Writers cringe when someone says, “I have this really great idea for a book. All I need is someone to write it down for me. So you do that, and get it all ready to be published, and I’ll even let you have five percent of the profit.” Most authors get this offer several times a month.

These people often think they are looking for a co-author. In reality, they are looking for a ghostwriter. How do you know which you need?

The first thing you should understand is that the writing is the hard part of the project. Ideas are easy to get—every writer has an idea list that would keep him in books the rest of his life. My own list has ideas I intend to write as soon as I work my way down the list to them. It also has ideas I can’t yet write because I don’t have the skill or the talent. I may never be qualified to write them, but they are there just in case. So what you’re asking the writer to do is to do everything, really. In a book, the writing is the job, so naturally, you will offend the author by acting as though the writing was not hard. If it were easy, you wouldn’t need someone to put your idea into writing for you. A well-written book requires six months to a year of an author’s time, not counting rewrites and various other publishing tasks, and that won’t come cheaply.

The second thing to remember is that no matter how great your idea might be, you probably won’t get rich. Very few writers even earn enough to live on. Getting on the big talk shows is hard until you’re already famous. Publishers no longer foot the bill for extravagant publicity or even book tours. You’re on your own, to a large extent, and that costs even more money. So, if your motivation is wealth or fame, choose another avenue. If you have an idea that is monumental, a book might be a good tool.

Ghost writer or Co-author?

Co-authors each bring something to the project at hand. Just bringing the idea isn’t enough. If your partner is the skilled and published writer, you need to be famous or have the topic credentials. For instance, suppose you wanted to write a book about healthy eating because you love the topic and want everyone to eat well. That’s a popular topic, but do a search on an online bookseller’s site. You’ll find thousands of books on healthy eating. Most are by famous people—celebrities, famous doctors, or cooking show hosts. For your book to stand out, you need a hook—something special. If your partner is the writer, you need to be the owner of a hot restaurant, catering service, or health spa, for instance. Then you are contributing your well-known reputation, which enhances the actual writer’s chances of getting the book into print and on the best seller lists.

If you don’t have something like this to offer, published authors have no benefit from working with you. They can earn more on their own. Instead, hire a ghost writer. The ghost writer works for an hourly rate, and you pay her whether or not you make any money. In fact, you pay her even if you never find a publisher who is willing to publish the book, and you pay her in advance, normally a large deposit up front and the rest on completion. This is entirely fair because her name isn’t on the book and she gets nothing from it if it doesn’t sell, and often, nothing more if it goes on to become famous. Since it isn’t her idea or material, she cannot control some of what makes a book successful. She can only shape the material you provide into a book.

You will need a detailed outline with the research done and permissions gathered for quotes. In fact, if you had a basic manuscript, it would save you a great deal of money. Choose a ghost writer you trust—read some of her work before hiring her—and then give her a fair amount of control. Remember, if she’s published and you aren’t, she knows far more about what is needed to make a book sell than you do. She may need to restructure the material, and remove items that are off-topic or don’t move the book forward. (No matter how much you also care about ballet, you can’t have a ballet chapter in a health food book.) Each ghost writer has her own requirements, so talk it over in detail and get a detailed contract of expectations and finances.

The other option is to get your grammar and writing skills in good shape, read some books on writing, and write your own book. With the advent of self-publishing, you don’t even have to seek a traditional publisher if you're a good marketer.