10 Reasons to Hire a Ghostwriter for Fiction

I’m going to discuss 10 reasons why you might want to hire a ghostwriter for your fiction book.

Ghostwriting has been traditionally associated with non-fiction.

Most people believe that ghostwriters are hired for writing memoirs, autobiographies, commentaries, and journalistic analyses. But hiring a ghostwriter for fiction is also becoming increasingly common.

It shouldn’t be surprising. Some of the most well-known books and series in fiction were written by ghostwriters.

The list includes bestsellers and works from renowned authors. So, there’s nothing unethical about getting outside help. It’s an established practice that publishers are well aware of.

Why You Should Write a Fiction Novel Now

But before we get to why you should hire a ghostwriter, let’s understand why you should be thinking of writing fiction in the first place. Simply put, you should do it because it’s the age of stories.

• More genres: There has been an explosive growth of several genres of fiction over the last two decades. From Young Adult (YA) novels to science fiction to mythical fantasies, readers can’t get enough of fictional worlds.It means more assured fanbases and interest. It also means that it’s easy to categorize and formulate your book according to the needs of the audience. This would enable you or the publisher to market the work to the right audience.

• E-commerce: People don’t have to go to a library or visit their nearest bookstore to find their favourite books now. Traditionally, this meant that at least some section of the readers wouldn’t be able to get books at the right time.But now, all it takes is a few minutes of browsing to locate a book and then a couple of days at the most for it to be delivered right to your home. As the browsing and buying processes become effortless, more books are bought across the spectrum.

• AI-enabled discovery: Earlier, most book lovers would have their favourite list of writers. They would usually wait for the authors to launch their books and then get suggestions from friends or other readers on what to read.This process of discovery has now become tech-enabled. Anyone who’s ever bought a book online will tell you how the platform suggests other writers they would be interested in. This leads to the organic discovery of new writers that was difficult earlier.

• Digital readership: It’s not just the discovery and purchasing aspects that have been disrupted by digital technologies. People are now reading books on their laptops, iPads, and mobile phones.With digital readers, a whole new consumption pattern has emerged. This leads to more books being sold and more revenue for writers.

• Adaptations: Gone are the days when the only opportunities for adaptation were films or television. That system limited entry for high-quality works of fiction because only a certain number of films or television shows could be made in a year, that too by an exclusive number of studios.With streaming services and digital platforms, great content has more buyers now. This also leads to franchising opportunities and higher and long-term revenue for writers of fiction.

• Translations: Fiction is language-neutral now. Any novel from anywhere can be translated to find readers from across the world. A novel set in the Victorian era written in English can now be easily translated into Japanese. A Russian comic book can have Brazilian fans.This is great news for writers. Now they have a global audience they can market their books to.

So, if you’ve ever had an idea for a novel or story, this is your time to seriously consider bringing it to life. It doesn’t matter what genre it is as long as it’s interesting, exciting, and engaging.

And you don’t have to do it on your own. Here are ten reasons why hiring a ghostwriter for your novel is one of the smartest decisions you can make.

10 Reasons to Hire a Ghostwriter for your Novel

1. You get an experienced writer

Writing is a profession and you need a professional to do a good job. While you may have a perfect idea, putting it all together requires an expert who is good at their craft.

If it’s your first attempt at writing fiction, you may not have enough expertise to do justice to your idea.

Experienced writers would know how to convert your idea into a feasible and exciting plot. They would also know how to divide the work of fiction into three acts and construct the narrative arc accordingly.

Importantly, they would understand the “hook” of your idea and develop it into long-form while keeping the intrigue alive.

This ensures that the story will be paced well enough to keep readers hooked. Inexperienced writers or first-time authors won’t know the demands of long-form writing and so, will have moments of interest but not a cohesive structure that keeps it all together.

2. You get to focus on the idea

In the world of literature, plays, series, and films, there’s constant reference to “the big idea.”

This is what’s unique to your work of fiction and this is what will set you apart from others. When you pitch your work to a publication or an agent, this is what they will be interested in.

It has to be distinctive, well-thought-out, and enough to grab the attention of an editor or reader. This is what gets you talked about and discussed on book forums.

In all likelihood, the strength of your idea will determine whether you succeed as a writer or not.

An exceptionally written novel based on a mediocre idea will be a gross waste of time and resources.

So, it’s mighty important and you need to get it right.

When you hire a ghostwriter for a novel, you get the time to work on your big idea.

You can develop it further and compare it to other themes in your genre.

You can spend your time finding out about such ideas from other works of fiction and testing if you can apply some of those to your novel.

All these will be possible because your ghostwriter will take care of weaving it together. They will do the writing while you refine the core idea.

If you have to do both, especially as a first-time writer, either one or both will suffer.

3. You save time

Most authors have their day jobs while they work on their first novel. This is understandable as writing can take months if not years if you’re doing it on your own.

It takes commitment and discipline to stay the course. Importantly, nothing’s guaranteed.

You may have toiled for months on your first work of fiction and yet it may fail to make an impact on the market.

So, when the financial returns are not assured, you need to keep a steady stream of income.

That means you’ll be writing while keeping your day job.

Undoubtedly, this will take time. You may have to wake up early or stay late every day and devote an hour or two to writing.

You’ll have to spend more hours on weekends if you want to meet the deadline. No holidays, no vacations if you want to get your first draft on time.

This means giving up on family time. It also means that you won’t be able to spend time with your friends.

With a ghostwriter, you can carry on with your normal routine.

Your novel will be getting made even when you’re out watching a game or holidaying with your family. Work happens in the background as you get busy with your life.

Among the many reasons to hire a ghostwriter to write your work of fiction, this is probably the most significant.

4. You get to do the fun part

Writing is hard work.

I mean… HARD work.

Especially if you’re attempting a long-form work like a novel.

If you’ve started writing or if you’ve written something in the past you would already know this.

But most people getting into it for the first time have no idea how infuriatingly painful the workload can be.

You may be on an excellent streak and then suddenly run out of ideas.

You wouldn’t know how to move the plot forward.

You’d be halfway through the novel and realize that a character should have been introduced early.

You might be about to finish your manuscript after months of hard work and discover that your second act is too weak.

This means revising your plot, adding or deleting characters, bringing more tension, finding nuanced situations to increase the intrigue, and a whole lot more.

It can be frustrating and challenging because you’ll have to keep doing it until it feels fine.

Rewriting pages or revisiting entire plot points is difficult in itself.

But it is acutely challenging when you have to do that while working on your day job.

All that frustration will show. Your loved ones will notice it. Your colleagues will be aware of it. It will affect the quality of your job.

Hiring a ghostwriter means outsourcing all the pressure.

Your ghostwriter will be better equipped to handle it because they’re used to it.

Since their primary focus is your work, they’d also be better prepared to find any plot or character loopholes early in the game.

5. You get objectivity

One of the saddest parts of writing is spending months on a novel, only for an editor to tell you that your protagonist is uninspiring.

Or that it’s been done before by another writer or in another language.

All your efforts go out of the window.

This can be so disappointing that many writers give up at this moment.

It happens because you were too attached to your idea and didn’t objectively analyze it.

You like the characters because you invented them.

You love the plot because it appealed to you.

You believe the ending is perfect because it came naturally to you.

A ghostwriter would have revealed the problems to you before it got too late.

They would have analyzed the plot, studied the characters, examined the story arc, and then given a professional opinion before spending months on it.

Importantly, you would appreciate their comments due to two reasons:

You didn’t have to do the hard work of writing a hundred or more pages.

So there’s little investment on your part and you’re receptive to suggestions.

Secondly, a ghostwriter won’t wait until the end to give their feedback.

Since it saves you effort and time, you’ll appreciate what they have to say and incorporate those changes.

6. You get a partner

Writing is a notoriously lonely process.

There are things you can’t share with your family or even close friends as they wouldn’t know the whole picture.

You’re also afraid that they might criticize your efforts.

So, it’s a vicious cycle where you don’t want to share your work because you’re afraid of criticism which affects the quality of work since there’s no constructive feedback.

If you decide to do it on your own, a couple of months down the line, you’d wish that you were able to share your problems with someone.

You’d wish that another writer or editor would sit down with you and understand what you’re going through.

Which is what you get when you hire a ghostwriter.

You get a partner to discuss your ideas and empathize with your concerns and understand your passion for the subject.

And remember, whether it’s an app or a television series, all great work is borne out of partnerships.

7. You get market research

Working on a novel, no matter what the genre, involves understanding the market and potential audience.

You should know their preferences and the kind of work that’s succeeding with those readers.

Any writing without an understanding of its intended consumers will be suboptimal.

This means spending a considerable amount of time on research.

With everything that you’ve got going on, it’s best to get professional help for that. A ghostwriter is perfectly placed to give you that.

Usually, you’d only choose a writer who has experience writing for the category you have in mind.

They would’ve written for other authors or read enough books on that domain.

This means you’re also getting access to knowledge about the genre.

The ghostwriter will share with you what usually needs to be avoided and what has to be emphasized.

That will help refine your work for the audience and increase the odds of your success.

8. You can release on time

The hallmark of any successful writer is that they get their books finished by the required time.

This ensures that the editors can review it and get back to them on time.

It also means that if everything goes well, they can hit the market by the pre-determined time.

But most authors – whether they’re first-time or seasoned – miss their deadlines.

For established writers, it may not mean much. But for those starting out, it can have serious ramifications.

For starters, someone else may release a book with the same theme or story. Whether it succeeds or not, you may not come across as original if you follow them.

Secondly, you’re also delaying your potential income when you don’t release it on time.

A ghostwriter will ensure that your manuscripts are finished on time.

You won’t have to seek extensions from your editor or if you’re publishing on your own, can easily release it by the intended day of launch.

9. You’ll actually have a book

Most people have excellent ideas that they would love to turn into books.

Most people don’t do it because it’s too much work and life gets in the way.

In the end, they regret as they see others writing similar or even inferior books and making it big.

This can affect all aspects of their lives.

It’s one thing to have poor sales of your book or get mixed reviews.

It’s totally something else to not have a book that carries your name.

That can be frustrating until the end.

A ghostwriter will ensure that it won’t happen to you.

You’ll have a book released under your name.

You’ll be able to tell everyone from your parents to your spouse to your colleagues to your high school friends.

You’ll be a published author. Congratulations!

It’s what you always wanted and now you have done it.

10. You’ll enjoy the whole process

Authors seldom talk about all the hard work that went into their first works of fiction.

As a writer struggling to make it while performing all other duties of your life can take its toll.

At the end of the day, when you submit your manuscript and it gets approved and eventually released, more than anything else, you might feel exhausted.

But with a ghostwriter doing the hard work, you’ll enjoy the process.

You’ll love giving the big idea and supervising and collaborating. In fact, you’d want more of it.

In Short

For anyone planning to write a work of fiction, whether you’re experienced or not, hiring a ghostwriter is an excellent decision, considering the time you save, the craftsmanship you get, and the expertise you’ll benefit from.

If you need help with the ghostwriting process, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us and we’ll be happy to help.