Posted by Brendan O’Meara
With Halloween right around the corner, what better time than to talk about ghost writing?
I’ve got this friend, you see, and she is a wonderful writer. And you know the mark of a great writer? There are two things, really. 1) They teach it. They share the information and don’t hoard it, as if by granting another writer an edge, they lose their advantage. 2) They check their ego and that’s what guest blogger Melinda Copp does. She’s a ghost writer and she irons out a great way for you to make a living writing. But, like I said, you have to check your ego. So, let’s hear from Melinda, shall we?
Enter Melinda:
Ghostwriting isn’t the kind of profession most writers aspire to. I will admit: it’s not the highest form of the art. But it is a way to earn a living, which is something most writers can appreciate.
My first professional writing job after college was working as an editorial assistant to a ghostwriter. Up until that point, I had only a vague idea of what ghostwriting was. And I can remember her explaining to me in the interview that I wouldn’t be getting a byline or credit for the writing work I’d be doing, and I can remember her asking me: Are you okay with that? I can see why many writers wouldn’t be, but I decided that I was. I needed a job.
Since that first ghostwriting job, I’ve had two children, become a full-time freelancer, gotten a master’s degree, and pursued a variety of other ways to make a living as a writer. But when people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them I’m a freelance ghostwriter. I write books for people who have a story to tell or information to share but don’t have the skills to write it themselves. I’m like a copywriter, only instead of working on white papers and marketing copy, I write books.
How Does Ghostwriting Work?
Ghostwriting arrangements work in different ways. But most of the people who hire me want to publish a book to establish expertise. They are usually self-publishing, at least at first, and they view the project as a business investment. Other times, people who have been very successful in their lifetime hire me to write their memoirs.
Basically, when I work with a client, I take their ideas and mold them into a publishable book. The process involves lots of interviewing, especially in the beginning. I work from the interviews to write the client’s book. Then the client and I go back and forth, revising my drafts, until the book is written the way they want it.
Want to Try Ghostwriting?
If you’re looking for a new way to earn an income as a freelance writer, ghostwriting is an option. Here are a few tips.
1. Choose your clients wisely. You will probably be working with your ghostwriting client for about a year. You won’t always agree on things and it won’t always be easy.
2. Get paid for the work as you’re doing it. Many people have approached me with book ideas that they’re sure will be a best seller. The story is fantastic, they tell me, and if I agree to write it for them, they’ll split the profits with me. I’m sure this happens to every ghostwriter. And most of the time, these people do have fantastic stories to tell. And maybe a book about them would be a huge success. But as a professional ghostwriter, I can’t help these people. The risk that goes along with whether or not the book will be successful has to rest on them. For this reason, I don’t enter into arrangements where I write the book in exchange for royalties that will come in the future after it gets published. The hard fact of the publishing world is that most books aren’t profitable. Ghostwriting is my job and it has to bring a steady paycheck. Plus, I have my own ideas to keep me busy without getting paid.
3. Use a contract. Preferably one that a lawyer created for you.
4. Put your ego aside. All writers have to do this, but with clients you have to remember you’re not working with a professional editor. They may not be able to tell you what they want. And they’re not always going to know what’s best for their own book. As a professional writer, I think you have to tell the client what you believe is the best choice for their story. But as a hired ghostwriter, you have to ultimately write it the way they want it to be written.
On Being a Professional Ghostwriter
I never really set out to be a professional freelance ghostwriter. And there’s a downside to this kind of work—my name isn’t out there with bylines the way it would be if I were a freelance journalist. But by becoming a ghostwriter, I have been able to work as a professional writer, stay at home with my kids, set my own work schedule and deadlines, stabilize my income with large projects, set my own rates, and practice writing book-length nonfiction.
The best part about it is that each ghostwriting project allows me to learn about new topics. My clients, thus far, have been interesting and wonderful people. And ghostwriting allows me time to work on my own projects, which makes me a very happy writer.
[Brendan: being a writer takes on many forms. This is real-world writing and sometimes you have to put ego and notoriety aside so you can do what it is you love: writing. Sometimes a painter needs to paint a jack Russell terrier portrait so she can do landscapes later.]
Follow Melinda on Twitter and check out here blog.
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