The Art of the Initial Client Interview: 11 Questions Every Ghostwriter Should Ask

When issues arise between a ghostwriter and their author-client, on reflection, the ghostwriter almost always admits that there were red flags during early conversations that they ignored.

Sometimes, those red flags are as minor as a questionable comment or off-hand remark that the ghost chose to ignore. Other times, the red flags emerge as the work begins and the client becomes more demanding or regularly pushes the ghostwriter’s stated boundaries. Occasionally, problems begin to bubble up as the book nears completion, and the author becomes nervous about putting their ideas or experiences out into the world.

No matter when they surface, if a project is well underway, it can be difficult to extricate yourself from the work without some type of repercussion. At a minimum, there is the conflict and potential for confrontation when things go awry that you have to navigate. Then there is the chance for damage to your reputation if the client decides to complain to others publicly. Perhaps the most irritating, however, is the loss of income from the project as well as the potential work you may have already declined to be able to make time for this one.

Looking for red flags and checking in with your gut is essential when you’re in early discussions with prospects and are buoyed by the possibility of a decent paycheck and interesting work. Don’t let those appealing factors blind you to the potential chaos that could emerge if the author has been on their best behavior but are actually very different.

To avoid red flags and, more importantly, connect with clients who are an excellent fit with your personality and areas of interest, be sure you ask these 11 questions. They may not help you spot trouble every time, but they should at least shine a spotlight on areas to explore further, before you sign any agreements.

For a ghostwriter interviewing an aspiring author, it’s crucial to ask the right questions to assess the project’s viability, understand the author’s goals, and identify any potential red flags or issues that might arise during the collaboration. Here are some essential questions a ghostwriter should ask during an initial client interview:

1. What is your book about?

This is an easy first question that you may have previously asked, but you’ll want to get clear from the start what the book is about and whether it’s of interest to you.

You don’t want to spend an hour talking and only then realize that the topic is not one you’d want to spend months writing about. So, ask them right away to describe what the book is about and what gave them the idea.

2. Why are you writing this book? What do you want to have happen as a result?

This question is important because it surfaces the author’s expectations for the book, which may or may not be rooted in reality.

If they have no platform and no marketing budget but expect you to ensure the book becomes a New York Times bestseller, you may want to consider how confident you are that you can make that a reality for them. And if not, you’ll want to start resetting expectations before you start.

In many cases, nonfiction authors want to either earn some money or attract new opportunities.

3. Have you done any writing or research gathering so far?

This question helps you understand how organized they are. If they’ve been setting aside research and have it filed by proposed chapter title, you may guess that they are well-informed and on top of the industry.

Conversely, if they have the idea but absolutely nothing else, you’ll know that you’ll need to set aside time upfront to dig into the idea and how you can best approach it, given existing books on the topic and their goals.

4. Who is your target audience?

This is another question that seems simple on the surface, but if the author tells you their target reader is “everyone,” you’ll know right away that they haven’t done a lot of segmentation or competing titles research. You’ll also want to build time into your process to get clear about who the book is for.

The answer you hear can also help you determine whether you’d be interested in working on it. Even if the subject is of interest, a book for, say, tech leaders will have a very different focus and tone than a book on the same subject for moms or young adults.

5. When would you ideally like to have books in your hands?

This is useful to know so that you can assess if they understand the publishing process and what kind of timeline is reasonable.

When they give you a date, you’ll want to subtract 6-9 months, at least, for production, which leaves you the balance of the time for writing. Is that possible? If not, say that right now to learn if their deadline is hard and fast, at which point you may want to end the call and save yourself some time. You might have to do this if they think two months is enough time to write, edit, lay out, proof, print, and ship completed books, for example.

However, if they don’t know what a reasonable timeline is and want a well-written book, you can educate them about how long it will take to draft the manuscript and how a publisher will need to edit, layout, print, and mail it.

6. How do you plan to publish it?

This is a critical one because so many authors believe landing a traditional publishing contract from a Big Five publisher is fairly common and easy. I’m sure you know that it is neither and that hybrid publishing produces far more books than traditional houses today.

You can take the opportunity to educate the author about their publishing options, typical timelines, and pros and cons to assess which path they may be leaning toward.

Their response also tells you whether you’ll need to provide a quote for a book proposal and chat with some agents to try to line one up.

7. What is your budget for the writing part of the process?

Most authors will respond that they don’t know because they have never written a book.

That’s fair, and now it is your turn to educate them about your fees. You don’t have to commit to a price right now before you have all of the information, but you would be smart to float a ballpark number or range to see if they would be willing to pay that.

Don’t play coy and tell them you’ll send them a formal proposal after the call because you’re only procrastinating. Tell them your typical fee for a standard-length book in their field, but that you’ll need to consider their timeline, amount of research, and number of interviews before you can commit to a price.

If you don’t, you risk wasting even more time in meetings when it’s possible they can’t afford you. Because if they have $50,000 set aside and your fee is $75,000 or $100,000, it’s unlikely you will be able to find a middle ground that could make this mutually beneficial.

Bring up money early to speed the process along and save yourself lots of time.

8. Have you worked with a ghostwriter before?

Although some authors may have worked with a ghostwriter on articles or speeches, it’s pretty rare that they would have previously hired a book ghostwriter. However, if they have worked with a ghostwriter, you’ll want to know why they didn’t go back to the previous writer with this project.

When they start talking, listen to how they describe the writer and what went wrong with that relationship. Their description could foreshadow your own experience.

That doesn’t mean that you won’t want to work with them if they had a bad experience before but take note of what led to the downfall of their working relationship. That can be fruitful data for your own evaluation of the project and author.

9. Do you have the time available to work on this over the next several months?

You’ll want to hear that the author is making this a priority or that they have the availability to carve out time each week, for example. You do not want to hear that the author is surprised that they’d need to be involved in any aspect of the drafting process.

If the author is planning on doing some heavy traveling in the near future, you may want to ask how they plan on making time for this endeavor. If they aren’t willing to make the time, you may not want to either, for fear of getting caught up in a big waste of time.

10. How do you prefer to communicate?

This is another essential one to ask. If you’re an email or text person and your prospect is an in-person and regular phone calls kind of individual, this may not be a good fit. Or vice versa – if you’re an in-person ghost and they’re a Zoom advocate.

If they say they don’t have strong preferences, share yours and see how they react.

Since most authors have never worked with a ghostwriter, they’ll want to hear what your standard process entails.

11. Is there anything about working with a ghostwriter that concerns you or is giving you pause?

Wrapping up with a question like this gives the author a chance to reveal some anxiety, which you can then address straight on.

Your response can also be a lead-in to a summary of all the ways that you’re a good fit for this work, if you’ve decided you’d like to be considered.

Other questions will likely come up as you meet with your prospect, such as have to do with their topic, source(s) of information, deadline, or something else, but this list will help you uncover reasons this book project is right up your alley or not a good fit for the kind of client you’re looking for right now.

What other questions have you found to be particularly useful or insightful in deciding whether to take on a ghostwriting project?