5 Reasons to Ghostwrite Your Business Book

Adding the word "author" to a resume has become a new trend in business, according to vocational experts.

"These days, ghostwriting is a sensible and profitable investment for top business leaders. Everyone from CEOs to sales professionals to motivational speakers can benefit from putting out a book of their ideas and advice," says Larry Leichman, co-owner of Arbor Books (http://www.arborbooks.com/), a leading ghostwriting, editing and self-publishing firm. "It's a real competitive advantage—one that we can help any serious businessperson take advantage of."

A professionally ghostwritten business book can push your career to the next level and establish you as:

1. A celebrity. Trump, Buffett, Branson—books have brought these names out of the business world and into the global cultural vocabulary. A good business memoir or advice book builds upon your renown in the corporate realm and turns you into a household name.

2. An expert. Why just be good at what you do when you can be widely known as the number-one leader in your field? A book proliferates your ideas and creates lasting impressions on the minds of millions of readers.

3. A valuable asset. Imagine going into an interview for a job or promotion and being able to say, "As I wrote in my book…" Bringing a published work to the table shows a company just how much you have to offer -- and how much more business you will be able to bring them in the future.

4. Media-friendly. Send your ghostwritten business book to TV and radio producers, Web sites, newspaper and magazine editors or any major media outlet to let them know that you're available for interviews and consultations -- and give them a taste of the important information you have to share.

5. A public speaker. The first step to booking engagements is ghostwriting your book. With your ideas in print, you can begin to build your own motivational/business advice empire.


"Whether the project is B2B or for the general public, our goal is to create for each client a unique image and brand that makes him or her distinctive and memorable," says Joel Hochman, co-owner of Arbor Books. "Ghostwriting a business book involves more than just putting words on paper. It's about creating a look and feel and establishing the author's identity and intent."

At Arbor Books, ghostwriting a business book generally costs between $10,000 and $60,000, depending upon the length of the manuscript, its complexity and the writer chosen for the project. Most books can be written in less than 120 days and are completed with absolute confidentiality. Only the client's name appears on the finished product, and he or she owns 100 percent of the rights to the book and keeps 100 percent of the profits.

The process of ghostwriting is simple. Payments are divided into installments. After the client makes the first payment, Arbor Books matches him or her with a ghostwriter, who will produce the manuscript based on regular interviews with the client via phone calls or e-mails or in person. Some clients also opt to provide their ideas via Word documents, audio tapes or videos. As the ghostwriter progresses, work is sent to the client for approval.