reader and as the author
Agree the terms of any trial assignment before it begins. Use material you are allowed to share and ask for a passage representative of the actual book. A dramatic opening alone will not show whether someone can explain a difficult business idea or handle a reflective memoir scene.
| Question | What to record |
|---|---|
| Does it sound like me? | Underline one natural phrase and one you would never use. |
| Can the reader follow it? | Mark missing context, unexplained terms or jumps in the argument. |
| Is it faithful to the material? | Compare names, events and claims against the supplied source. |
| Does it make a clear choice? | Note what the passage includes, leaves out and emphasizes. |
| How does the writer respond? | Review whether the revision addresses your specific feedback. |
For an illustrative business passage, changing every ordinary word into formal language can make the author sound distant. For a memoir, inventing dialogue may create certainty the source does not support. Explain those concerns directly when reviewing the sample.
Compare the agreement as carefully as the writing
Discuss ownership, credit, confidentiality, permissions, schedules, payment terms, termination and final files in the agreement. Ask how a change in the outline or interview workload affects the scope. If several people contribute, identify who approves the final text.
The Authors Guild's discussion of collaboration and ghostwriting agreements explains why these relationships need explicit terms. Obtain qualified legal advice when you need help drafting or assessing an agreement; a checklist cannot decide the rights in your particular project.
Make the final choice around fit and evidence
Write a short comparison for each candidate: relevant work, sample quality, collaboration method, available time, clear deliverables and unresolved questions. Keep an unresolved question visible rather than giving a vague promise the same weight as an agreed responsibility.
Greenfield can discuss a business or leadership book, a memoir project or another book writing scope. Bring your brief and ask for project-specific pricing. Original ghostwriting, manuscript typing, editing and publishing should each be identifiable in the proposal.
Common questions
How is choosing a ghostwriter different from finding one?
Finding a ghostwriter creates a shortlist. Choosing one means testing the fit of the actual writer, their sample, process and proposed scope against the same brief.
Can a ghostwriter show confidential client work?
A writer may have legitimate limits on what they can share. Ask for material they are permitted to show, an explanation of their role, or a separately agreed sample based on material you supply.
Should I choose the shortest promised timeline?
Compare the milestones and assumptions behind it. A schedule that leaves no time for interviews, fact checking or your review may not match the work your book needs.
Use a decision checklist before appointing a writer
Keep a short written record instead of relying on the strongest sales conversation. For each candidate, record the actual writer, the relevant sample, the source material required from you, the proposed drafting stages and the questions still unanswered. A beautiful sample and an unclear review process are two separate findings.
- Brief match: does the proposal address your reader, purpose and manuscript starting point?
- Voice test: can you identify where the sample reflects your language and where it changes your meaning?
- Evidence: are project roles and sample permissions explained rather than implied by a cover image?
- Working method: who conducts interviews, drafts chapters, receives feedback and approves changes?
- Agreement: are rights, attribution, confidentiality, final files and changes to scope addressed?
Ask the same follow-up questions of each candidate. If someone provides a book cover as evidence, ask what they contributed: original writing, editing and production are different roles. Confidential work may limit what can be shared, but it should not turn an unknown role into an assumed credential.
For Greenfield, request a proposal against your actual material. A memoir may depend on recording boundaries and memory verification; a business book may depend on research and company approvals. Request a writing project proposal and contact for pricing after those responsibilities are clear.