3 Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Hire Ghostwriters (Guest Post)
And save you a ton of money in the long-run.
Today’s guest post is by my friend and talented ghostwriter Amy Suto. Amy is an experienced book ghostwriter for entrepreneurs and executives, as well as a former Hollywood TV writer. She helps tell the stories of amazing people with amazing stories, just like you.
There are a lot of different ghostwriting firms out there, each with varying price points and levels of service. From personal experience, as someone who has hired many ghostwriters, editors, and designers over the years, the adage, “You get what you pay for,” rings monumentally true.
In fact, I started Smokin’ Hot Book Funnels because I was dog-tired of working with cheap book-creation agencies that love to spew out quick books to make quick bucks, but they don’t put the experience, know-how, and attention into creating a truly remarkable, unique book or launching it properly. You can tell these cheaper books are written by ghostwriters on a conveyor belt, churning out cheesy writing month-after-month. I am setting out to change that.
High-level entrepreneurs, executives, and athletes hire writers like Amy to bring forth the care, justice, and emotional intelligence needed in a project as precious as their book. You have one shot to get it right.
You can find more information about working with Amy in the links at the end of this article.
Thank you Amy for this guest post.
Now, on to the show!
It was 1am when I walked back with my partner Kyle through the rain-slicked streets of Edinburgh.
We were out with friends seeing some of the best independent theater out there at the renowned Fringe Fest—followed by helping one of our friends get a free shot at a bar by winning a paper airplane throwing competition. (Only in Edinburgh!)
Kyle and I were discussing some of our favorite one-woman shows we’d seen at the fest on the walk home when it hit me.
Even the “solo” artists weren’t really… solo. The comedians who took the stages at Fringe shared stories about having to clear jokes with their agents and managers. Even the sold-out one-woman shows relied heavily on stage managers, theater staff, and their own teams to market and put on the show each night.
Nobody really does it alone—and the same is true for the book world.
Even as I perused the colorful shelves at Blackwell’s Books here in Edinburgh earlier this week, I saw that every book’s acknowledgment section was stuffed with effusive praise for early readers, editors, co-authors, and writers’ groups.
The best-kept secret in the book world? Writing a book is a team sport. The solitary writer is a myth, as every author (including myself!) requires beta readers, editors, and community support to be able to bring a book into the world—not to mention the lifetime of honing one’s craft that is required to ensure that the books we publish are not just readable, but un-put-downable.
If you’re an entrepreneur, you barely have enough time to strike a work/life balance let alone also learn the craft of storytelling to a place of mastery where you can tell your own story in a way that will strike serious chords with a large audience.
This is where a ghostwriter comes in—and I would know, as I’ve spent the last 8 years becoming a secret weapon for entrepreneurs and inspiring individuals who want to tell their stories through memoirs and business books.
Here are the 3 reasons why entrepreneurs hire ghostwriters like myself for their books:
Reason #1: A Book is a Team Sport, and Delegating is Essential
When you decide to write a book, you’re setting a significant train of processes into motion.
First comes the conceptual nature of writing your book: are you going to weave threads of your personal memoir into business advice for new entrepreneurs? Or are you going to write a series of books that focus more exclusively on what you’ve learned? Are you writing your book chronologically, or are you going to skip delightfully from one moment in time to the next to juxtapose a learning lesson or moment of heartbreak?
During the writing process, you’ll also need to conceptualize your book design, finalize your title and subtitle to ensure optimization for Amazon’s SEO, and kickstart your marketing into motion. This is where a great book marketer (like Renee!) will be creating a plan for your book launch so that you can get on relevant podcasts and do interviews to promote your book and your personal brand.
If you can’t delegate, your business and your future book will suffer. Expert ghostwriters and marketers can help you avoid the common pitfalls that come with writing and marketing your book, and help direct your energy into the spaces that serve your story best—without you having to stare at a blank page and wonder how to best reach your future readers while your precious time ticks away.
The best entrepreneurs know how to stay firmly in their zone of genius, and not waste time spinning their wheels when they could have world class help.
Reason #2: Working with a Book Ghostwriter Gives You Influence—and More Time
If you want to write a book on your own, you absolutely can. You can enroll in writing classes, hire a writing coach, read books about story structure, read other memoirs and business books like the one you want to write, and spend hours per day writing, re-writing, and editing… only to write something fairly mediocre, and then having to spend money on an editor to help you find a new direction for the book.
Because the first book you write? It’s often not the book that moves the needle. You’re too green. The gap between what you envision in your head and your skill level is too large.
At that point, you could decide to do a page one rewrite, keep going on edits, spend a few more years honing your craft—or you could skip all of the above and hire an expert book ghostwriter to ask you the right questions and help you capture your story on the page.
I’ve written dozens of books at this point—between my own fiction and nonfiction books and all of the books I’ve ghostwritten for my clients, I’ve lost track of just how many books I’ve written at this point.
But what I do know is that all of the pro athletes and Silicon Valley CEOs who have hired me did so for a reason: they valued their time and the impact a book would have on their lives and careers. And they didn’t want to spend 10+ years gaining the experience necessary to capture their legacy: they hired help and gained leverage instead.
Reason #3: Your Ghostwriter is Your First Reader, Your Coach, and Your Confidante
The biggest stumbling block I see with memoirs and business books is that the writer is often too close to the material. You need a fresh set of eyes to help shed light on what will move readers, and the best way to do so is to work with a ghostwriter.
As a ghostwriter, I craft customized questions to ask my clients in our initial interviews. I dig into what makes my clients tick, and I help uncover their secret sauce and messaging they may not even be sure of how to articulate. I help bring themes to the surface, shining a flashlight on the hidden courage of my clients as they bravely tell their stories.
I see myself as a shepherd of stories: we all have them, but a well-told story is part discovery and part execution. I handle both for my clients: and all they have to do is log onto Zoom and answer my questions and give feedback on drafts as they come in.
I also have something most other ghostwriters don’t: I’m a published author and produced TV writer. I’m a professional with a track record of entertaining audiences, and I know what great story structure can do for you.
Publishing a Book Changes Your Life
If you’re reading this as a subscriber to Renee’s amazing Substack Smokin’ Hot Book Funnels, then you’re probably aware intellectually of how publishing your book can change your life.
But… I don’t know if you truly understand the impact that publishing a book can have on the trajectory of your life.
I’ve seen my clients go from struggling to share their stories to stepping confidently onto Ted Talk stages. I’ve seen entrepreneurs turn business success into a lifetime legacy by embarking on the publishing journey.
I’ll spill a secret: the publishing process isn’t just the part that changes your life. Yes, having your book out there opens so many doors, and I’ve been floored by the outpouring of new connections and fan mail I’ve received from readers as an author myself. That is the stuff of soul fulfillment.
But what drives me to do my best work for my ghostwriting clients? It’s the confession that almost always comes from them at the end of the book writing process: the realization that writing a book is better than therapy—because it allows my clients to understand themselves better by sharing a piece of themselves with the world.
Your book writing journey is about opening a door to let readers into who you really are. The gift of sharing knowledge earns you a place on bookshelves for generations to come, and garners book sales will not only support you financially but will also become an asset and passive income stream you can pass down to your children if you write a book that truly leaves a mark.
Writing and publishing a book will change your life: but only if you put the love and intentionality into the process that it deserves.
Want to submit a client application? Reach out to Amy to see if you’re a good fit for her book ghostwriting services.
About Guest Author Amy Suto
Amy Suto began her career as a Hollywood TV writer before hitting the road and becoming a digital nomad and freelance writer, which was the subject of her nonfiction bookSix-Figure Freelance Writer: A Holistic Guide on Finding Freedom in Freelance. Amy’s debut work of fiction is The Nomad Detective: Volume I, which also marks the start of the book series following Detective Violet Chase. Amy runs a Substack newsletter calledFrom the Desk of Amy Suto about how to carve your path as a working writer. When she's not writing, Amy travels the world and works remotely from cafes in Cusco, Peru—or is misplacing her AirPods in Lisbon, Portugal. You can learn more about Amy at: AmySuto.com.
Thanks for having me ❤️ this was so much fun to write! ✍️
This is fascinating!! Writing a book is definitely a team sport. Thanks for sharing these helpful insights!! 💖