Develop the story you want readers to enter.

We discuss genre, intended readership, point of view, tone, setting, and the central conflict. You can bring a detailed outline or an early concept. The planning scope should reflect how much development the story still needs.

Character notes, a story outline, and an opening sample help establish direction before a full draft. For speculative fiction or a series, the project may also need a continuity document covering world rules, chronology, and recurring details.

Agree on how many chapters will be delivered at each stage and when feedback is due. Revisions within the approved direction differ from changing the premise, viewpoint, or ending after substantial drafting; the contract should explain that distinction.

Story brief; outline; character profiles where included; sample chapter; manuscript batches; continuity notes where included; revision rounds; final editable manuscript.

A premise can be compelling without yet sustaining a novel. Explore the protagonist, what they want, what stands in their way, and what their choices cost. Genre expectations matter, but the story still needs an individual emotional center.

Before discussing a schedule or a quote, describe the intended reader, what already exists and what you want to be different at the end. That short explanation helps separate the central task from work that may be useful later. A relevant excerpt, outline or file can make the conversation more concrete than a broad description alone.

Choose point of view, tense and the distance between narrator and character before drafting deeply. Outline major reversals and identify what changes in each scene. A scene should reveal character, alter the situation, or create a new question rather than simply occupy space.

Record those decisions in a brief that can be revisited. Include examples of the direction you prefer and explain why they are relevant. If several people will review the project, agree who consolidates their comments and who makes the final decision. Conflicting instructions are easier to resolve before a full draft or design is produced.

• The working title, subject and intended audience.
• The current version of the material and its approximate size.
• The result you want this stage to produce.
• Relevant references, examples and any established style preferences.
• A deadline, if one exists, and the reason behind it.
• The person responsible for approvals and consolidated feedback.

Explain any constraints early. These may include material that must remain unchanged, documents still being gathered, another contributor’s schedule or a planned release window. A proposal is more useful when it reflects those dependencies instead of assuming that every input is ready on day one.

The exact handover should be listed in the written scope. For this area, useful items to discuss include:

• A story brief and synopsis.
• Character and setting notes.
• A scene or chapter outline.
• Draft chapters with continuity notes.

Confirm the file format, number of versions and whether editable working files are included. Ask what supporting notes accompany the main deliverable and how unresolved questions are recorded. An initial sample, an in-progress draft and a final approved file are different milestones; each should have a clear purpose.

1. Discover the book. Review the material and identify what is ready, what is missing and which decisions affect the next stage. Confirm the intended audience and the specific result before committing to a detailed approach.

2. Develop the structure. Put the proposed work into a clear sequence. Identify the first approval point, the material needed from the author and the deliverables for that stage. Resolve questions that could otherwise affect the whole project.

3. Draft and calibrate. Carry out the agreed work in a manageable version. Share questions while they are still useful, and keep comments attached to the relevant passage, page or asset. Use the brief to judge changes consistently.

4. Review and hand over. Consolidate the agreed decisions and check the final version against the scope. Record any remaining tasks, distinguish approved files from earlier drafts and explain what the next contributor or platform will need.

Review motivation and consequence alongside the prose. If a character makes an unexpected choice, can the reader understand it? Track names, dates, travel, objects and what each character knows. Discuss the ending early enough that the middle can build toward it.

Use one consolidated response for each agreed review round. Quote the passage, identify the page or name the file so the issue can be located. Explain the reason for a requested change where it affects the direction. Keep corrections, questions and new requests distinct; this makes it easier to understand which changes fit the original brief.

The size of the material is only one factor. Complexity, readiness, the number of contributors and the amount of new work can all affect the scope. A short but technically complicated project may need more preparation than a longer straightforward one.

A schedule should also account for your review time. If essential material arrives late, or if the direction changes after approval, subsequent milestones may need adjustment. Ask how those changes will be documented before work begins. The project proposal should identify service fees and separately charged expenses rather than leaving them implicit.

Extensive worldbuilding, historical research, series planning and large structural changes require explicit scope. Avoid assuming that ghostwriting includes representation, adaptation, publisher submission or a guaranteed commercial outcome.

Before commissioning, ask what happens if further work becomes necessary. A useful change process describes the additional task, its effect on cost and timing, and the approval needed to proceed. This protects the purpose of the current stage while allowing the project to develop when there is a good reason.

You do not need a polished presentation to explain your project. A working title, a paragraph about the book, the current word count if known and an honest description of the sticking point are enough to begin. If you already have a proposal from another provider, compare the defined tasks rather than assuming similar labels mean identical work.

Bring your priorities in order. Tell us what must be resolved now, what can wait and which decisions you want help making. The aim of the first conversation is a relevant next step and a clear understanding of the work—not a promise about outcomes no provider can control.