You want your book to say what you want it to say, the way you want it said. You don’t want to hand over your ideas to someone who will write the manuscript in their own vision. You want to be intimately involved with your title’s development and writing. Hiring a ghostwriter is a great solution.
That’s why all Wambtac Certified Ghostwriters (WCG) are trained in our proprietary, trade-secret process. We don’t want your book to just be “great.” We want it to be a Marketable Literary Property that will receive the serious consideration it deserves in the marketplace.
When hiring a ghostwriter, you’ll work with both a Wambtac Certified Ghostwriter and a Team Leader. You’ll have access to our on-staff editors, strategy planners, and publishing advisers. So if (God forbid) your WCG cannot complete your manuscript for whatever reason, your Team Leader will immediately bring a new WCG up to speed on your project, and the work will continue onward.
Hiring a ghostwriter means you’ll lose no money. You’ll lose minimal time. We’re all about the book.
- 1. Development
Most freelance ghostwriters will start on your book by creating an outline, setting up an interview schedule, or just getting down to work writing.
We begin by applying Creative Analysis (a trade-secret technique) to your project idea or current manuscript to:
- Deduce its best potential markets using industry-standard (not Amazon!) classifications
- Reveal its “gold” and other strengths
- Construe any aspects that may obstruct its success
- Create an industry-standard pitch
- Determine its most effective template
- Develop an action plan for the title’s success
- Concept outline
- Interview schedule
- Verbatim transcription
By the time your WCG “gets down to work writing,” you and they will know exactly how your book will fit in the marketplace, what agents and publishers will want to know about it, and how to talk about it on social media.
- 2. Structure
Structure can make or break any manuscript. Most readers–including agents, acquisition editors, and reviewers–don’t realize that what “just doesn’t work” is often nothing more than an easily corrected structure issue: overall Slinky® Flow, example/illustration match (nonfiction), plot/character integration (fiction) or vulnerable insight (memoir).
We will:
- Organize all your original and our mutually developed materials into an easy-read Slinky flow
- Deduce character studies
- Background/perspective
- Motivation
- Agenda
- Personality
- Mannerisms
- Attitude
- Determine logical chapter breaks for greatest content impact
You will:
- Promptly review and approve your nonfiction outline, approach, tone, and sequence
- Work with your ghostwriter on character studies and action map
- 3. Ghostwriting
Since first drafts are the expression of your heart and soul, yours will include everything you want to say:
- Your experience and learning
- Your theory
- Your story
- Your ingenuity
And it will read exactly as you envision it:
- In your words,
- with your tone,
- conveying your intent–
- … in your perspective.
It will be your vision.
And our proprietary system ensures you’ll stay involved in writing the manuscript every step of the way. You’ll receive Chapter One as soon as it’s written so you can let us know:
- What you like,
- what you don’t like,
- what you forgot to add,
- what you want taken out,
- … and even if you want the manuscript to take an altogether different tack or approach.
Your WCG make those changes and send the chapter back for your review again, as many times as necessary, until you’re happy with the result–and the two of you will do the same thing for the next chapter, and the next chapter, and the next chapter… until the entire book is written to your satisfaction.
What will your Wambtac Certified Ghostwriter add to your vision?
Bits and pieces that might not be obvious to a cold reader:
- Missing dots within explanations
- Bridges between examples and illustrations
- Supplementary illustrations that support your thesis or examples
- Scene extensions that heighten suspense and dramatic pacing
- Segues and cliffhangers that keep the reader turning the page
- Perspective, motive, and agenda that provide extra character depth
Once this all-important First Draft is finished, your WCG will perform a musical line edit.
- 4. Three-tier Editing
Tier 1: Musical line editing is a Wambtac trade-secret technique. It includes the overall structure, grammar, punctuation, word-choice, spelling, sentence structure, chapter flow, and other issues most editors know how to look for and resolve.
But it also considers:
- Passive-verb impact, deficiency, or invisibility
- Static-phrasing connection or detachment
- Paragraph power or impotence
- Intro energy or lethargy
- Outro momentum or fall off
Musical line editing infuses already good manuscripts with punch, impact, energy, and forward drive. It transforms heavy material into quick and easy reads. It brings out the rhythm and music of the words, making languid prose sparkle and fine writing sing. It elevates the work to industry standards and ensures reader satisfaction, thus transforming the manuscript into a Marketable Literary Property.
Note: Although most editors work independently, you and your Wambtac team may opt to conduct the musical line edit together.
Tier 2: Copy editing performed by a cold-eye third-party expert whose nondisclosure agreement is on file with Wambtac Ghostwriting. It includes formal grammar, syntax, punctuation, and other standard editing issues.
Tier 3: Proofreading performed by a cold-eye third-party expert whose nondisclosure agreement is on file with Wambtac Ghostwriting. It includes minor text and formatting errors and inconsistencies.
- 5. Submissions and Strategy Plans
Our job doesn’t stop with the Final Edit. Your Wambtac Certified Ghostwriter and Team Leader will brainstorm, advise, or guide you get through the publishing labyrinth as they develop and ghostwrite your manuscript.
Traditional Publishing
This option requires the least financial investment, industry knowledge, and distribution/marketing effort on your part, but requires the most time and patience.
- You sell all rights for a specific amount of time to the publisher
- The publisher packages and distributes the book however it deems best
- You receive 7-12% of the wholesale price (50-55% off the retail price)
You need:
- An Industry Standard Book Proposal (nonfiction and memoir)
- An Industry-Standard Synopsis (fiction)
- The full manuscript (memoir and fiction)
- A literary agent, who will take 15-25% of all advances and royalties
No one can predict what kind of deal an agent will make on your behalf, but standard deals fall into the following ranges.
Nice deal $1 – $49,000 Very nice deal $50,000 – $99,000 Good deal $100,000 – $250,000 Significant deal $251,000 – $499,000 Major deal $500,000 and up Service, “Indie,” and Hybrid Publishing
This is a faster option but it requires a cash investment, along with a decision as to how much control you will or will not give up. Hybrid publishing is gaining more and more traction in the industry as small, determined companies develop strong distribution chains and push to get their titles into as many global markets as possible. Remember to do your due diligence before you sign a contract.
- You partner with the publisher to split all costs and profits
- The publisher packages and distributes the book with your active input
- You receive a larger percentage until your investment is paid off, then, typically, a 50/50 split of all proceeds
You need the full manuscript (nonfiction, memoir, and fiction). You may benefit from a Book Proposal or Bestseller Strategy Plan.
Self Publishing
Depending on the amount of time, effort, and cash you invest, this can be the least or most lucrative publishing avenue and can come down as quickly or slowly as you want. You retain and must therefore exercise all control, rights, and profits.
You need the full manuscript (nonfiction, memoir, and fiction). You may benefit from a Bestseller Strategy Plan.
- 6. Schedules and Budget
While every project is evaluated individually, our schedule and fee ranges typically fall within the parameters, below:
Full Nonfiction Manuscript: $35,000 to $85,000 7-9 months Full Memoir Manuscript: $45,000 to $95,000 8-10 months Full Fiction Manuscript: $50,000 to $100,000 9-12 months Industry Standard Book Proposal: $15,000 to $25,000 3-4 months Add-on to Manuscript: $5,000 3-4 weeks Bestseller Strategy Plan: $15,000 to $20,000 2-3 months Add-on to Manuscript: $5,000 3-4 weeks