Ghostwriting Clients

I sometimes get frustrated with my ghostwriting clients. Often they want to spend time with me just talking – not about the book I’m writing for them, but about anything and everything. I’m coming to realize, and it makes sense, that at least some of them need a sense of connection with me that goes beyond giving me the information needed for the book.

I too need a sense of connection, but apparently I develop one more quickly than some of my clients. Or a different sort of connection – I’m not sure.

Here’s what I mean. One of my clients calls about three times a week. The calls usually last 30-45 minutes. Much of what my client says is actually a rehash of what we’ve said before. Maybe one out of three calls actually moves the project forward.

What I have to remember is that he is trusting me to get his story in book form and in his voice. This is the first time he’s done something like this and although he likes what I’ve written so far, it’s not surprising he’s still not sure it’s working.

On the other hand, I’ve had some real practice at ghostwriting. My experience let’s me be confident that this particular project is going well and that we are on the right track. How do I know? I’ve had projects go completely off track and the signs always show up early and strongly. That hasn’t happened in this case. We’re moving right along. Sure, there’s a lot of work ahead for both of us, but it’s working well.

So my job is to drop my frustration and realize that these calls are part of his process as he comes to trust me, his ghostwriter. It’s worth my time and effort.

Write well and often,

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