An author signing his book

It’s not about the money.

After all, as a doctor, you make a comfortable living, (even if you’re not as rich as your patients and neighbors and non-medical friends think you are)…

No, the first problem is, you work long hours – longer than most people probably realize. And it’s hard work. There’s a lot to keep on top of, every single day. Different patients, different diseases, different tests, different diagnoses.

And it’s stressful. After all, you’ve often got someone’s life in your hands, and you have to make the kinds of decisions other people shy away from. Not to mention the threat of malpractice suits hanging over your head… And all the paperwork and red tape and regulations you have to deal with.

Still, the Number One reason doctors hire ghostwriters is that they’re like any other budding author – they’ve got a story they want to share with the world.

And they hire a ghostwriter because one of the biggest problems doctor/authors have with actually sitting down at their desks and writing their books… is being able to find the time every single day to work on it. (We’re talking about hundreds of pages – and hundreds of thousands of words.)

Not to mention all the background research and fact checking and sourcing that has to be done…

Plus writing the book in an easy-to-understand format that engages the reader and makes them want to read the book enough that they pull out their wallets and buy it. (And then love it enough to recommend it to everyone they know!)

That’s a lot of pressure, especially if it’s your first book.

Here’s another barrier doctor-authors often run into… And it’s also the Second Reason doctors hire ghostwriters:

Among some agents and editors, doctor-authors have gotten a bad rep. And if you’re a first-time writer, having that MD behind your name doesn’t always mean your manuscript will be welcomed with open arms.

In fact, it might even stand in your way – unless it’s known you’re working with a ghostwriter. (Because ghostwriters are professional writers who understand the writing process, and who know what it takes to create an entire book – not just two or three sample chapters. They know how to take your idea and polish it, and turn it into a book that your target audience wants to read…) Which may actually give you an edge.

And here’s the third reason doctors hire ghostwriters…

Doctors hire ghostwriters because they discover writing a book isn’t like learning how to play chess or improving your golf game. You can’t just read a few “how to write a book” books, look over some publisher’s guidelines, whip up two or three sample chapters and assume you’ll end up with a 300 page masterpiece that will have agents and publishers lining up around the block to represent you.

In fact, for many doctor/writers who got far enough along in the process to actually write those couple of chapters and maybe a book proposal and sent it to a publishing house… Getting that first rejection letter came as a pretty rude awakening. (Of course, many doctors don’t even get that far… for the reasons we’ve already talked about above.)

However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves – because before you can submit a manuscript to an agent or a publishing house, you have to actually write the book.

And sitting down and writing an entire book from start to finish is hard work too.

But the truth is, it’s damn hard to get published. Studies have shown that more than 75% of all manuscripts are rejected. (And that’s not even looking at what’s going on in the publishing industry right now because of the economy, the fact that more people are reading more and more books online, or the rising tide of authors who self-publish their books.)

In fact, when they finally came to me, some of my past clients were understandably angry and frustrated by the whole traditional publishing route where you have to have an agent to get your book published, but many agents won’t take you on as a client unless you’re a published author… More than one doctor felt like he was in the middle of a big conspiracy, that that it must not be what you know, but ‘who’ that counts.

And another client in particular, a well-known doctor who advocates for simple lifestyle changes to reduce stress and the risk of many diseases, felt like she was fighting against the “good old boys” club all over again to get her book published and out to the people she was trying to reach.

The point is, if you’re a doctor who wants to become a published author, because of who you are and what you do, you might be up against several road blocks to keep you from achieving your goal.

But the good news is, none of the barriers have to stop you from some day seeing your name in print, and having your photo on the back cover of your very own book.

You can do it. You can become a published author. And hiring a ghostwriter might be ‘just what the doctor ordered’, to make the whole procedure practically painless.

Filed under: Featured Posts • Working With a Ghostwriter

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