You have this great idea for a book and now you wonder, "Should I write the book myself or hire a ghostwriter to help me?"

This is a never-ending question that pops in the head of aspiring authors. Even if you want to write your very personal memoir, a self-help book, or a book that will help you promote your business and attract more clients, there is always the choice of using the services of a professional ghostwriter.

There are 3 important elements that you need to take into consideration when answering this question. They are:

1. Time
2. Passion
3. Knowledge

Element nr. 1 - Time

Time is a very important aspect of our lives. Most people live very busy lives. We all have work responsibilities, families we need to take care of,  and things we love to do. Not to mention that we also need to rest and take care of our body. We can’t do everything.

Therefore few people have the time to write a book. Since ghostwriters write as a profession, writing a book over 20,000 words can take them a month and a 1/2 to do (considering it’s a topic he knows already), while regular folks with busy schedules that cannot devote too much time for writing can write the same book in months.

Ask yourself these questions. Do you have the time necessary to write and edit a book? Do you want to wait months or more to get it done? If the answer is no, a ghostwriter is a better choice for you.

Element nr. 2 - Passion

Do you need passion for writing? Yes, you do. As with anything in life, just because you have a great idea, that doesn't mean you should do it yourself.

Writers breathe words. When they crunch words on the laptop screen or notepad, they feel complete. They see themselves willing to write for free if they wouldn’t have bills. Writers write as a hobby.

If you don't have the same passion for writing, the process is going to feel like hell. And it’s understandable. Going through pages and pages of ideas, making them all sound good and coherent, while also handling all the other tasks one has in their life is a real struggle, to say the least. Not to mention that our brain goes through writers' block and numbness from all the mental work. Ok, I admit, it's quite the struggle.

There's no way you'll be able to go through months of hard work without having a passion for writing. As I said, you might have a brilliant idea for a book, but that doesn't mean you should write it. I have a vision for my perfect home, but I still hire an architect, right?

Try writing daily and see how it feels. If you hate it, you might want to consider hiring a ghostwriter. If you don’t like it, it’s ok. Everyone should focus on what they are passionate about.

If you like writing but have no idea how, there are plenty of courses you can take for this purpose. Or you can ask a ghostwriter to be your teacher.

Element nr. 3 - Knowledge

As an aspiring author, you probably have the best insights regarding your topic. Either if it's your life, your business, or fictional characters you have envisioned while commuting, you certainly know best how the book should turn out.

However, books are more than a good idea. Books are made for readers. That means you need to know how to appeal to your target audience, because they'll 1-star or 5-star your book. They are the most important.

Books are written for readers. The end.

If someone wants a book written for themselves, they should write a journal. Books are written to be sold.

Ghostwriters have the knowledge and experience of turning good ideas into brilliant books. They know that a good story is more than the idea behind it. A great gift is also wrapped in an attractive way.

Talking about readers, one saying is more than present. People DO judge a book by its cover. I know, they’re not supposed to do it. But they are. And your great book will fall on deaf ears if it’s not beautifully wrapped, book cover, content and all.

Ghostwriters have the readers’ insights. They know how and what to write to make the book attractive.

These are the factors you need to consider before deciding who writes your book. One thing that I want to make clear is that book writing is a hard thing to do.

Forget about what gurus are saying online to make you buy their products. Book writing is HARD WORK. You start with an idea, then you have to develop a plan to write the book, and come up with the best method to make it happen. Then you start writing it and make sure that it’s a helpful book that your readers will enjoy, which will involve a lot of market and topic research.

But don’t think that after you finish writing it, the hard work is done. No, now you have to get the book through 1,2,3,4,5 or more rounds of edits, until it will be perfect. Yes, you always need a book editor, and rarely you’ll make a bestseller with only one round of edits.

The editor will suggest edits and even make changes if considered necessary for the quality of the book.

After the book is perfect and ready to publish, you still have to decide on a good book title and subtitle, design the book cover, and come up with categories that will help you reach bestselling status faster.

All of this work can be avoided by hiring a ghostwriter who takes care of everything. The ghostwriter not only spends his most productive hours doing all of this, but he also has the experience of already accomplishing it, which makes it faster.

Now let’s discuss why you would or would not write the book yourself.

Top reasons to write the book yourself:

1. You have the time and passion to write the book. You also are willing to learn what makes a book a bestseller.
2. You don’t care about how long the process is going to take. The most important thing for you is to write it yourself and that’s it.
3. You want to become a great writer.

Top reasons to work with a ghostwriter:

1. You don’t want to waste the time and effort necessary to write the book.
2. You want a book ready to publish as soon as possible, without demanding more effort from you.
3. You want an expert ghostwriter and editor wrapped in one, who is going to turn your idea into a bestseller.

These are all the things you should consider when wondering if you should write the book yourself or hire a ghostwriter to do it. Having all the necessary information to make an informed decision, now you can decide if you should write it yourself or not.