How to Request Revisions for Ghostwritten Services

Updated 10/30/2020

Using ghostwriting services to create your book is a smart and efficient way of creating content. The process of ghostwriting when you use a digitally-based ghostwriting company is a little different than working with someone face-to-face, as is the revision process.

When working with a ghostwriter in person, for instance, you may be able to sit together with the document and make changes in the presence of both parties. When you work with someone remotely, that process becomes digital. Of course, the use of a digital service is far cheaper, but it can work just as well, if not better, than working with a ghostwriter you meet in person.

Revisions are part of the writing process and, after having received your ghostwritten book, you will likely need to request a revision from the company you used.

How does this process work though and is it really that important? Are there ways that we can minimize the probability of revisions being required in the first place? Let’s dive into the world of revisions for ghostwritten material.

Why Are Revisions An Important Part of Your Package?

At The Urban Writers, we understand that your book represents your brand and you want it to be 100% in alignment with that brand. It is for this reason that we have included up to four revisions in our Platinum Bundle, giving you peace of mind that the end product you put out into the world, is exactly what you want.

We are honored to be a part of your creation journey and we see your success as our success. The Platinum Bundle also includes:

Access to the most highly-skilled writers in our team
Professional outline creation
Creation of book covers
Professional book description
Kindle and paperback formatting
Proofreading and editing
20 commercially-free images
Fast delivery

Do You Qualify for a Revision?

The revision process actually starts long before a single word of your book is written. It starts when you choose a company to work with in facilitating your ghostwritten content. As with most digital services, there are a wide range of companies offering ghostwriting services but they are not all created equally. Every company has different policies around revisions and those policies often differ according to which package you choose.

Why Choosing the Right Company to Ghostwrite Is Important

Before you select a company to work with, ask yourself these simple questions:

Have I researched this company? It is vital to ensure that you are dealing with a reputable ghostwriting company. Look at their website and read the reviews that previous clients have left.
Do I really understand their different packages? Most ghostwriting companies will have a range of packages at different costs. Each package will offer a certain tier of services. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. Select a company and a package that you feel will meet your needs.
What is this company’s revision policy and is it different on each package? Make sure that you know exactly how many rounds of revisions you are allowed to request on the package you choose and what the terms and conditions are that apply.

You will likely have a specified time period, for instance, within which you can request revisions.

Still Not Sure? Talk to a Human

A good website should not leave you with more questions than answers. If, in your search for a ghostwriting company, you find that after reading the information on their website, you are still unsure about the details of their plans, contact a customer service representative.

Keep in mind that this is a good indicator of the type of service you can expect to receive if you place an order with a company. Be clear about your questions and ensure that you get the clarity you asked for. You are, after all, paying for a service and you have every right to fully understand the service on offer.

Limit the Need for Revisions

Ideally, you would like to receive a book that meets your expectations without needing revisions. The very nature of digital communication often lends itself to misunderstanding.

Choosing the right company is the first step in this process but there are two more things that you can do in order to better your chances of limiting revisions:

Ensure the company you work with has carefully selected their ghostwriters. If you have worked with a specific writer at that company before, you can request them for future projects.
Write a detailed outline for the writer to work from. Think of your outline as the building plan for your book.

Detailed Outlines Limit Revisions

You have most likely been planning your book in your head for months, maybe even years, before you get around to hiring a company to have it written. Your ghostwriter, on the other hand, has not been privy to any of those thoughts, plans, or ideas, so you need a tool to represent your ideas on paper in a clear and detailed manner. That tool is the outline.

Just as your building plans tell the construction company where you want the walls, windows, and doors, your writing outline communicates the structure of your book to your writer.

By producing a detailed outline for your ghostwriter to create your ebook from, you minimize the possibility of revisions and maximize the probability that you will be happy with the end product.

It is vital to ensure that you have included everything you want to appear in your book in the outline as adding information and chapters or changing your mind at the revision stage will result in additional charges. If you are unsure about what to include in your outline, let a professional tackle this vital step for you.

The Urban Writer’s Platinum Bundle Package, offers professionally written and detailed outlines, which, along with the other phenomenal services included in this package, form a solid foundation for your new book.

Outlines for Audiobooks

When you are constructing your outline, keep in mind how you plan to deliver your book to your audience. Are you only going to be delivering in ebook format or would you also like to take advantage of the 25% year-on-year growth in the audiobook market? If you are planning on releasing your book in audio format as well, it is important to tell your writer that in the outline.

Books written for audio delivery require a slightly different flow than books that are solely for reading. Bullet points, for instance, large sets of numbers, and statistics do not work well in audio format. By telling your writer how you intend to deliver your book, you minimize the need for revisions.

How to Request Revisions for Ghostwritten Services — The Right Way

Just as there are things that we can do to minimize the likelihood of revisions, there are also ways that we can ensure that the revision process goes smoothly and produces the results we want.

All ghostwriting companies will have different processes for their revisions, but we can tell you how we do things here at The Urban Writers:

5 Dos For Revisions

Do: use our "Chat" and "Document View" facilities to stay abreast of your writer's progress. This is the absolute best way to limit revisions. By picking up small things they may not meet your expectations in the beginning (tone, tense, etc.) you can save both you and the writer a lot of revisions later in the process.
Do: look out for update notifications on the email that you use to log in to our platform. You will receive notifications when the writer has submitted, when the order goes to the editor, and when you need to approve the final draft.
Do: respond as quickly as you can to the request for your approval. If you have been following the progress of your order's development, you should be able to just do one quick read-through to verify that you are satisfied.
Do: request revisions timeously by clicking on the "Request Revision" button, and entering the details of the revisions you require.
Do: make use of the "Doc Comments" feature to write specific notes about certain areas you want changes. It's important to be as specific as possible so that the writer and editor know exactly what you want changed.

4 Don’ts for Revisions

Don’t: rewrite the content on your own, and ask that the writer or editor paste that into the text. You’re paying for a professional service, so take advantage of its quality. If you have a suggestion on how you’d like text to be worded, include it in your comments and allow the team to follow your guidance.
Don’t: ask the ghostwriter to move blocks of text around or delete anything. This is as bad for flow as it is for formatting. If you feel a piece of information would be better served in a different location, use the Chat or Doc Comments function to make the suggestion and the writer will take care of the rest.
Don’t: change the formatting. Professional ghostwriting companies will format your book to comply with Kindle Direct Publishing requirements. Changing even one aspect could result in your book being rejected by Amazon.
Don’t: send screenshots of changes or lists with page numbers on which you require revisions. This method is far too easy to misunderstand and the Doc Comments feature ensures that nothing is missed so your number of revisions will be greatly reduced.

What Happens Next?

As soon as the writer and editor are advised that you have requested a revision, they will start working on the changes. You will receive notifications when a writer or editor submits the revised work so that you can go in and check that you are now happy.

As soon as you have confirmed that the revisions have been made to your satisfaction, you can go ahead and confirm your approval of the order. Here at The Urban Writers, your order will be made available for download within 24 hours of approval.

Checklist for Revision Requests

When your first draft is completed, read through it once in its entirety. Things that seem to have been left out or that appear to not make sense may look different after you have read the entire book. Each part of a book is like a brushstroke on a painting. Up close, a single brushstroke may seem out of place but when you step back and take a look at the big picture, it all fits together.

On the second round of reading, you can start to add doc comments where necessary as you now have an understanding of how the book fits together. When you commence your second round of reading, ask yourself the following questions:

Does my request constitute a revision? A revision involves small changes and updates to the existing text. A request to add new sections or chapters will often require a new order to be placed for the additional words.
Does the book follow my outline? If not, what is different, and has it been changed to improve the book? Allow yourself to consider the possibility that what the writer has produced, although different from what you requested, may work better.
Is there something you requested to be included that is not there? Occasional human error is normal in any project. If your writer has forgotten something, include a comment detailing what is missing and precisely where you want(ed) it. This could include pictures, quotes, a book description, or more.
Are there grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors? If so, where in the book are they? Also consider that most ghostwriting companies use US spelling, so if something looks wrong to you, perhaps you are familiar with the UK spelling variation.
How can the writer make my book better and what specific instructions can I pass on to communicate these required improvements? Small, specific changes, which fall within the parameters of the revision policy, could make a big difference.
Am I being specific enough in my comments and are there instances where I can provide examples for clarification? Examples are gold for writers. It helps them ensure that they understand what you need and makes it easier to deliver on your expectations.

A Wrap-Up of How to Request Revisions for Your eBook

Putting a book out to market is exciting and sometimes nerve-wracking, but the process doesn’t need to be fraught with problems and misunderstandings. It is entirely possible to have your book written in a manner that meets your expectations and that promotes your brand effectively.

It is in the interests of everyone involved in a ghostwriting project to deliver a satisfactory product the first time round. For the client, this means that they can get their book out to market faster, and for the writers and ghostwriting company, it means a happy customer and faster turnaround.

Achieving this is a team effort that starts with the writer and facilitation team receiving a solid outline and good communication of your expectations if you do require revisions. By properly following this process, you can ensure that your literary creation gets out to market quickly and in the best possible form.