What is the difference between a ghostwriter, editor, and book coach?

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There are many professionals who can help you in the process of writing your book. But who are these people, and how exactly do they help? Here I’ll give an overview of three common professionals who work in the book business, in order from less involved to more involved: coaches, editors, and ghostwriters.

Book Coaches

A book coach is someone who guides you in the writing process. They offer encouragement and advice and are a sounding board for your ideas. However, all the heavy lifting of actually writing that manuscript is still up to you. A book coach is a great resource for people who feel confident in their writing skills and enjoy the process of writing. They don’t mind the time it takes because they want full control over every word that goes into their book. But since writing is often a lonely endeavor, they want someone on the sidelines cheering them on.

But if you are someone who needs or wants a little more help? Read on.

Editors

Editors are literary professionals who help writers hone their message and polish their story. They typically don’t enter the stage until the first draft of the manuscript is complete. Like a book coach, they don’t do any of the actual writing. Editors can help tackle issues ranging from big-picture (overall theme and structure) to nitty-gritty (word choice and fact checking). Even if you hire a coach to help you give birth to that first draft, you probably want to hire an editor to help you make your manuscript as good as it can be and prepare it for publication.

Ghostwriters

Ghostwriters provide an all-in-one service, acting as a coach and an editor all at once, with one important addition: as their title suggests, they actually DO the writing too. This means that the storyteller/author of the book provides them with all the raw material needed to craft a manuscript (usually through oral interviews) and the ghostwriter writes the book in the author’s distinct first-person voice. The author is still very involved throughout the entire process, reading drafts of the manuscript and making changes until they are completely satisfied with how it sounds. Many ghostwriters will also oversee the final proofreading, design, and publishing process to make sure their clients’ manuscripts become published books.

You are not alone!

So, whether you need a cheerleader, a careful eye, or an all-in-one service, rest assured that there are professionals ready and willing to help you bring that book to life. You don’t need to go it alone!

In the market for a good memoir ghostwriter? Let’s chat and see if we’re a good fit!