From Utopia To the American Dream was written by John Czingula and and Mark Graham Communications.
What is an author’s voice? In short, it’s the author’s particular, unique writing style. It might feel difficult to identify, but when you read it, you know it. Think about your favorite author: chances are when you pick up a book by that author, even one you’ve never read before, you know you’re reading something written in your favorite author’s unique, authentic style. That is the essence of voice.
Is voice the same thing as tone? They’re related, but not exactly the same. Your book’s tone is its overall demeanor. Some examples are authoritative, humorous, or dark tones. Because it’s dependent on the subject, tone often comes more naturally. Voice, in contrast, might take time to hone.
While author voice has always been important, it’s never been more vital than it is now. Why? Because in these times, when more and more books are being generated using AI, there are heightened risks of a book with a generic voice sounding like it was AI-generated. Readers are becoming increasingly savvy about recognizing AI-generated books, often due to such books’ flat voices. Unquestionably, AI tools will continue to become more sophisticated, but at this moment in time, you can make your writing stand out by developing and honing your unique, sincere voice.
If you’re new to writing, how do you develop your author voice? How do you ensure you’re using it consistently? When writing a first draft, it helps to let your voice emerge naturally. The best way to do this is to just keep writing! Resist your inner critic, who might try to convince you that your voice is inconsistent and that the issue should be addressed immediately. While author voice might feel wobbly in your first draft, it’s only by getting words onto the page that you’ll be able to see your voice emerging. In the revision stage, either on your own or while working with an editor, you can focus on ensuring your voice is consistent.
The author/ghostwriter relationship adds another layer to the issue. When you work with a ghostwriter, how can you ensure that the ghostwriter is using voice in a way that feels authentic for you? After all, it’s you—not the ghostwriter—whose name will be on the book’s cover. How do you make sure your book doesn’t sound like every other book the ghostwriter has written for their other clients?
An experienced ghostwriter spends considerable time focused on a client’s voice. In fact, following interviews and a book outline, the first deliverable you should expect from your ghostwriter is a sample chapter written in a voice that feels comfortable and authentic to you. In most nonfiction, the voice should sound as if you are conveying your content to the reader. As mentioned above, the specific type of content affects tone (for example, a memoir will have a very different tone than a business book), but the voice of one author’s book, in any genre, should also be distinguishable from that of other authors writing in that genre. In fiction, voice should be consistent with the narrating character as envisioned by the author (often with the ghostwriter’s input). In either case, the voice should sound like you (for nonfiction) or like your characters (for fiction)—not like the ghostwriter. If it doesn’t, the sample chapter is the place where the ghostwriter will work with you to hone the voice so it can be used consistently throughout the book.
Writing a book is an exciting prospect, but it can also feel daunting. If you need help writing or editing your book, our team of experienced ghostwriters and editors is here to help. We can work with you to develop and hone your author voice, resulting in a book that you’ll proudly and authentically call your own.
