Is Ghostwriting Legit? Or Is It Lame? – Let’s Find Out!

Let us start by defining who is a ghostwriter. A ghostwriter is a professional writer hired by someone to write a book using the employer’s byline. For example, Bob Jones hired John Smith, a ghostwriter, to write a book. John would perform most of the work, but the published book would read “by Bob Jones”). Old-school “ghostwriting,” in which a writer researched and authored books and articles for someone else to publish under their name, is not only passe but also unethical. While it was once considered acceptable, most writers today find it deceptive. The perpetration of a public fraud. A scam.

In simple terms, it is a legal form of plagiarism. Ghostwriting can be classified into two types:  one is permissible, and one is not.

Celebrities

Our society is obsessed with celebrities, including actors, musicians, and politicians, who have captivating stories to share with society. Very few of them can write those stories, but they all seem to be coming out with books anyway. This is thanks to ghostwriters; it is an appropriate way to meet the need. However, some people may oppose referring to the celebrity as an “author” and allowing the byline to just include their name. It should be classified as a co-authorship, with the ghostwriter’s name appearing alongside the celebrity’s on the cover.

Famous Authors

Sometimes, an author of a fiction series becomes tired of writing one series, but the publisher believes there is still money to be made. So they outsource future books to a ghostwriter, giving the ghostwriter a basic plot structure to follow (hence “formula fiction”). While the celebrity scenario is understandable, for an author to do this is awful. The author is deceiving his readers by paying others to accomplish what he should do himself. He can’t put his soul into it since he’s not writing it, and the ghostwriter can’t either because he’s writing under someone else’s name. Inevitably, the book will lack soul. It will be a thin, runny combination of words that lacks real emotion. It’s just empty entertainment.

This is not an insult to the ghostwriter’s abilities. A ghostwriter has experience writing things for others, and skill has nothing to do with the soul. They work hard to make it good, yet they can’t own it; it belongs to the client. It will appear and sound the way the client wants it to and perform whatever that client desires. This is expected of advertising copy. But in novel form, it is the cheap fiction we read as children, the Nancy Drews* and the Babysitter’s Clubs, that we remember with vague fondness but would not pick up again – whereas other children’s fiction, the Narnias, Borrowers, and Winnie the Poohs, we gladly pick up again because their authors wrote them, rather than farming out the work to be stamped with cookie-cutters.

But what about the other pursuits that supposedly require a “ghostwriter” nowadays: marketing copy, white papers, web material, blogs, content-marketing sections, and so on? Are they scams? Or do we merely think of them as cheats because job postings require the writer to call oneself a ghostwriter?

Marketing and brand content require strong writing skills, subject knowledge, and SEO knowledge. Still, none of that has anything to do with ghostwriting—at least not the kind of ghostwriting that had evolved since December 2009, when the print industry imploded, and all sorts of editors were kicked out by almost every type of publisher.

Ghostwriting Books

Books are the true line of demarcation for ghostwriting in the twenty-first century. If you ghostwrite novels as a freelancer, you’ll likely become a work-for-hire writer. The author will decide the price—in fact, the author will accept the lowest bid. They’ll encourage you to participate in the activity and receive byline credit in return for cash today. They’ll draft a contract allowing them to keep complete control, including the authority to fire you at any time.

And, despite knowing nothing about the real book industry—as opposed to the consumer information, disinformation, and misinformation available on the internet—they’ll direct the project’s positioning, structure, and writing.

In pursuit of those gigs, which usually pay $7,500 to $25,000, the average freelance writer will:

• Search for the terms “writer” or “ghostwriter” on directfreelance.com, sologig.com, monster.com, indeed.com, and other websites.
• Some eagerly offer allcomers writing samples, testimonials, and a rate sheet.
  Engage in bidding wars to “name that tune” (i.e., “write that book”) for less than the nearest competitor’s bid.
• Twist themselves in knots to meet the client’s unrealistic bestseller, deadline, and other demands.

Spoiler alert: the results of those gigs frequently end up as self-published titles on Amazon Abyss.

On the other hand, professional ghostwriting, in which a ghost generates a marketable literary property from an author’s idea or initial draft, is a new horse with fresh financial possibilities. It entails establishing yourself as an industry leader and ghostwriting authority. If you choose to provide professional ghostwriting services to specific clients rather than search for job sites, you dramatically alter the situation.

• You set the fee and payment terms.
• You create the equitable contract.
• You manage the project.
• The resulting products frequently land traditional or well-established hybrid publishers with equal success.

When you work from a position of authority and expertise, you will attract high-end clients who will pay you anything from $35,000 to $150,000 for each title.

Life Is About Choice

Becoming a freelance ghostwriter is not a significant decision but simply an extension of an established freelancing profession. Any good writer can do the job, and there is always plenty of work available, so it can be as profitable or unprofitable as the tide allows.

Being a professional ghostwriter, on the other hand, is a life-altering decision. The differences between freelancing and going pro are analogous to those between being a medic and a doctor, a handyman and a contractor, or a company-team outfielder and a National or American League baseball player.

They all require the same fundamental qualities and aptitude; the latter have just developed their talents and skills to new heights.

Today’s professional ghostwriters understand and can give what traditional publishers’ in-house editors used to do for all of their authors but can now only afford to do for the high-profile ones. Committed writers may undoubtedly educate themselves on all they need to command high-end fees and produce high-quality products.

• Immerse yourself in the many aspects of the $115 billion global book industry—talent recruiting, registrations, prepress, production options/costs/ROI, supply-chain participants, marketing/advertising/promotion ROI, etc.
• Identify industry standards for code, formatting, and style guide requirements and exceptions;
• Learn creative analysis to focus, position, and shape any manuscript for the most effective market or combination of markets.
• Learn “deep listening” and “ego restraint” to keep the author’s voice, flavor, color, perspective, and, most crucially, intent.
• Read, read, read to develop a sense of flowing line editing.
• Analyze expectations for nonfiction, fiction, and memoir industry submissions;
• Evaluate online, traditional, bulk-sale, and high-volume ROI potentials for bestseller strategy ideas;
• Create a successful business model featuring sales tools and a reliable funnel, and discover how to position, promote, and sell your new venture.

There is no dishonesty. There is no scam, no fraud—just logical steps toward a practical, pragmatic, profitable career upgrade.

Two Takeaways for Ghostwriting

Now, let’s talk about the people on both sides of the ghostwriting relationship: the client and the ghostwriter.

FOR WRITERS: The first question every writer should ask is, “What do you want to accomplish as a writer?” Is creating a personal and visible platform really important to you? Will it be advantageous for you in the long run? If you need to ghostwrite to make ends meet, that’s OK. But beat a hasty path out of the business as soon as possible. It’s your chance to run the show.

As a recognizable and reputable writer, you should establish an online presence in subject matters that interest you. When you do, your passion will come through (which is tough to convey through a disinterested ghostwriter).

FOR CLIENTS: Avoid hiring a ghostwriter. Instead, learn how to write or employ people who will write for you under their names. This is an opportunity to develop a rising star. To move away from power consolidation and the cult of personality and instead expand your reach inside your own ranks.

This is why significant media companies seek to hire well-known writers. They have confidence that the company will grow alongside the tide of their stable of writers. They can gain from emerging writers. In other words, there is no motive to consolidate power behind you.

Also, if you have to employ someone to help you write, give them credit as a co-author. It is only fair.

FAQ’s – Frequently Asked Questions