How to Create an Effective Outline for Your Ghostwriter

Hiring the services of a ghostwriting company for that Kindle book that you’ve been wanting to write may not be easy. That is especially true if you are full of ideas, but you weren’t born with an aptitude for writing. You may feel wary of hiring someone else to complete your ideas and stories at first as you don’t know if the writer can capture your unique voice. However, there should be nothing to worry about if you prepare a Kindle book outline beforehand.

What Is an Ebook Outline?

An outline is practically a list of topics that you want to see in the ebook. It can consist of the number of chapters that the book should have, the names for the headings and subheadings, as well as the points that need to appear in every chapter. In case you will not be speaking to the ghostwriter directly, it is the best way to communicate how you want the ideas to flow.

Considering it will be your first time to create an outline for ghostwriters, you should think of it as the bark of a huge tree. It is the foundation that will allow the fruit — the ebook — to come to life. The details about each chapter will make up its branches. Every leaf that grows on them serves as a valuable information that the ghostwriter needs to know.

Why Do You Need to Prepare an Outline?

Some clients feel like it is ideal to give a short description of the book they have in mind instead of creating an ebook outline. They say that it will allow the ghostwriters to have creative freedom. They want to prevent putting a cap on the number of ideas that a writer may think of and discuss.

The thing is, this so-called freedom mostly works for article ghostwriters. When you ask them to write 500 to 2,000 words, after all, they only have to write about a few points. If you give a keyword or three, it will be effortless for them to do a quick search on what details to discuss.

In terms of Kindle books, we are talking about dozens of pages that a ghostwriter needs to fill with relevant ideas. The more pages there are, the higher the chance is for them to deviate from the topic. You may have nothing to fear if you have a close relationship with the writer. You could assume that they already know your desired output, so there's no need for you to jot down the points that should be in the ebook. Still, if you get the services of a ghostwriting company, you may not have a say on who will handle the book writing.

Given the latter, you may not get the content that you want without an ebook outline. You will be no different from a military officer who tells his subordinates to go to war without informing them about the full situation in the field. It is unwise to let the ghostwriters work on your dream project without telling them how you want it to be done. If you insist on going forward sans outline, despite all this information, you may end up asking for revisions repeatedly, frustrating your ghostwriter, and losing more money and time than necessary.

Creating an Ebook Outline for Ghostwriters

Since you have already had your Whats and Whys answered, it is now time to ask, "How can I create an ebook outline for my potential ghostwriters?"

At this point, you may think of yourself as someone who has a customization project to bring to fruition. Whether you want to customize a piece of jewelry or an entire car, after all, the people you will hire may be able to offer suggestions, but your ideas will still matter the most. Because of that, you cannot simply go where the wind will take you. You need to do the following.

Decide On the Subject Matter

Your initial task is to decide on the topic that the book will revolve around. If it's about healthy recipes, for instance, you should not talk about how to harvest the ingredients. In case you want an ebook that's related to technology, you can't force literature content in it.

Deciding what the ghostwriter should write about from the get-go will allow the rest of the steps to come naturally to you.

List the Parts

With the main idea in mind, you need to visualize what the book will look like inside. Does it have a table of contents or copyright page? How many chapters should be seen? What particular topics should be discussed in every chapter?

When the writer sees the parts that you are looking for, they will not have to guess about your requirements. It entails that you will not waste time by going back and forth with your ghostwriter who basically has to assume the flow of content that you will approve.

Explain Your Objective(s)

Once the sections are in place, you need to specify what you wish to achieve by publishing the ebook. Do you want to share how you have lost weight, for example? Do you aim to inform novices about how the trading industry works?

You can use your outline to explain such objectives. It will not hurt to mention your target demographics here as well to give your ghostwriter a more detailed picture.

Ask for Research (If Necessary)

Although most seasoned writers are aware of it, you are free to add in the outline that they have to include real studies and reports. That is especially important if the topic you have chosen covers mental disorders, financial data, and other relevant research-laden claims.

The presence of the sources tends to increase the credibility of the content. The readers may think, "Wow, this person has put a lot of effort in this book!" Not all of them may think of double-checking the facts, but it's still best to ask for research materials if necessary.

Provide Examples

Before even thinking of publishing a book under your name, there is a high likelihood that you have thought of it because other ebooks have inspired you to make something that you can call your own. Many creators have started that way, to be honest. Their passion for books has come to life after reading a few and feeling like they have a story to tell, too.

In case you want the tone or flow of your ebook to be similar to that of your all-time favorites, you should include links to them in the outline. Doing so will also save you from needing to explain the vibe that you are aiming for — a feat that can be tricky for inexperienced writers.

Indicate Specifics

Hiring a ghostwriter through a company usually entails that you merely have to mention the ideas to include in your ebook, and then, they can edit and format it for you. However, it does not mean that you cannot send specific requirements.

For instance, some clients want the font to be Calibri for the normal texts and Cambria for the headings instead of using the fonts that the company has suggested. Others may also ask for double spaces rather than single spaces. You should not hesitate to indicate such specifics because customers like yourself are supposed to always be right.

Conclusion

The success of an ebook ghostwriting project does not solely depend on how amazing the writer has been. It is not ideal to rely on the editing, publishing, or marketing team either. With hundreds of books possibly coming out in Kindle format these days and an increasing number of highly skilled ghostwriters out there, you cannot stay idle and let them do all the work.

As the person who hired a ghostwriter to do the job in the first place, you need to act like a responsible client and create a Kindle book outline. Doing so will boost your chances of seeing the content that you have in mind in virtual pages on the first try. There may still be a few things to be added or removed afterwards, but those are ideally minor issues.

When it comes to writing an outline for ghostwriters, it should not be too challenging for you as well. To reiterate the ideas mentioned above, you simply have to: