1. Ghostwriting is a collaborative process. This means involvement from both parties all the way through the process. If you provide a few ideas and have the ghostwriter go off to secretly do their magic, you might be left with a wonderful book – their book, not yours. You hire a ghostwriter to express your ideas for your audience in your tone and in your voice.

2. Know the genres in which the ghostwriter specializes. Find someone with experience in the type of book you are seeking. A book on Victorian architecture may not be best written by a children’s book author, although they may find words to rhyme with “ornate gable” or “stained glass.”

3. Look for someone with experience and request published writing samples. Understand that while many clients consider having a ghostwriter akin to a covert operation, others see it as a symbol of status. Nonetheless, If NDAs forbid ghostwriters from providing you with writing samples, the ghostwriter may have other published works such as recent articles, blog postings, or perhaps a book they wrote under their own name. It’s also a good idea to Google a ghostwriter to see what you find beyond his or her social media profiles.

4. Ghostwriters should have a process by which they work. Most often ghostwriting entails frequent conversations (typically recorded) as well including some written materials you wish to send the ghostwriter. As I mentioned earlier, it should be a collaborative process.

5. Ghostwriters should be able to provide a rate based on the size of the project. Obviously a smaller 20,000 word book should not cost the same as a 50,000 word book. Rates are all over the map for ghostwriters. No, you should not expect a well-written book from the folks charging $900 and offering to write a book in two-weeks. These are scammers. Conversely nobody should be paying six figures for a standard 50,000 word book. Various industry surveys (see Google) show a range between $35,000 and $75,000 as the going rates for a 50,000 to 60,000 word book by a professional ghostwriter.

6. Don’t be fooled by hype and claims such as “higher rates mean better writing.” High prices DO NOT guarantee the best of anything. If you’ve ever had an exquisite dining experience at a little-known restaurant and had a far less sumptuous meal at a pricy high-end eatery, you know exactly what I mean. Also, keep in mind that in his time William Shakespeare was the sixth highest paid writer. Can you name the other five? Don’t be fooled.

7. Ghostwriters may or may not offer various services. Know what you can expect and at what price. Do they edit? Publish? Handle marketing? Help you find an agent? Write a book proposal? Walk Your Dog for you? Be cautious of people who claim they can do it all. Like the one-man party band they may not be your best bet. Some experienced ghostwriters will offer a few additional services. However, it’s more likely that a ghostwriter has recommendations of other people in the industry who specialize in graphics, marketing, publishing, etc.

8. Ghostwriters should provide a contract that indicates the time frame necessary to write the book, the cost, a payment schedule (which could be two, three, five or ten payments). Upfront payments are very common since ghostwriters are putting their time into the project from the start, and both sides should take some of the risk. There should also be an “exit clause,” or “termination clause” in the contract. This stipulates that if the project is “not going well,” in the eyes of either party,” or other issues arise that preclude you or the ghostwriter from continuing the process either of you can exercise your rights to end the contract. This is usually done in writing. It should be clear that the ghostwriter gets paid for the work they have completed to date. Remember there is no such thing as a “standard” contract, especially in this industry, so make sure the ghostwriter is flexible and the needs of both parties are included in a contract. BTW, if the contract is longer than the planned book, walk away.

9. Ghostwriters are not indentured servants and are not at your beck and call 24/7. I once had someone call me at 2 am to ask if I knew Woody Allen. Other than almost knocking him over once when he crossed a street in Manhattan where I was pulling into a parking space, I do not know Woody Allen. However, I do know that you don’t internationally call people at 2 am. Most ghostwriters have at least one story of a client who called or texted nine times a day and drove them crazy – don’t be one of those clients.

10. Don’t be fooled by hype – no, ghostwriters do not write best sellers. They may have been fortunate to have been a part of such a project, but best sellers come about through a variety of manners, very few, if any, involve the ghostwriter unless he or she personally bought 10,000 copies of the book. Also, someone whose selling point is that they can write a book in record-time is probably feeding it into AI which, quite frankly, is something you could do yourself. While AI is an excellent source or research it typically has a stilted, mechanized writing style which explains why (so far) writers and ghostwriters are still in business.

11. And finally, choose an experienced ghostwriter as you might choose a roommate – someone with whom you connect and someone with whom you can see yourself having a good rapport for the duration of the project.