Why You Need a Great Outline for Your Ghostwriter  

What’s the greatest concern you might have when hiring someone else to write on your behalf? Hands down, it’s quality control. Writing is such a personal process that every ghostwriter has their own take on the topic. Thankfully, you can regain control by providing a thorough guide in the form of an outline. This is exactly why a detailed outline is essential.

A great outline will communicate exactly what you want the writer to include in your book. This goes for both fiction and non-fiction projects. With an outline or template, the writer will be able to cater to your exact needs - instead of wandering aimlessly in a pool of information. Best of all, you will likely save a lot of money (and headaches) by avoiding redundant edits and revisions.  

In this article, you will learn reasons to provide an outline to your ghostwriter, but also what a detailed outline entails, and make sure to read until the end, because we have some amazing tips to prepare the best outline possible for your ghost!

Source: Pixabay

General Vs Detailed Outlines

You can’t provide just any outline for your ebook to a ghostwriter and expect top-notch work. There is a huge difference between very general and detailed outlines. You might have guessed that detailed outlines are always better (especially if you have a particular vision for your work), but let’s investigate both choices before we delve deeper into the topic.  

General Writing Outline

In simple words, general outlines are vague book structures. Usually, these do not include any more than the main headings or topics to be included in the written material. Even though you are trying to be helpful, the problem with providing general writing outlines is that they often lack clarity. Basically, you are giving the ghostwriter full creative freedom over your commissioned work (which is fine if you don’t have a specific vision for your book). 

As a result, these non-specific instructions might lead to a lot of back and forth between you and your writer. What this does is extends the turnaround time as the writer is either waiting for responses from you or aimlessly conducting their own research. Worst of all, the ghostwriter might eliminate all the back-and-forth communication and surprise you with the final product. While this could result in a positive outcome, there is a greater chance the submitted ebook may end up being nothing like you had envisioned. 

If the final product is not to your liking, you may require multiple revisions, leading to unwanted fees, and your ghostwriter can even experience burnout working on your project. 

A general outline can work, but we recommend only using a very general outline if you know and trust your ghostwriter to be able to a fantastic job with little guidance. One use case for a general outline is if you are hiring a very expert niche-specific writer. If you commission a science-fiction novel from a ghostwriter who is experienced with that niche, you might feel comfortable knowing that they are aware of the conventions of that genre (especially if they have many works under their belt).


Detailed Writing Outline

In most cases, you can avoid all of the ambiguity by offering better instructions in the form of a detailed writing outline. A detailed outline includes clear information about the project. Ideally, it provides the writer with essential details such as:  

  • The objective of the content
  • The ideal reader
  • Main reader takeaways
  • The hook
  • A structure or table of contents
  • For each of the main chapters or topics, you should include: 
  • An overview
  • The hook
  • The main headings and subheadings
  • Suggestion for details to add in each section
  • Any stories, studies, statistics, and examples you would like the writer to include. 
  • Anything you do not want the writer to include  

Additionally, you may want to include the following for a detailed outline for fiction ebooks: 

  • A synopsis of the book
  • Details regarding the genre, plot, setting, characters, etc. 
  • A thorough list of scenes to include in each chapter and details of what should happen in each scene

5 Reasons to Provide Detailed Writing Outlines to Ghostwriters

Writers have a love-hate relationship with outlines. While most writers love informative briefs, some writers think it stifles their creativity. However, the benefits of a detailed outline far outweigh the disadvantages. 

What are some winning reasons to provide your ghostwriter with a detailed writing outline? 

Reduces Back and Forth Communication

First and foremost, your outline doubles as a self-explanatory set of instructions. Thus, eliminating the need for too much back and forth communication. It ensures that both you and the ghostwriter are on the same page. There is no need for emails seeking further explanation if you have provided all the essential details for them in the detailed outline already. 

Surely there is nothing wrong if the writer is communicating regularly. But why deal with constant email notifications when you could have cleared up any confusion through an outline answering all the common questions a writer may have. 

The writer will still be able to finish the project if you provide only some general information along with the topic. However, they will not know what key takeaways to include, who the ideal readers are, and what the tone should be. When you realize - post-delivery - that the ebook is not what you had envisioned, you will need edits.

Source: Unsplash

Provides a Big Picture and Offers Clarity

A detailed outline is like a good roadmap. It helps the writer visualize the big picture. It will clearly offer directions for the beginning, the middle, and the ending. Plus, it will provide details of everything in between. 

Again, a well-prepared outline will ensure that the project specifications are clear to the ghostwriter. They will know exactly what you are expecting and what to deliver, which reduces unnecessary stress for both parties. 

Speeds Up the Writing Process

When a writer has a detailed outline on hand, they do not need to wait for inspiration to strike. They need not worry about how to arrange the book, section by section. Nor do they have to figure out the structure or the tone. It also makes the writing process less daunting. They can jump right into research and start working on the article. If they are not in the mood to write about a particular section, they can always start with another chapter. 

What’s more, a detailed writing outline serves as a checklist for the writer. He can easily track their progress. As a result, the ghostwriter will embrace better time management by setting small attainable deadlines for each section. 

More Focus on Your Desired Topics

Without outlines, writers will lose track and get lost in the details. So, detailed outlines are a great way to prompt the writers to write about topics you would want in your book. You can allocate maximum word limits for each section. Even if you don’t, the writers can look at the chapters or subheadings and do the calculation on their own. Otherwise, there is the risk of going off-topic.  

Eliminates Continuity Errors

Another superb reason to prepare an outline is that it reduces continuity errors. For nonfiction writing, this means the content will flow logically. No important details will be missing between sections if you predetermine the topics. For fiction writing, this means the storytelling will be natural and have no plot holes.

How to Write a Detailed Outline? Tips for You

By now, you’re probably convinced of the effectiveness of detailed writing outlines. But how do you get started? Don’t worry, we will provide some mind-blowing tips to help you make the best outline for your ghostwriter. 

  • Spend plenty of time brainstorming. Seek answers to questions like: 
  • What should the book be about? 
  • Who is the book for?
  • What contents are essential? 
  • How many chapters should the book be divided into?
  • Prepare a mind map it is always a brilliant way to organize your thoughts.  
  • Thoroughly revise the mind map to add or eliminate chapters. You may also suggest some optional chapters.
  • Use your budget to decide the length of the book. This is when you will screen what are your absolute must-have chapters
  • Create a table of contents, which is the basic structure or skeleton of the book. This will help identify whether any chapters are missing. Remember to include one to two short sentences summarizing what you would like the ghostwriter to add in each of the chapters. 
  • Divide the chapters further into headings and subheadings. Again, add a small summary of what each of the sections must include, and the takeaways from each one. 
  • Finally, add notes of ideas for the writer to include in the piece of content. Also, point out if there are topics you would not like the writer to include or elaborate on.

Source: Pixabay

 

If you are expecting high-quality content from ghostwriters that are exactly what you envisioned, there is no better way than providing a thorough written brief beforehand. We hope this quick article helps you in your self-publishing endeavors

 

Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published