Find a ghostwriter. Look in the classified ads of publications such as Writer's Digest and Writers' Journal, and on writer-based Web sites with message boards where ghostwriters advertise their services.
Get an estimate of the costs as well as how long the project will take. Your ghost will charge either a project fee (national average is $15,000 to $25,000), an hourly rate ($25 to $85 per hour), or by the page ($100 to $175 per page). The writer will charge more if he or she gets credit, or if research is involved. In either case, a share of royalties can be part of the agreement (particularly if the writer thinks your memoirs are publishable).
Be sure to check the credentials of the ghostwriter you're considering and ask for references. Legitimate freelancers will be happy to provide this information. Scrutinize samples of the ghostwriter's published material and check to see if it meets the quality and style that you're looking for. Talk with previous employers.
Realize that as you investigate ghostwriters, they will also be evaluating whether they can work with you and whether writing your memoirs is even worth the effort. If you can't relate well to a ghostwriter during initial meetings or conversations, you may be better off parting ways.
Make clear at the outset if you want the ghostwriter's help to create a book proposal and pitch it to an agent or a publishing house. It's usually not the ghostwriter's job to get your memoirs published--just to write them. (See How to Hire a Literary Agent.)
Ask your writer to send you a table of contents and a few pages of text so you can be sure that he or she has a good grasp of the project before you sign a contract. Ghostwriters will often lay out the structure of a book and provide you with a sample chapter for a partial fee.
Establish in the contract if you want sole authorship (where the ghostwriter receives no credit or mention at all). This is crucial for avoiding future misunderstandings and lawsuits.
Have a publisher, acquisitions editor or literary lawyer examine the contract for you on your behalf before you sign it. Remember, what is not in the contract is as important as what is in it.
Give your ghost all the materials that you possess on the subject, and as many interviews as needed once the contract is signed.