Hiring a Writer
If you have a brilliant book idea, but you’re not a writer, what do you do? You hire a professional writer to partner with you and bring your book to life.
An author/writer relationship is one of the most unique working relationships. Essentially, the writer’s job is to be you on paper. They copy your word choices and sentence patterns, and they write out all your ideas. However, how do you hire someone you can trust? The best way to hire a writer is through a referral. But if you aren’t friends with a publisher, literary agent, or author (and most people aren’t) what do you look for?
Below you’ll find four tips on how to find a great writer. (And don’t hire them till you’ve seen these!)
1) Writing samples. Before you hire a writer, ask to see their writing samples. They might have magazine articles, news stories, or even books that have been published under their name. At the very least, they should have a blog. As you read their other works, keep in mind that good writers can always change their writing style to match the author they’re writing with. So if their writing doesn’t sound like you, don’t worry. What you’re looking for at this stage is whether the writer knows how to communicate well. Do they have sound logic, grammar, and readability? Does their writing feel clean? Smooth? Easy to read and understand? You shouldn’t have to spend effort deciphering what they’re saying.
2) Former publishers. Ask them which publishers have published their works. If you’re not familiar with the publishers they name, write down the names and look them up later. Take a look at the kinds of books those publishers have produced. The publisher’s level of quality will tell you the writer’s level of skill. If the books they’ve worked on match the quality of the book you want to create, you know they’re a good match.
3) Flexibility. The writer’s job is to listen to you, understand your vision, create your content, and change it according to your feedback. As you interview them, do you feel listened to? Do you sense they are willing to defer to you? You should feel at all times like you are in the driver’s seat. After all, it is your book. A good writer will give ideas and suggestions, since they are familiar with the writing process. But at the end of the day, it will be your book with your message and your name on the front cover. When you interview them, ask about their creative process. Listen for an attitude of flexibility and willingness to work with you.
4) Comfort. Let’s face it, you will be spending lots of time with your writer. Their job is to be you on paper, so they need to know how you think and everything you want to say. This takes hours and hours of conversation. If you’re spending this much time with them, you need to like them! As you interview the writer, what is your knee-jerk reaction? Do you feel comfortable with them? At ease? Relatable? You need to feel like they understand you and agree with you. Yes, this is a professional relationship, but writing a book is also deeply personal. You will be with this writer for months, so be sure you like and trust them.
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