Do you want to be the next ghostwriter?
Who wants to be a ghostwriter?
If you polled a group of students that question you would be hard-pressed to find a student that would raise their hand. That’s because the average person may have never heard the term let alone fathom someone could make ghost-writing a career.
To be clear when I say ghostwriting I’m NOT talking about a writer who writes ghost stories. That’s a different topic. So what exactly is ghostwriting? Why should you consider being one? I’ll be answering those two questions in this post starting with the first question.
What’s a Ghostwriter?
If you’re like me it seems that ghostwriting has been a trending topic in the writing community and rightly so. You may even see ads appearing in your social media feeds luring writers to pursue a career in ghostwriting. Earlier we established it’s not referring to writers who write ghost stories. But what exactly is ghostwriting? Put simply ghostwriting is taking the rough ideas/outlines of an author and writing a fully drafted manuscript for them to be published. Essentially writers are paying other people to write their books! And the kicker is the author gets the credit for the book even though the ghostwriter may be acknowledged in the credits as one of the ‘editors.’
Why do writers pay someone else to write their books?
They are too busy. Some authors are pressured to churn out books quickly to drive their sales or please their rabid fanbase with more material. As a writer myself I understand there is a lot that goes into making a book. I even outlined the many steps in my how-to book. Some of the steps alone can take months to complete. However many writers still have day jobs, not to mention family obligations. They may feel pressured to release multiple titles a year but simply don’t have enough time. So the solution for some writers, especially established authors, is to hire a team of ghostwriters to write their book while they can focus on marketing, or other public engagements. They don’t have the natural talent/or aptitude. Anyone literate person can write. But to write a book that captivates and engages readers requires more than just stringing words together. That’s where this 2nd reason comes in. Exceptional writing takes a mix of raw talent coupled with knowing what readers are looking for in a given genre, and years perfecting your craft as a writer in order to produce a well-written book. At the same time you also want a book that readers will rave about. This is not saying people that hire ghostwriters are bad writers. But ghostwriters are sought after to take their client’s writing to the next level. They tap into their own experience writing in different styles, voices, world-building, character development, etc. to come up with a well-crafted manuscript that people would want to buy. While they are not editors in the strictest sense they should self-edit their work to the point that the final manuscript that’s delivered to the client is free of major mechanical or developmental flaws. You may think of ones you met that overcame adversities that would have a great motivational story to share. Or some celebrity or famous figure wants to chronicle their life story or promote their brand. However writing may not necessarily be their strong suit especially if it’s outside their element. To be fair the thought of writing a book for the first time is daunting to any new writers. For those that struggle to articulate their thoughts into words that flow off the page a ghostwriter sounds like the simple choice.They need help to organize their thoughts. This ties in with the 2nd point. You can have all these great ideas, but don’t know how to put it all together from beginning to end. A ghostwriter can take a half-baked idea into a full-fledged novel. A writer may need help organizing their thoughts in a logical manner. It’s the ghostwriter’s job to translate the author’s thoughts into words that teach, inspire and engage (depending on the purpose for your book). They are also the ones who will do the research, cite your sources (if this is nonfiction), and structure the content. If this is a fiction manuscript their job is to flesh out your plot, keep all the plot points and details straight. In the end they strive to stay true to your voice and writing style. They welcome and encourage the writer’s feedback. After all the author has the vision. Their job is to translate that vision into a masterpiece.
So far we discussed how the author aka client benefits. But how do the ghostwriter benefit from the exchange? Here are some perks:
Anonymity– If you like writing, but don’t like being in the limelight or prefer your privacy, ghostwriting is a great route to go. As a ghostwriter you can write different books under different pen names and nobody has to know you wrote those books. After all the author may not even list you at all in the book (which they have the legal right to).Chance to try new styles– Because nobody knows your identity, you can feel less inhibited about trying new genres or writing styles you normally wouldn’t have tried. Of course a ghostwriter may find it advantageous to find a niche that their good at and stick to it, but experimenting with different styles especially when starting out helps them decide what they like and what they don’t like. Also, writing in different styles will push you outside your comfort zone and help you to become a well-rounded writer.Sustainable living as a writer– Any indie writer knows that the path to becoming a bestseller is challenging. It’s even more challenging to make consistent income from your writing that you can afford to quit your day job. The sad reality is that very few writers will make enough money to support themselves full-time from their writing and live comfortably doing so. Self-publishing takes a lot of monetary investment to even get to that point. Most times when you publish, you will spend more money than you can recoup in sales. With ghostwriting, they get paid for their efforts regardless if the book sells or not. In my book, “How to Self-Publish Without Going Broke” I mention that you can expect to dish out as much as $10,000 for a ghostwriter to write your book. That’s a lot of money to be paid for one book project! And if you’re really good you can expect to find eager clients to keep you busy.
After reading this you may be thinking where can I find my next ghostwriter? “I don’t feel like writing a 100,000 word novel” you may say. Or you may be thinking I would like to be a ghostwriter. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, it’s useful to understand the valuable role they play in the publishing world. So if you’re of the opinion of dipping your toes into ghostwriting where do you begin to start? Tune into my next post where I dish on all the details on starting a career and the resources out there to help you!
