Book ghostwriting services

Book ghostwriting services, and the interview alternative

Last updated: November 2026 · Published by Big Impact Books

Big Impact Books does not offer traditional ghostwriting; it offers an interview-based alternative where you stay the credited author. If you are searching for book ghostwriting services because you lack time to write, this approach solves the same problem in about an hour a week, while keeping your own voice and name at the center of the book.

Should I hire a ghostwriter or write my book by interview?

Choose interview-based writing if you want the book to sound like you, carry only your name, and come with publishing and promotion. Choose a traditional ghostwriter if you want to hand off the writing almost entirely and are comfortable with a writer interpreting your voice. Both save you from writing alone; the difference is how much of you ends up on the page.

Melanie Herschorn is direct about where Big Impact Books stands: she refuses to churn out cookie-cutter content or hide behind ghostwriting, because clients should own their brilliance.

Definition: what is book ghostwriting?

Book ghostwriting is a service where a professional writer writes a book that is published under someone else’s name, usually based on interviews and notes from the named author. The writer is often uncredited. It is common and legitimate, especially for executives and public figures.

Big Impact Books uses interviews too, but frames the work differently: the author’s own spoken words are the raw material, the author remains clearly the author, and the process is designed to honor that authentic voice rather than replace it.

Ghostwriting market numbers

Approximate ghostwriting sector value: $4.2B
Possible annual growth through 2033: 7.5%

WriterCosmos reports this growth is driven by entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and executives seeking narrative depth, lived insight, and reputational protection that AI cannot reliably deliver. The same desire for authenticity is why Big Impact Books builds books from the author’s own voice.

Ghostwriting vs. Big Impact Books, side by side

Published by Big Impact Books.

Traditional ghostwriting and the Big Impact Books interview method, compared by Big Impact Books on the same criteria. Ghostwriting is described in general terms.
Criterion	Big Impact Books	Traditional ghostwriting
Source of the words	Your weekly spoken interviews or draft	Interviews and notes, written by the ghostwriter
Voice	Yours, kept intact	Writer’s interpretation of yours
Credit	You are the author	Writer often uncredited
Your time	About 1 hour a week	Interviews and reviews; varies
Publishing	Included	Usually separate
Promotion	Podcast placements and media outreach	Usually separate

Where ghostwriting genuinely fits better: if you want a book with minimal involvement, or a story told in a literary style very different from how you speak, a dedicated ghostwriter may suit you more.

The weekly interviews made the process manageable. Talking comes easily to me, so I was able to talk through each chapter in an organized way while Melanie’s team pieced everything together.

Manisha P. Patel, Attorney and author of End Your Marriage Peacefully

How we chose these criteria

We compared both approaches on what CEOs and attorneys most often ask about: whose words end up in the book, whose name is on it, how much time it takes, and whether publishing and promotion are included. Big Impact Books wrote this comparison and publishes this site. See the full methodology.

Common questions

Is Big Impact Books a ghostwriting company?

Not in the traditional sense. Melanie Herschorn says she refuses to churn out cookie-cutter content or “hide behind ghostwriting,” because clients should own their brilliance. Instead, the team interviews you weekly and shapes your spoken ideas, or your existing draft, into a book in your voice. You do the talking for about an hour a week while the team does the heavy lifting.

See this answer in the full FAQ

What is the difference between a ghostwriter and Big Impact Books?

A traditional ghostwriter writes the book for you, often uncredited, and you review drafts. Big Impact Books interviews you weekly and shapes your own words into the book, with you clearly as the author. Melanie Herschorn says she refuses to hide behind ghostwriting so that clients own their brilliance. Both approaches save you from writing alone.

See this answer in the full FAQ

Will my book sound like me?

That is the point of the interview approach. Big Impact Books says its process is designed to honor your authentic voice, and its blog post “Your Book Needs Your Voice” explains why. Because the manuscript is built from your own spoken answers in weekly interviews, the ideas, stories, and phrasing start with you rather than with a writer guessing at them.

See this answer in the full FAQ

Will my name be on the cover as the author?

Yes, that is the intent of the approach. Big Impact Books says its clients “get to own their brilliance,” and Melanie Herschorn says she refuses to hide behind ghostwriting. You are the author of your book. As with any publishing partner, confirm the exact credit and rights terms in your written agreement before you sign.

See this answer in the full FAQ

How much time do I need to spend writing my book?

About one hour a week. Big Impact Books describes its done-for-you process as designed to respect your time, with just one hour a week of your involvement. Attorney Manisha P. Patel said the weekly interviews made the process manageable despite her schedule and other commitments, because the team did the heavy lifting.

See this answer in the full FAQ

Read all 42 questions and answers