Hiring a ghostwriter for the first time can feel quite challenging because there are so many variables to choose from.
You need to choose the type of ghostwriting agency and you need to choose the type of ghostwriter based on their specialisations and their experience.
You need to factor in so many variables you need to choose from whether it is the type of contract you want or whether it is the type of final manuscript you want from them.
Among all these choices there is a very important choice that you need to make when it comes to choosing the right ghostwriter for you.
We are talking about the location of work for the ghostwriter.
There is a misconception that all ghostwriting work is done remotely but that is not the case because traditional ghostwriting is done in close proximity to the client.
That is why we are going to talk about this highly debated topic of whether remote ghostwriting or on-site ghostwriting is the best option for you.
We are going to understand what is remote ghostwriting as well as on-site ghostwriting and along with that we will understand their benefits.
This will help you understand which is the most suitable option for you. So, let us start this blog by understanding what these different types of ghostwriting mean.
What Is Remote Ghostwriting?
Remote ghostwriting is basically ghostwriting in every sense of the way where you hire a ghostwriter after agreeing to their terms of work.
The only difference between this kind of ghostwriting and the other one is simply that when it comes to remote ghostwriting, it is just that the ghostwriter decides to work remotely.
The ghostwriter decides to work on your project in a place of that choice whether it is their agency, their home or any other place.
All the communication and coordination takes place online through emails and video calls as well as through regular calls. It is much easier to coordinate remote work with multiple mediums of communication in this day and age.
However, the phenomenon of remote ghostwriting is not new and this kind of ghostwriting arrangement also used to be popular before the age of the internet or even phone calls.
Back then the client and the ghostwriter would communicate over letters or even the telegraph and this kind of arrangement definitely has its merits and demerits.
What Is On-Site Ghostwriting?
On-site ghostwriting is also regular ghostwriting where you have to come up with an agreement with the ghostwriter in order for them to work for you.
The only difference in this kind of ghostwriting is that when it comes to the location, the ghostwriter decides the work at your choice of location.
This can be your office or this can even be accommodation provided by you and in some instances, if the ghostwriter is acquainted with the client well enough then they can even stay at the client’s house as a guest.
The primary thing to understand here is that on-site simply means the ghostwriter is agreeing to work wherever the client wants them to work.
Typically, when we talk about onsite work, we usually mean the professional is visiting the office building or the site of operations in order to work.
The site of operations in this case is close to the client because the client is the provider of the work and in this case, if the client decides that they are going to co-ordinate with the ghostwriter on a field and begin the project work then that becomes the site for the ghostwriting work.
However, we must also understand that on-site ghostwriting usually means not the location but rather the fact that the ghostwriter and the client work together in close proximity in order to establish a deep, face-to-face and personal collaboration.
Benefits of Remote Ghostwriting
Wider Talent Pool
The first and most important benefit of remote ghostwriting is that you get a wider talent pool which simply means that with remote work you get access to ghostwriters of the entire world.
You might need high-quality content sitting in the UK and you can get access to some of the finest writing talent from all over the world whether it is the US or India.
This is something not possible with on-site ghostwriting as you are limited to a particular location and that simply means your choices also become very limited when it comes to finding high-quality talent.
This becomes even more critical if the topic of ghostwriting is very niche with only a few writers around the world to be able to do it perfectly.
Flexible Communication
The second important aspect is that with remote ghostwriting you get multiple options for collaboration and communication with the writer.
If you are busy and have a very tight schedule then you can simply ask the ghostwriter the communicate with you over text messages or emails.
If you are comfortable and have the time for it then you can even collaborate with them on video calls and if you do not have the time for video calls then you can simply arrange for voice calls.
This kind of flexibility is impossible to achieve with on-site ghostwriting.
Cost-Effective
The third important point is the fact that remote ghostwriting is one of the most economical options for ghostwriting in the world.
This is due to the fact that you do not have to account for the accommodation expenses of the ghostwriter and accommodation can really add up to significant costs.
Let’s say for example you need a professional ghostwriter to write online web content for your website and your website may have 30 or more pages.
That simply means you need to accommodate the ghostwriter to be physically present at your location for at least 30 days and even more than that.
Within those 30 days, you need to accommodate them at a hotel and pay for their food and transportation costs to your home or office and much more.
Costs like this can be completely eliminated when it comes to remote ghostwriting.
Focus on Deliverables
Remote ghostwriting projects are very focused and since there is no time spent on accommodation and collaboration; the writer also gets a lot more time to focus on delivering the project.
The added benefit of such a system is that the ghostwriter can decide to work alone or they can have an entire agency working with them when it comes to delivering the results.
You get much more faster results when it comes to remote ghostwriting and you can also keep track of the progress in this day and age of the internet with multiple options of communication.
While this is not true for all kinds of projects such as a project like an autobiography where you really need close communication and face-to-face interaction but otherwise other projects are alright.
Benefits of On-site Ghostwriting
In-Person Collaboration
One of the benefits of on-site ghostwriting as well as one of the shortcomings of remote ghostwriting is in-person collaboration with the client.
In-person collaboration is quite important for certain kinds of projects where the ghostwriter needs to establish a deep level of connection and understanding with the client.
These kinds of projects require the ghostwriter to understand the emotions as well as the tonality of the clients as they listen to the different stories of the client in person.
Of course, things like this can be substituted with the help of technology but technology can only go so far and sometimes tech will never be able to bring out the real emotions of the client.
While this is a very specific use case but we are talking about projects such as autobiographies and biographies where you simply need both the writer and the client to sit down and form a connection with each other.
Even if we consider the challenges of on-site ghostwriting such as the limited availability of writers as well as logistical issues and even higher costs, we need to understand that intimate projects and in-person collaborations are only possible with on-site ghostwriting.
Immersion in Your World
The act of truly understanding a person or project is sometimes not just about talking for hours and hours with them or simply looking at a lot of research material about them.
Sometimes it is important to just immerse in their environment and look at how they live their life and be in the environment in order to experience the objectives of the project properly.
In situations like this, the ghostwriter needs to experience a physical connection with the environment of the client in order to truly provide them with a successful solution.
We are talking about intimate projects such as autobiographies and even other projects such as writing about something like an organisation or even writing about history or culture.
That is why on-site ghostwriting is very important in situations like this where the ghostwriter can produce much more accurate results if they get to experience the world of the client.
Immediate Feedback
A lot of ghostwriting projects are not just about sending specifics to the ghostwriter and expecting results at the end of the week.
Sometimes there may be projects that need a lot of brainstorming and collaborating with a lot of experts.
We are talking about highly technical projects that require even the technically skilled ghostwriter to be physically present in the location in order to understand the subject and write about it and then show it to the experts in order to verify the accuracy of the written content.
In instances like this, on-site ghostwriting is the only option that makes sense where it is impossible for the ghostwriter to acquire experience or knowledge remotely.
High-security Projects
And finally, we come to the very specific case of high-security projects where information simply cannot be or typically is not shared over the internet.
We are talking about projects related to banking and projects related to the defence sector or even projects related to sensitive individuals of very high importance.
In situations like this, the ghostwriter needs to be present on the actual site such as the headquarters of a bank or financial institution or even a governmental or defence organisation.
There can be other high-security projects where the client simply cannot share specifics over the internet are over a call.
For example, if a ghostwriter is tasked with writing the autobiography of a presently sitting Monarch or head of state with the content having far-reaching consequences across the country, the ghostwriter cannot simply ask the King to come over a Zoom call and share their story.
So, What Should You Choose?
We will let you decide in this case as you are best suited to understand what kind of ghostwriter you might need for the kind of project you hope to assign.
If you are willing to assign a project on autobiography then you obviously know that face-to-face interaction is important and forming a deep connection with the ghostwriter is important.
If you simply need a ghostwriter to write the content of your website then face-to-face interaction might not be a requirement and you also know what kind of ghostwriter to hire for this situation.
We hope you now understand the benefits of both these types of ghostwriting. One thing is for sure and it is that remote ghostwriting will cover 90% of all ghostwriting projects. However, that does not mean remote work is suitable for every kind of ghostwriting project in the world.
Regardless if you are looking for a professional ghostwriting agency with the capabilities and capacity to accommodate both on-site ghostwriting and remote ghostwriting, we are here for you.
We are Ghostwriting India and we are one of the most renowned names in the entire ghostwriting industry globally.
We have some of the finest ghostwriting talent in the entire world and along with that we also have the capabilities to accommodate all sizes of projects and of all complexities.
We welcome you to visit our website and check out everything we do.
