You’ve made the important decision to write your autobiography or memoir. In other words, to tell your whole life story or an important piece of it.
Now what? Maybe you’re not sure how to start an autobiography, or how to start off a memoir—in the middle of your story or at the beginning?
An essential first step is getting organized— maybe you could use some help with that, and with creating an outline. It might be you need someone to step in and do all the writing (a ghostwriter), or you already have a manuscript in need of a good editor.
It’s important to find the right service to work with on this very personal book. You’ll be sharing your life stories and spending quite a bit of time with the autobiography ghostwriter you choose. You’ll want to pick someone who is technically competent, likeable, and enjoyable to work with.
Whether you need a ghostwriter for a memoir or an autobiography, at whatever stage of the process you find yourself, we’re honored you’re considering The Writers For Hire to help write your story. We’ll do everything we can to show your trust in us is well-placed.
What You Can Expect From Us
A personal project like an autobiography is different than, say, a corporate website or a business book. When clients come to us for memoir or autobiography writing services, they bring very specific goals and concerns. Whether they are purchasing our service for themselves or a family member, they want to work with a writer who will genuinely enjoy listening to their stories, and they want to know that they’ll end up with a book they’ll be proud of as an author.
Here’s what you can expect when you work with us:
- We will take the time to get to know you. Before we write a word, we spend two to three days interviewing you, your family, your friends, and anyone else you would like to contribute. We learn more about your story and discuss your style preferences, timelines, additional interviewees, and publishing options.
- We will listen to you.Your writing team wants to hear what you have to say. We come to every interview ready to absorb the details of your story – and we take detailed notes and make recordings to be sure we don’t miss a word.
- We won’t disappear. Ghostwriting shouldn’t imply you’re working with a ghost! Ghostwriting is a collaborative, back-and-forth effort. We communicate with you regularly, and you’ll always know the status of your book.
- If you don’t like something, we’ll change it.It’s your book, and we want you to be 100% happy with it. As your autobiographers and memoir writers, we love getting feedback from you at every stage of the process. Whether it concerns your outline, table of contents, word choice in the text, or editing decisions, just tell us what’s working and what you’d like to change. We’ll revise based on your comments.
Our Approach To Autobiography Writing
We’re intent on capturing all the critical aspects of your life, including your childhood, personal background, education, career, achievements, relationships, and major life events.
We aim to offer insights into your thoughts, emotions, and perspectives on life, understanding that a great autobiographical book is so much more than just the optimal arrangement of words on a page.
An autobiography writer should capture the profound aspects of your life that are the pillars of your story. That’s why we include your retrospective views and self-reflection, in combination with experiences that are inspirational, relatable, and thought-provoking to readers.
A Few Of Our Past Ghostwriting Projects
At The Writers For Hire, we’ve been ghostwriting memoirs and autobiographies for decades. About a third of the many books we’ve written, edited, or consulted on have been autobiographical.
Here’s a sampling of our experience as a ghostwriter for autobiography books. Please note that the details are intentionally vague to protect our clients’ identities.
- The autobiography of a German war bride. The Writers For Hire conducted several days of onsite interviews with a German immigrant who came to the United States after World War II. The novel-length book chronicled her extraordinary life, from a childhood surviving air raids in Berlin and running away from a Hitler Youth work camp to raising a family and running a ranch in the American West.
- A grandfather’s autobiography, from his childhood growing up during the Great Depression to his military service, marriage and family, and career. Commissioned by his grandchildren to preserve a piece of family history, the finished book was self-published and distributed to family members as a holiday gift.
- The autobiography of a female oil company executive chronicles the client’s life through some of her most interesting moments. This true tale of life and love shares the experiences of a Virginia woman transported into the Texas oil industry.
- Houston couple’s autobiography combines their ancestral research with their personal journeys. It portrays their separate lives from childhood to marriage, then delves into the captivating stories of their immigrant ancestors’ lives in Houston. This autobiography was commissioned as a gift from the couple’s children and grandchildren.
References Available
Sure, we think our writing team is pretty great – but we’re just a bit biased. If you’d like to learn more about what it’s like to work with us, from our real ghostwriting customers, we can provide references upon request.
Our Process
FAQs About Autobiography And Memoir Writers
No, people from every walk of life have authored their life stories.
Learn more about autobiographies and get some great tips on autobiography writing.
Definitely. All the information contained in your book comes from you and from sources you approve. A ghostwriter puts their experience and skills to work to professionally write your book.
Read a case study on an autobiography The Writers for Hire produced for an author with a fascinating story.
Yes, you can, and many have honored a loved one in this way.
Finding the right people to do your concepting research, writing, editing, and proofreading usually takes some time and effort. Take a look at our portfolio and see if we look like a good fit for you.
Learn more about choosing the best ghostwriting team for you.
You do. It’s your book, and you retain 100% of the rights to it.
You do. In addition to retaining 100% of the rights to your book, you can claim sole authorship. Some of our clients choose to credit us as editors or co-writers, but the majority of our clients don’t disclose the fact that they used a ghostwriter – and that’s fine with us.
Of course. Your ghostwriter is simply helping you say what you want to say in a clear, engaging way. The ideas are 100% yours – a ghostwriter just helps you get them on the page.
We take your privacy seriously. Most of our ghostwriting contracts include a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
The process starts with your own thought process. First, ask yourself what the overall theme of your book will be.
Read more about how to start an autobiography or a memoir.
Several guidelines say the ideal is about 65,000 words, but this varies based on many factors, with more leeway given to better-known authors.
Our ghostwriters are professional, full-time writers and editors. To keep them on our team, we must pay them for their time. Our business model simply isn’t set up to take projects on spec.
Technology makes it easy for us to work with anyone, anywhere. We’ve worked with hundreds of happy clients from all over the globe. We will fly to visit you, or we can work via virtual meeting such as Zoom or Teams.
Yes. We can refer you to our preferred publisher. If you are interested in other publishing options, we can research the best alternatives for your specific story and goals.
Ghostwriting is a two-way process, and we request specific, constructive feedback from you every step of the way. You will see and approve each chapter as it’s written, which means there won’t be any surprises at the end.
We don’t offer illustrations and infographics in-house, but can provide introductions and recommendations for design work, and we can project manage the design of your book.
If you’re asking about self-publishing, which makes up almost 20% of the current market, then yes, we can help guide you through the self-publishing process. If you mean traditional publishing, no one can guarantee publication. We can, however, provide you with introductions to a few local/niche publishers or pitch your book to traditional publishers.
A full-length book typically takes between 6 and 12 months. However, we can usually handle a compressed schedule. Tell us what your deadline is; chances are, we can make it.
To request a no-obligation quote for ghostwriting services, fill out the form below or call (713)465-6860. To review general pricing, visit our writing prices page.
References Available
Sure, we think our writing team is pretty great – but we’re just a bit biased. If you’d like to learn more about what it’s like to work with us, from our real ghostwriting customers, we can provide references upon request.
Who Gets Autobiographies?
CEOs & BUSINESSPEOPLE
Share your story. Establish yourself as an industry leader.
CONSULTANTS & POLITICIANS
Connect with supporters, or build your brand.
FOR FAMILIES
Create a one-of-a-kind heirloom for generations to come.
INDIVIDUALS & CREATIVES
Express yourself. Write your novel. Tell your story.
YOUR LOVED ONES
Give a unique gift and preserve cherished memories.
