Do you believe in ghosts? They are mostly unseen. Unnoticeable. And believe it or not they are moving behind the scenes in the publishing industry. If youre lucky you might catch a fleeting glimpse. They are officially called ghostwriters. A ghostwriter is a writer who writes on an assigned topic under someone elses name, with their consent. They often write books completely from scratch but sometimes their work involves rewriting or polishing an existing work. Most books by famous personalities are actually written by ghostwriters. When you see an autobiography or memoir from a politician, businessperson, or celebrity, chances are that it has been written by a ghostwriter. Here are a few examples. The autobiography Ronald Reagan: An American Life was ghosted by Robert Lindsey. Learning to Sing, the autobiography of American Idol star Clay Aiken, was written with ghostwriter Allison Glock. The autobiographies of Doris Day and Sophie Loren were written by A.E. Hotchner. So how popular is ghostwriting? Statistics are hard to come by since many people dont want to reveal that their book is ghosted. Some industry estimates suggest that up to fifty percent of all non-fiction books are ghostwritten. A client may decide to hire a ghostwriter because the client does not have any writing talent or because they are too busy. Ghostwriters, for their part, are usually well-established writers already, and are selected on that basis. WHAT DO GHOSTWRITERS WRITE? Ghostwriters are hired to write many types of documents, from autobiographies for famous personalities to e-books for internet marketing gurus, and even letters for politicians. They also write fiction. Sometimes it is for a series of books written by several ghostwriters under one name, as with the stories of Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. Ghostwriters also continue to write novels under the name of popular authors who have died, as in the case of Robert Ludlum. IS GHOSTWRITING ETHICAL? Although ghostwriting is a widely accepted practice within the publishing industry, some people outside of the industry complain that ghostwriting is deceptive. But that is not necessarily true. Consider for a moment the ghostwriting process. The client is the author of the work in that they are the person who is really behind the content. It is the clients ideas, the clients stories and experiences. It is the clients words recorded on hours of interview tapes. The ghostwriter is a professional consultant providing expertise in the area of bringing together all the information, organizing it, and writing it up in a way that will produce a marketable and readable masterpiece. WHAT SKILLS DOES A GHOSTWRITER NEED? A ghostwriter must be a good writer.They need experience, the more on their resume the more they are sought after, and can set their fees and policies. He or she should also have good interviewing skills, since they will spend many hours and days interviewing clients. Also good research skills are needed.They should have the ability to ask good questions that will draw out the best aspects of a story. Another skill - which may need to be developed - is the ability to maintain the clients voice so that the book reads like the client, not the ghostwriter. HOW IS A GHOSTWRITER PAID? There are only 4 ways.Here they are. Some ghostwriters charge a flat fee for their work, a few change per page,and very few charge per word. Others go with a decent percentage 10%-20% of royalties and writing credits. Many times they will reduce their ghostwriting fee substantially in return for a percentage (perhaps 5-15%) of the royalties, or in many cases they will waive their fee entirely in return for a percentage of royalties,and writing credits, AKA name recognition. Rarely if ever does a Ghostwriter get a flat fee, along with any royalties. Its either one or the other. The one advantage of a flat fee is that a ghostwriter knows exactly how much he or she will be paid, the disadvantage is they are paid say as a newbie according the the marketplace, $5,0000 total flat fee for the entire novel, but then the novel becomes a N.Y. bestseller, and they could have made many times more than that. Example.15% of 1 Million Dollars is $150,000.So the question is, what does one prefer, because the truth is all contracts are different, and negotiated by the ghostwriter and the author. Another factor, a newbie, cannot demand fees,even close to a professional ghostwriter.They are in two totally different leagues. DOES A GHOSTWRITER GET ANY CREDIT? More often than not, the public never knows that a book was ghostwritten. Sometimes ghostwriters are even legally bound to not reveal that they have ghosted a particular book. Occasionally ghostwriters will receive some credit. The writers name may appear on the cover as a co-author or it might read as told to Jenny Ghost. Another way to thank the ghostwriter is under the acknowledgements, for example ...and thanks to Joe Ghoul without whom this book would never have been completed. ARE YOU THINKING OF BECOMING A GHOSTWRITER? It could be an excellent career move. Youve probably heard it said that everyone has a book inside them. Well, the fact of the matter is that not everyone has the time or the skill to write it. As long as there is a story to be told, ghostwriters will continue to be in demand.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:26:28 +0000
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