How to Find a Ghostwriter: Brief, Shortlist and Voice Test

Write the brief before building a shortlist

A useful search starts with the book you want to make. Write a one-page brief describing the intended reader, genre, central idea, current material and help required. State whether you have an outline, recorded interviews, a partial draft or only the idea.

Be explicit about the work. Transcribing an interview, typing handwritten notes, reorganizing a draft and creating a complete manuscript are different tasks. If research is needed, identify the sources you already have and who should obtain the rest.

For example, an invented family-history brief might say: “We have recordings with three relatives, a draft timeline and a box of captioned photographs. We need a writer to propose a structure and draft a book for family readers, with uncertain dates flagged for review.” That is more useful than asking for someone to write “a bestselling memoir.”

Look for relevant work and an identifiable process

Seek recommendations from authors, editors and professional writing networks. You can also review individual writers and agencies through their public work. Look for evidence that matches your project: interviewing experience for a memoir, subject understanding for nonfiction or narrative skill for fiction.

Ask who will actually write the manuscript. If an agency handles the project, learn how the assigned writer is selected, whether you can review a sample and how a change of writer would be handled. A polished sales conversation is not itself a writing sample.

Some ghostwritten work cannot be publicly attributed because of confidentiality agreements. A writer should explain what samples or references they can legitimately share. Do not pressure them to reveal another client’s private material, and do not accept unverifiable famous-book claims as proof of experience.

Use a voice test with a clear purpose

Ask how a sample assignment would work and agree its terms. Supply a small, permitted piece of source material and a description of the intended voice. The goal is to assess whether the writer understands the material and can produce prose the author recognizes.

For an invented memoir sample, you might provide a short account of opening a family shop. Ask the writer to create a scene using only supplied facts, flag any questions and explain the choices made. A stronger response may identify a missing detail instead of filling the gap with invented dialogue.

Review the sample aloud. Does it sound like something you could stand behind? Does it preserve the emotional meaning? Are the facts traceable? A paragraph can be elegant while giving the wrong impression of the author’s experience.

Keep a short response sheet: what feels accurate, what feels unlike the author, what needs clarification and how the writer responds to feedback. The revision conversation can be as informative as the initial sample.

Compare candidates using the same questions

Use written answers to compare scope. One proposal may include interviews and substantial research, while another assumes the author supplies all material. Those are different offers even if both use the word “ghostwriting.” Contact each provider for project-specific pricing and clarify missing work.

Resolve rights, credit and approvals in writing

Discuss ownership, attribution, confidentiality, portfolio use, approval authority, termination and the treatment of unfinished work. The Authors Guild’s guidance on collaboration and ghostwriting agreements explains why these issues belong in a written agreement. Use qualified legal advice for your particular contract.

Do not assume that paying for writing automatically settles every rights question. Also identify who is responsible for permissions, verification and sensitive material. An author and writer should know what happens when a source is missing, an interviewee withdraws or the project’s direction changes.

Ask for milestones that produce reviewable work: approved brief, outline, voice sample, draft sections and final manuscript. Publishing, editing, cover design and marketing may be separate services. Confirm what is included rather than treating the finished manuscript as the same milestone as a published book.

Start with a small, clear next step

After selecting a writer, settle the source plan and approval process before full drafting. Keep feedback consolidated and explain the reason for important changes. A writer can respond more effectively to “this makes my father sound angry, but he was embarrassed” than to “make it better.”

Explore Greenfield’s ghostwriting support and contact us for pricing based on your manuscript, research and interview needs. If you already have candidates and want help comparing their proposals, use our guide to choosing a ghostwriter.

Match your shortlist to the book you want to make

A business book project needs a clear reader, useful argument and support for its claims. A memoir project needs a narrative, a recognizable voice and agreement about personal material. Use those differences to choose the samples and questions you bring to a writer.

Once you have a shortlist, use our ghostwriter interview and sample checklist to compare the candidates against the same brief.