Questions about hiring a ghostwriter?  Here's the transcript of an interview I did for an Australian magazine that may provide some answers.

What exactly is a ghostwriter?

Ghostwriters are just writers who don't take credit for their work.  Say you have an idea for a book and even have a publisher already lined up.  (That happens more than you think.)  You've developed a fresh new concept and there's definitely an audience... but now have to actually write the book.  The prospect seems overwhelming and you have no idea where to start.  So you hire me.  Together - or sometimes not so together - we write the book and your name goes on the cover.

People get a book contract before they've written the book?

Sure.  That's often the case, especially on high-profile projects.  Let's pretend you're a doctor and you have a high profile, not only in your field but also with the general public.  You've done print interviews, some radio... maybe even a spot or two on a morning show like "Today."  You've developed the perfect platform to not only share your ideas but also sell some books - what publisher wouldn't want you?  But I should mention that usually the book comes before the appearances - most media folks want to introduce you by saying, "Welcome Dr. John Doe, author of 'Ten Ways to Live Longer!'"  The fact you've written a book lends credibility and authority and tends to lead to a lot more media bookings and talking head opportunities.

What about people who don't have a publishing contract?

Some clients self-publish.  Some sell their books through partnerships with trade organizations.  Some use books as a way to establish themselves as experts in their fields.  I think that approach works best when it's part of an overall strategy:  Write a book, do media appearances, raise your profile, sell books based on a higher profile, translate that into a book contract, write more books... etc.  One of my clients self-published and sold over 12,000 books before striking a deal with a traditional publisher.  Another sold, last I heard,over 20,000 e-books, which is pretty cool when you consider she had no print or distribution costs to speak of.  The point is there are tons of ways to leverage your book, even if you don't have a publishing contract.

Let's take a step back.  Isn't it disingenuous to put your name on another person's work?

Absolutely not - otherwise I wouldn't be a ghostwriter.  Bottom line a non-fiction book is content: It's a collection of ideas, concepts, steps, how-to information, advice, guidance, etc.  The value of the book is direclty dependent on the value of the information provided, not by the name on the cover.  If you read a management book and learn how to better run your company, that's the value of the book.  Who "wrote" it is immaterial.  I take my clients' concepts and ideas - and my own - and craft a well-organized, easy to read, informative book.  I simply do what my clients can't - and the reader benefits.

Still sounds a little odd to me.

Really?  Think of it this way.  You'll write the story that accompanies this interview.  Your editor will probably change some things.  A copy editor will probably change a few more.  Someone else will probably write the headline.  When the magazine goes to press, will you be down there hanging plates?  Bundling finished copies?  Coordinating distribution?  Delivering the magazine to a mailbox?  No... when a person reads your story, they'll see your name, but they will have no idea how many other people "touched" the story so they could read it - and that person doesn't care.  If the reader is entertained, informed, or empowered by what they read... that's all that matters.  The value lies in what they read, not in who wrote it, or printed it, or delivered it.  As a ghostwriter I'm just part of the process of entertaining and informing.

Okay.  Then how many books are ghostwritten?

I haven't seen actual statistics, but I've seen estimates saying forty to fifty percent of non-fiction books are ghostwritten in part or in full.  My guess is the percentage is at least that high.  If you think about it that makes sense:  You may be a great athlete, a great leader, or a great investor... but that doesn't mean you can write well. Instead of spending the years it takes to learn to write - or giving up on the idea - my clients hire me so they can keep doing what they do best while I do what I do best.

Does it bother you to see someone else's name on a book you've ghostwritten ?

Absolutely not.  It's really fun to go to the bookstore and pick up the books I've ghostwritten.  (But it does irritate me when they're out of stock.)  I don't need to see my name on the cover.  I don't have an ego as far as that's concerned.  What I do care about is how well the book sells, because I think that's a validation of sorts.

Speaking of sales - do you get royalties from book sales?

I don't, and that's by my choice.  When I sign a ghostwriting contract I work for a flat fee plus expenses.  If the book sells well, great - then we'll do another one together.  And publishers will keep calling me.  That way our working relationship is cleaner, and I don't have to worry about how much effort the publisher or the client puts into marketing the book.  Bottom line I think it creates a much better working relationship - we can focus on writing a great book, not on the "business" side of our arrangement.

What types of books are you most often approached to write?

It depends on the source of the query.  Publishers tend to seek me out for business, real estate, and investing books because they know my track record in those areas.  Same with businesspeople, medical professionals, and other high-profile and successful people:  They know I'm great at writing how-to, advice, guidance... practical information and knowledge, whatever the subject.  On the other side are people who seek me out because they're convinced their life story is fascinating and worthy of a book.  Sadly that's almost never the case.  No insult to them - hey, my life story is pretty dull too.  I wouldn't want to read mine, much less write it.

Let's talk about the actual writing.  How do you make sure the book sounds like the "author"?

That's actually easy, at least for me.  I like writing in different styles and voices.  You've hit on one of the keys to being a good ghostwriter.  For example, a few of my clients are speakers; they're onstage several times a week.  If a person in the audience buys their book - or attends the event because they read the book - the book absolutely must sound like the speaker, or there's a huge disconnect that not only affects the impact of their message but also negatively impacts the speaker's overall "brand."  In those cases it's easy; I listen to a few speeches, watch a few videos... and pick up the person's style,rhythm, and timing.  The client and I also talk about tone and style, and I give input based on their goals for the book and their intended audience.  It comes together much more easily than you might think.  The best compliment I get is when a client says, "Wow... this reads like me."

Are there writing styles you can't easily adopt?

Sure.  I'm not particularly good at scholarly writing.   I don't think the Oxford University Press is likely to knock on my door anytime soon.  But that's okay - I'm at my best when I can write material that is accessible, builds rapport, and makes a connection with the reader.  Luckily that's what mainstream readers want, and those books make the most impact.  Can you imagine a book like "The 4-Hour Workweek" with fifty footnotes per chapter?   And I'm terrible at hard-sell sales writing, like the "one page sales letters" a lot of websites use.  I don't even try even though I'm often asked.

Do you edit books?

I do, and I have, but it can be a thankless job.   The only time an editing arrangement tends to end well is well is when it starts with a client saying, "I've written this, and I have to admit it's terrible... can you please turn it into something decent?"  Sometimes the book is actually pretty good, but that kind of client is willing to listen to input and doesn't get upset when I suggest or make changes.  The worst situation is the client who says, "I've revised this dozens of times, and had lots of friends look at it... we all think it's in great shape, but I think one more set of eyes...."  In those cases I don't take the job - whatever I say is likely to upset the client because in the end they feel I'm criticizing their baby.  On the other hand, a client recently said, "You took a horrendous piece of writing and transformed it."  It's all about the client's attitude.  I'm not saying my ideas are always perfect, but I do at least somewhat know what I'm doing.  But sometimes having material to work with is a really good thing; I just accepted a project to write a business book for an Australian client; he's written about 50,000 words, and together we'll reshape what he has - and add a lot more material -to create a more focused book with a structure that really suits the subject matter.  Best of all he's more than happy for me to reshape what he has; he knows it's good, but he also knows it can be a lot better, and that's what he wants.  We'll both check our egos at the door and do good work together.

Here's an easy question.  What makes a good ghostwriter?

Obviously you have to be able to write well - that's a given.  But there's a lot more to it.  One key is the ability to adopt someone else's point of view; I'm not particularly religious but I've ghostwritten a book for a Baptist minister.  I don't have to agree with everything I write - what I do have to do is understand and effectively convey someone else's ideas and point of view. Another is to understand what you're writing about; research is great, but "doing" is even better.  For example, I did a lot of work for a (now on hiatus due to the economy) bicycle race called the Tour of Virginia; I picked up an interest in road cycling, made some professional cyclist friends, and still ride today.  I'm a rank amateur compared to those guys but I can talk the talk with some credibility, and that was reflected in my writing.  To me nothing is worse than reading text from someone who stayed at an arm's length from the material.  To do a good job your hands have to get a little dirty.

What's the best part about ghostwriting?

One I love to write.   But almost as important is the range of experiences I've had: I've met interesting people, learned a lot, had cool experiences... I've worked with people across the U.S., but also from Canada, Holland, England, Scotland, Australia, Brazil... For example, I'm currently working with a German national who moved to the U.S. to go to college, then moved to Malaysia to start a sports marketing firm.  Among tons of other stuff, they promoted Danny Way's motorcycle jump over the Great Wall.  (Check it out on YouTube.) How else would I get to meet a guy like that?