When I landed my first non-fiction ghostwriting gig, I panicked.
Well, a little bit.
I suddenly felt: “Holy crap, I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Most clients throw you in the deep end with minimal direction. Here’s what actually matters when you’re figuring it out…
The Technical Foundation That Actually Matters
Here’s what’ll make or break your ghostwriting career:
1. Master the client’s voice BEFORE you write a single word
Spend 2-3 hours reading everything your client has ever published. Blog posts, social media, interviews, previous books.
Take notes on:
- Sentence length (short and punchy vs. long and flowing?)
- Vocabulary level (do they say “utilize” or “use”?)
- Tone (formal, casual, somewhere in between?)
- Pet phrases they repeat
If you get this wrong, you’ll potentially be rewriting chapters for months.
2. Set up a bulletproof interview system
Most ghostwriters wing their client interviews. Don’t be most ghostwriters.
Record everything. Ask for personal stories, not facts. Facts you can Google. Stories sell books.
3. Build a revision workflow that doesn’t destroy your soul
You’ll likely do 3 to 5 rounds of revisions.
Plan for it. Price for it. Systematize it.
Set boundaries on what constitutes a “revision” vs. a complete rewrite.
Should You Niche Down?
You’ll get told, start broad, then narrow based on what pays.
It’s important to learn what you love and what clients pay a premium for.
But don’t just take every project.
You could destroy your reputation before you build it.
I focused on psychology and self-help, as I have a background in this field.
Don’t take on difficult tech or finance books if you don’t know what you’re doing. Just don’t accept complicated books about business when you know you won’t be able to deliver.
Here’s where AI becomes both friend and enemy: Sure, it can help with research, but you need to understand your topic well enough to spot when it hallucinates nonsense. Delivering AI-generated garbage to your client will kill your reputation faster than anything else.
Double down on your strongest niche.
Why this works:
- Specialized ghostwriters charge 2-3x more
- Clients trust experts over generalists
- You develop faster when you understand one industry deeply
Niche down based on market demand. If you want to write about business strategy and it pays more than writing about pottery, learn about it.
The Reputation Game
Remember, ghostwriting is a reputation game. One great project leads to three more. A disaster can kill your pipeline for months.
Pick one technical area from this article. Master it this week. Then move to the next.
Excellence isn’t built overnight. But it can be built one system at a time.
