Working with a talented ghostwriter is a powerful way to share your story with the world. The unique working relationship between the author and ghostwriter combines the author’s life experiences with the ghost’s writing talent — and hiring a ghostwriter may be an excellent choice if:

• You have a packed schedule and would like to get your memoir out as soon as possible.
• You are unsure about your writing abilities or don’t know how to structure your memoir. 
• You have old journals, notes, and other documents and would like a professional to transform those into a coherent and beautifully-written memoir. 

The ghost/author relationship is an intimate one. You’re entrusting someone else with your story and reputation, after all. How do you choose the right ghostwriter for your memoir? Keep reading for handy pointers that will get you started.

1. Pay attention to genre-specific experience

Ghostwriters can tackle projects ranging from white papers, blog posts, and technical manuals to novels and biographies. Some are willing to do anything you ask them to, but that doesn’t mean they’re good at everything. 

Hiring a memoir ghostwriter who specializes in your genre is almost always your best bet. 

Always interview multiple ghostwriters before you hire one! This process offers valuable insights and gives you a better idea of what it would be like to work with each.

The fact that ghostwriters work discreetly, writing books and other texts that are ultimately published in the author’s name, can make it tricky to find out how experienced ghostwriters you are considering for your project truly are.  Don’t just take a ghost’s word for it. Always ask for examples of work a ghost has published in their own name (ghostwriters often have plenty) and ask if you can get in touch with any of their previous clients. 

Not every published author of a ghostwritten memoir is happy to publicize that fact. However, chances are that you can speak to at least one previous client about their experiences with a ghostwriter you are thinking about hiring. There’s nothing shameful about hiring a ghostwriter, after all! So how much experience should you look for? A ghostwriter who has penned several memoirs or autobiographies already offers an edge, but everyone has to start somewhere. Novel writing can prepare a ghostwriter for work in the memoir niche, too.

2. Choose someone you can feel a connection to

Each author and ghostwriter pair has to get to work on developing a unique working relationship. No matter what yours ends up looking like, you can expect to be in touch quite a lot. It’s not like you send a summary of the portion of your life you’re covering and then only hear from the ghost once the memoir is complete. 

You’ll have to fill in the background story, conduct interviews with the ghost, and allow the ghostwriter to get to know you well enough to tell your story. Take a look at this fascinating account of a celebrity ghostwriter to get a better idea of the process.

Given that you’ll be getting up close and personal with the ghostwriter you hire, you’ll have to aim for a little more than a cordial, professional relationship. You’ll also have to like the ghostwriter as a person and feel at ease talking to them.

Try to figure out how you feel about a ghostwriter’s personality in the early emails you exchange or video calls you jump on. If a ghostwriter has an impressive track record and is an amazing writer, but something tells you that you won’t enjoy working with them, keep looking. By the same token, signing a contract with a brand new ghostwriter who you feel truly “gets” you can be worth it.

3. Select a good listener

Memoir ghostwriters must be “people persons” at heart, and that very much includes mastery of the art of active listening. A quick “OK, I can have this done next week, and this is what the work will cost” may suffice if you’re hiring a ghostwriter for a technical manual, but it’s not good when you’re looking for someone to help you tell your life story.

Your ghostwriter should be genuinely interested in you and your story, so look out for lots of questions and authentic curiosity.

4. Consider if a ghostwriter shares any of your important life experiences

Memoir ghostwriters tell your story in your voice. The best do this so impressively that even your close relatives and best friends won’t be able to tell you didn’t write the memoir on your own. While some people simply seem to be born with the skill of deep empathy, there’s little doubt that job becomes a little easier if your ghostwriter can relate to your story. 

It can help to look for a ghostwriter who:

• Shares your religious outlook, especially if spirituality will be central to your memoir.
• Comes from a similar cultural background. 
• Comes from a similar part of the world and understands the dialects or other unique cultural oddities that will be mentioned in your memoir.
• Is of the same generation, or a little older.

None of these points are essential, but all are worth considering when you are in the process of looking for a ghostwriter to help you craft your memoir.

The best ghostwriters do meticulous research and fully immerse themselves in your story to the point where they have a better idea than just about anyone of what being you is like. That doesn’t require a shared background, but it can be a nice bonus.