Have you ever awoken from a restless sleep feeling as though you needed to write but were too depleted to even pick up a pen, let alone sit down and write something worthwhile? If you haven't felt this way at least one time or another, you are definitely in minority. Consider yourself unique within the vast majority of writers struggling with what I call depletion condition. Many depleted writers, in their attempts to reach a deadline will force themselves to charge forward with their writing regardless of how it makes them feel. If more care is not taken to feeding your writer's soul, you could experience feelings of resentment, inadequate health, and creative blocks that might produce debilitating results.

Lee Humphries, an interdisciplinary research analyst and President of ThinkingApplied.com eloquently stated in his article on Ecology of Creativity that "one of lamentable facts about our culture is that it holds free time in such low esteem and subtly chides those who engage in it.... this value more than any other passed down to us blocks avenue to creativity."

They all employed a ghostwriter to help them write their books.

What’s a ghostwriter? A ghostwriter is someone who writes all or part of a book without getting credit for being author. Depending on circumstances, person who is named as author contributes anything from all information, as in an autobiography, to practically none of it, as occasionally occurs with diet and exercise books.

Sometimes ghostwriter’s name is on cover or title page in small letters. Sometimes she’s thanked in acknowledgements section of book. And sometimes her name isn’t mentioned at all.

But she is one who actually takes information that author wants conveyed and turns it into a book.

Why would you want to hire a ghostwriter, rather than write a book by yourself?

Maybe you don’t have time to write a book. Maybe you’re not quite Shakespeare when it comes to writing. Or maybe you’re more of a people person, and you don’t want to spend your life alone in front of a laptop.

Whatever reason, hiring a ghostwriter is a legitimate way to take what you know and turn it into a publishable manuscript. And in many cases, you can actually write a book without lifting a finger.

How Do You Work With A Ghostwriter?

There are many of ways to have someone write a book for you. Here are a few:

* Let ghostwriter interview you for an hour a week over phone until she has enough information to finish your book. Or meet in person for a massive three-day interview and let ghostwriter create book from that. * Give writer whatever material you already have, whether it be a manuscript, videos, tapes or CDs, and let him turn it into a book. He can interview you as needed to fill in blanks. * Have your ghostwriter do library work as well as interview your clients and other experts in your field. He can then add your comments to create your book.

You can mix and match any of above, or find another way to work together.

What Does It Cost?

The price you pay for a ghostwriter depends on a) what you want them to do b) how much experience they have c) how much credit you plan on giving them and d) whether you are offering them a percentage of what you will earn from sale of each book.

If you plan to sell your book to a traditional publisher like HarperCollins, Penguin, etc., you need to submit a sample of your work, called a book proposal, first. A book proposal consists of an outline of your book, a sample chapter or two, some marketing material and your bio.

Most experienced ghostwriters will charge between $3000 and $7500 to write one. And if ghostwriter has written a bestseller or two, she might charge as much as $15,000.

Generally, more you pay, more confident you can be that you will receive a high-quality product. This is what you need if you want to impress a publisher. Not only that, but higher-priced writers will usually have connections to literary agents and editors that they will share with you when your proposal is complete.