After many years of ghostwriting, I’ve stumbled on a way to structure a ghostwriting agreement that has a number of advantages to traditional contracting structures.
In a traditional contract, the client and the ghostwriter agree on a fee for preparing a book. The contract may or may not include the preparation of a book proposal. Typically, the payout schedule calls for a hefty deposit, When the ghostwriting fee is, let’s say, $100,000, the client is often on the hook to write a check for a third. That’s a heavy lift for many clients, especially when they haven’t had a previous relationship with the ghostwriter.
Start with a Baby Step
My innovation is to start the relationship with a magazine article.
I propose this plan to the client: “Before we write the book, let me write a magazine article based on the Big Idea of your book. This approach has a number of advantages:
It really forces us to focus on and clarify the essential message of the book.
If we can describe the promise of the book in 1,000 words, we will be that much closer to fleshing out the book and it key points.
When the article is finished, we can have it published in an appropriate nationwide magazine. Magazine editors are always looking for solid, well-written, research-based articles of interest to their readers.
Having a link to the published article will be of immeasurable value to the author. The hit will be on top of the search results that any prospective publisher considering the author’s book will first look at. It will give the publisher confidence that the author can generate nationwide publicity for the book.
The published article will have immediate benefit for the author. The bio section will indicate the article is excerpted from an upcoming book. Readers may well reach out to the author for more information about the book. The author can then use these inquires to add to his or her mailing list.
In the event that a well-written article about the book in question is rejected by every magazine editor, the author will have to consider whether the book in question will encounter the same obstacles with publishers. If that’s the case, it’s better to know it earlier than later, when the stakes are much higher.
The experience of writing the article together will give the author and ghostwriter essential information about working together on the book. There's better way for the client to gain confidence in the ghost. And there's no better way for the ghost to determine if they want to work with the client.
It's Affordable
I charge between $5,000 and $10,000 for the work of writing an article and doing my best to get it published in a nationwide magazine. My client understands that I cannot guarantee placement. I do have a good track record in getting articles placed.
And then I add a detail which perks up the ears of every client.
I tell the client that if we are successful and they want me then to ghostwrite the book, I will credit 100% of the fee they paid me for the article against the fee we negotiate for writing the book.
This detail really impresses potential clients and seems to dissolve a lot of hesitation.
How It Works Out in Practice
Usually, the preparation of the article goes well, the article is published, and we continue to write the book.
Once in a while, I succeed in writing and placing the article for publication and the client is happy. Nevertheless, the best course is to declare victory and go our separate ways. Sometimes the chemistry between the authors is not there. Occasionally, a ghostwriting opportunity that's more lucrative will come along. I will refer the client to another ghostwriter to complete the book (and collect a referral fee for my effort.)
Every once in a while, the article doesn’t come together (which means the client hasn’t really settled on the Big Idea of the book) or the article is written but I fail to place it (which usually means that despite my best efforts, editors don’t see compelling thought leadership there). If that's the case, my clients usually conclude they gave the book project a good shot and the timing is not right. We get to regroup and figure out next steps.
Consider trying a structure similar to this for your next engagement. If you do, let me know how it goes.
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