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Some aspiring authors put off hiring a ghostwriter to help write their book because they are afraid that the writer will steal their concept, run away with their ideas, or reveal proprietary information that is shared. They opt not to move ahead out of fear.

It’s totally normal to be reluctant to put yourself at a disadvantage and open up to someone you barely know in the name of writing a book. I get it.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce your anxiety and protect your ideas while also working alongside a writing professional.

As a ghostwriter, or as I like to call myself — a “writing partner” — my job is to make you look good. I want to help organize your thinking, identify the information needed to write your book, and push you to share relevant ideas and stories to make your book compelling. If I don’t push you, the manuscript may sound flat and uninteresting. In order to make your book interesting, you may need to reveal sensitive information that your ghostwriter should agree to keep between the two of you, unless you approve it to go in your book.

Many clients are also worried about confidentiality, so our agreement includes a clause that prevents me from revealing our work together beyond a generic description of the project. That is, I can describe the general subject but not the angle, the specific topic, who you are, or what the title is unless you give me permission. Some clients do give me permission because they know that I can only help sell more books if I talk about the work we did together.

But what are some tools you can use to ease your worry about ghostwriters stealing your great ideas? Here are two that will address many of the issues.

A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

If you’re a successful businessperson, rising executive, industry expert, or innovator, it’s extremely likely you have unique insights and observations that would be valuable to others. This intellectual property may be what your book will be based on. Even if it’s not, you want to protect proprietary information and trade secrets from being shared with others without your permission.

That’s where an NDA comes in.

An NDA requires your ghostwriter to keep the information you share with them private for a set period of time, usually 2 to 3 years. You may also want to specify what happens with the information once the book is written. Do you want it returned? Deleted? Shredded?

I am not an attorney, so you’ll want to consult one to draft an NDA for your project.

Within your NDA, you’ll want to specify what information must be kept private, such as:

  • Background materials provided for use in drafting the manuscript
  • Client names and related details
  • Confidential business information
  • Trade secrets
  • Personal stories
  • Discussions regarding future plans and strategies

Then you’ll both want to sign it to indicate you’ve read and agreed to the terms.

Work-Made-for-Hire Agreement

Most ghostwriters are hired as independent contractors to complete a specific project. That is, they are not employees and you have no ongoing working relationship once the book is done.

A work-made-for-hire agreement expressly conveys that this is a finite working relationship and that anything produced belongs to you, the author.

You’ll want a work-made-for-hire contract that confirms you are the sole owner of the book and its copyright.

You’ll also want to document that the ghostwriter has no ownership claim to this project or any derivative works, such as future editions, courses, or even movies, and that they understand and accept this.

Those are the biggest points to make clear, but consult an attorney to be sure there aren’t other aspects to clarify as well, such as whether they can announce their involvement in the publication of the book or show the book’s cover in any of their marketing materials.

These two agreements together make it clear what your ghostwriter can reveal, if anything, and that they are being hired to assist in the writing of a book that belongs to you.

To protect yourself further, you’ll also want to document as much as possible about the information shared along the way.

 

Put Everything in Writing

Since ideas cannot receive copyright protection, it’s generally smart to document every thought or idea on paper before sharing it. That provides proof of copyright ownership in case it is ever questioned, as well as a paper trail.

Your work-made-for-hire contract should make it clear that any new idea or concept that comes out of a book discussion belongs to you, too, so you’re covered on that front, but documenting ideas up front makes it clear where the content originated.

For example, ideas verbally expressed do not have copyright protection. Only when they are committed to paper do you have copyright protection.

Limit Information Access

Depending on how sensitive your information is, you may want to request your ghostwriter set up simple access control systems to keep notes and files safe and under lock and key.

One government project I worked on required that I keep all related documents in a locked filing cabinet during non-working hours, for example. I also needed a password-protected computer.

These are easy-to-implement requests that your ghostwriter should have no trouble putting into place. If they work in an office that is accessible to the public, or to colleagues, you may want to brainstorm other steps that can be taken to protect your information and manuscript.

Protecting your work-in-progress and related files is important, but keep in mind that your ghostwriter is a professional. They know what they’re doing. Try to stay focused on creating a valuable and eye-opening book rather than getting caught up in the details regarding security.

Ultimately, you need to trust that your ghostwriter has your back. If you don’t, you may not be working with the right person.

Do you have a business book you’ve been thinking about writing? Email me at marcia at marcialaytonturner.com to receive a copy of my guide to finding, hiring, and working with a ghostwriter.