Over the years, I’ve counseled a lot of prospective clients about how to get a book written for minimal cost. These people contacted me because they don’t have the time or skills to do the writing on their own but suffer “sticker shock” when they discover the cost of hiring a professional ghostwriter.
I’m the co-founder and president of Ghostwriters Central, Inc., a provider of ghostwriting services to clients worldwide since way back in 2002. There is a way to get your story told without spending tons of cash. It’s simple and easy, but it does require effort on your part.
The hardest part is the outline, which is the first step. Here’s the process: Write an outline. 2. Record your story. 3. Get it transcribed into a coherent document. 4. Have it edited. 5. Publish. Let’s take these one at a time.
The outline
Everybody learned how to write an outline in school. If you don’t remember, then just Google for: how to write an outline. You need to organize your thoughts in order to write a book. If it’s your life story, then drop by Staples and pick up a notebook. Write a list of topics that you want to include in your book. Don’t even think about organizing those topics. Just make a simple list. Take your time about it, there’s no rush. Take the notebook with you everywhere.
At some point, you will have a long list of topics. When you think you’re done with new topics, then it’s time to organize your stories. An outline is an organizational structure. Put the topics in the order in which you’d like them to appear in your book. If you decide to change the order of topics, no problem, just do it. When you’ve got them organized, print it out.
Record your story
You’re going to tell your story in conversational style, verbally. Take the outline with you everywhere. When you’ve got some time between appointments or while waiting for your kids, or whatever, open the outline. Now, your smartphone can be used as a recording device, or you can buy a digital voice recorder. Choose a topic to talk about. Preface your remarks with the outline item. Such as: “This is item 3b on the outline, me and Monica from 1975.” And then you tell the story about you and Monica. Just relax and tell the story, as though you were speaking to a friend. When you’re finished, scratch that item off the outline.
If at some future point you’ve thought of something to add to the section about you and Monica, just start recording, prefaced with: “This is an addendum (or more info) for item 3b on the outline, me and Monica from 1975.” Then add the new info. Doing it this way tells the transcriptionist where to put the new info. When all the items in the outline are scratched off, you’re ready to:
Get it transcribed into a coherent document
This part is all about turning your verbal words into text. You can do it yourself, or you can use an app (Google for: voice to text transcription), or you can find a typist. The entire set of recordings needs to be transcribed, word for word. Conversational speech is usually chaotic, but that can be fixed in the editing. The important thing is to get it all in written, editable form, such as in Microsoft Word.
Where do you find a typist? I recommend you place a $10 ad on Craigslist under the Services category. Find the subcategory of: write/ed/tran. Post an ad. The advantage to doing it this way is that you’re likely to find someone local, which means, if need be, you two can meet face to face to work on the project. You can also find typists online. Do a Google search for: hire a typist.
Have it edited
This is where the magic happens. If you plan to publish this story, it needs to be in excellent shape otherwise it won’t happen. If your typist also happens to be an excellent editor, great! And if not, you can place another Craigslist ad for an editor. A word of advice, don’t choose one early on. Allow time for qualified people to find your ad. In my experience, the first ones to reply to Craigslist ads are among the most expensive.
You can also find editors online. Google for: hire an editor. A word of caution: Do not hire anyone located outside of the USA. An editor needs to possess outstanding facility with American English. You’ll find a lot of writers in India, Pakistan, Nigeria and elsewhere who claim to be fluent. Believe this: They are not. What you need is excellence. My company, Ghostwriters Central, Inc., has superb editors under contract.
Publish
If you’re going to self publish, such as an ebook for download on Amazon, you don’t need an agent. Generally, self publishing doesn’t pay off well. A traditional publisher, however, often does pay off well. Once the manuscript is finished and polished, I recommend you find a literary agent. There are writer reference books that list agents, or you can do a Google search for: literary agents. You can also visit: literaryagents.com.
Why an agent? Publishers are overwhelmed with unsolicited manuscripts, the vast majority of which get rejected. When an agent takes your story to a publisher, it will get attention. Publishers like agents; they are the first step in the screening process. Agents bring publishers quality manuscripts. Agents know which publishers would be interested. They get paid when they land a deal for you.
Google’s AI Overview says: “It is generally not a good idea to use a literary agent that you have to pay upfront; reputable literary agents work on commission, meaning they only get paid a percentage of your book sales once your book is sold to a publisher, so you should never have to pay them upfront fees.” Avoid agents like that.
A traditional publisher will pay you for the right to publish your book and send you royalties on sales. They will take care of designing, manufacturing and distributing your book.
And that’s how you can write your book and get it into print without hiring an expensive writer. Good luck!
