The DU Lounge

yourself, or whether you want to either collaborate with a known writer, or hire a ghost writer.

It's a big decision. Because this is an autobiography, it really has to be up to you to make that decision, or be prepared to spend a lot of time with a writer who will tape conversations with you and convert them to prose.

If you are well known or have some remarkable life story it will be easier to find a collaborator or a ghost writer.

The alternative is to approach one of those companies that actually has writers on staff whose sole job is to turn your ideas into a finished manuscript. I have no idea what that costs, but it will cost more if the writer is working from scratch, as opposed to the preferable situation where you bring them a manuscript of some kind as a stepping off point. What you bring them doesn't have to be a finished manuscript, or a masterpiece, but it would need to be something tangible that is thorough enough that a ghost writer can get a sense of your literary voice. (Because a ghost writer's job is to adopt your voice and tell your story from your perspective).

With a manuscript that is mostly finished, you would probably be assigned an editor rather than a writer.