Ask HN: Have you had any experience with ghostwriters?

I hired a few ghostwriters from Upwork to write short semi-technical whitepapers and the results were extremely disappointing. Even American writers with impressive resumes and multiple 5-star recommendations, who charged a hefty hourly rate (which I would have been delighted to pay them, over and over, if they'd been any good), produced completely unacceptable garbage, despite being provided with detailed outlines and extensive guidance.

I don't know whether my experience is relevant, but there it is.

I ghostwrite a decent amount for side money and as a ghostwriter, I can tell you that my clients LOVE me. I've heard many horror stories from them about "writers" who turn in articles that are primarily written in "txt spch" with emoji thrown in. I'm hyper-critical of my writing, and that seems to be an uncommon quality, especially if you are searching on common freelancer boards.

If you are looking for a ghostwriter, ask your writers to submit MULTIPLE examples of their work and give the most detailed guidelines you can. Honestly, hiring a ghostwriter for your project will be difficult. You're going to need to put in the work to make sure that the writer's voice matches your needs, and your needs are in-line with what your writer can deliver. Communication is super important. Ask for early draft reviews to make sure you are on target and cancel the relationship early. Getting a terrible manuscript that you will need to re-write is worse than paying someone for a few hours of their time and cutting your losses.

My experience has been sub par to say the least. It's great if you can communicate your idea properly though. I figure that if you want the job done right, you'll have to do it yourself.