A business book can take anywhere from a few weeks to a year or two for a ghostwriter to complete.
While it may be possible to compress the timeline, too much pressure to crank out a manuscript typically leads to a lower-quality book; there just aren’t as many rounds of reviews and edits when you’re rushing. I don’t recommend it.
However, there have been situations with books I’ve worked on where the author had an opportunity to speak at a major event or participate in a massive industry conference, where having a book was almost a requirement.
In those cases, we found a way to get it done by the deadline and I’m proud of the finished product. But that was only possible because we lined up all of the creative and editorial teams and made them aware in advance of the time crunch we were in. That way, we didn’t skip any steps in the writing or production process but were able to shave some weeks off a typical schedule.
How to Write a Book Faster
Factors that have the biggest impact on the amount of time required to write a book are:
- The length of the book (is it 35,000 words or 70,000 words?)
- How many interviewees are required (is there one information source or 25?)
- How many decision-makers are involved (is there one or a committee?)
- Whether outside research is required (do we need statistics or case studies?)
- How available you, the author, are (will you be traveling a lot?)
- The availability of editors and proofreaders on the publisher’s staff
The best-case scenario is when the author has a clear concept for their book, has already started to map out potential chapter topics, has gathered the bulk of the research, is the sole person providing the information, and is available for regular input sessions.
When all of those stars align, it may be possible to finish drafting a manuscript in three months, or 12 weeks. But each situation and book is different, so expect that it will take longer to be safe.
Four to nine months is the typical length of time ghostwriters quote, although some prefer a year or more.
Pace of Work Required
Unless you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that requires a book, I strongly urge you not to insist on overnight writing. Rushing a book out the door may end up leaving you less satisfied with the finished product later on, once you’ve had a chance to read through it.
Here is what may be required for each writing timeline, although every ghostwriter is different:
Under 3 Months
Many ghostwriters are unable to meet this timetable due to their other commitments. Others may be unwilling to attempt it due to their preferred process — working this fast is stressful.
Expect to pay a premium or rush charge for such fast service since the ghostwriter will need to decline other paying work that is offered while they are working on your book. Yours will likely be the only project they will have time to work on at this speed.
At this pace, no matter how many chapters are planned for your book, you will need at least one meeting a week to talk through chapter content, but more likely 2+ weekly meetings. The time you invest will likely be 6+ hours per week and may be as many as 10 or more. That often depends on the complexity of your concept.
When chapter drafts are presented to you, you will need to immediately review them and provide feedback within 24-48 hours.
4 to 6 Months
With a timeline allowing for 16 to 24 weeks to complete a manuscript, you can have a writing schedule that is much less disruptive to your work and personal life. Since many nonfiction books are under 15 chapters, your pace may require, at most, weekly meetings to gather background information.
In parallel with ghostwriter meetings, you can also have research being gathered and other outside interviews being conducted. The pace is much less frantic.
Once the manuscript is drafted, your editor and proofreader will have a couple of weeks, on average, to complete their review of your manuscript and provide feedback.
Although this is still a pace that requires regular input and involvement, it may only require 1-3 hours per week from you.
7 to 12 Months
When working at a pace that gets your book written in nearly 12 months, you may have biweekly meetings with your ghostwriter and more time for additional interviews and information-gathering in between.
Although you will certainly build momentum and see steady progress, it will be much less frenetic than a book being written in a matter of weeks. There will be time to process the information shared and strategize how best to tell the story/ies you want to include.
Working on a 7 to 12-month schedule has the added advantage of being able to invest in marketing and promotion leading up to the book’s release. You can create a slow burn that helps spread word of mouth.
More than 12 Months
Knowing up front that the deadline for completion is more than a year out may lead you to think that work sessions can be even more spread out, such as with monthly meetings. Although that can work, I would strongly suggest that you schedule regular meetings to share as much as you can with your ghostwriter early on. The more material the ghostwriter can collect, the less involvement you’ll need to have while they are writing. That can be useful for busy experts and leaders, especially if you become saddled with other responsibilities or new initiatives emerge that require your attention.
Frontloading much of the information-sharing typically helps keep the book moving forward as planned, even when the author has to turn their attention to other matters temporarily. (I had one client who was a mountain climber and would go away for weeks at a time, which was fine because I had already gathered their input before their departure; it didn’t slow us down.)
This extra time is especially useful if travel is required or multiple external interviews need to be scheduled. When you are at the mercy of other people’s schedules, it can be more difficult to rush things along.
Avoiding Obsolescence
One issue to weigh as you’re planning your writing schedule is potential obsolescence. Is it possible your book will be out-of-date or obsolete before it hits bookstore shelves?
If you’re writing about technology or have caught wind that someone else in your industry is working on a book in your field and you want to beat them to market, time is of the essence.
In these situations, you’ll want to investigate how much your timeline can be compressed to avoid any chance the information contained within will be obsolete.
Fortunately, there are also steps you can take to extend the life of your book, such as:
- Pointing the reader to the latest data that you keep updated on your website. This then has the added benefit of capturing your reader’s contact information, which you will not receive from booksellers.
- Setting your book up as an annual edition from the start, with planned obsolescence built in. This means you’ll need to update it every year, to ensure what you share is at least likely to be accurate for a few months. The Old Farmer’s Almanac is one familiar example of this approach.
- Offering regular updates to book buyers who register at your website to receive them. This then obligates you to send out monthly, quarterly, or even occasional updates — whatever you promise — but does reduce the pressure to ensure your book contains the latest and greatest information.
- Upselling your reader to a paid subscription service that provides those updates regularly. This could be especially effective if the information you’re sharing is constantly changing.
These are just a few ideas to help reduce any anxiety you’re feeling about getting your book into circulation ASAP.
The biggest step is deciding that 2025 is the year that you want to get your book started. Once you do, you can begin reverse engineering the process from your desired completion date, setting up deadlines, and scheduling meetings with your ghostwriter to get it written.
If I can help you work up a writing timetable, feel free to get in touch at marcia at marcialaytonturner.com