What Is Ghostwriting? Get The Book You’ve Always Wanted Without Writing A Word

What is ghostwriting? The word conjures up visions of a ghost writing a book. The first time I heard the word, many years ago when I was just a child, I envisioned a room filled with ghosts, sitting at their desks, hard at work writing books and novels. Yeah, when I was younger I had a very active imagination.

In reality, ghostwriting has nothing to do with ghosts. At first, the word “ghostwriter” might seem confusing, but it’s really pretty simple. A ghostwriter is someone you hire to write for you. In other words a ghostwriter is a contractor who helps you write your book, story, social media post, blog article, or whatever else you might need.

They’re called ghostwriters because they don’t get credit for the work – they are invisible to the readers of  your book or article. As far as the public is concerned you are the author. In fact, you don’t even need to put the name of the ghostwriter on the cover or anywhere in the book. That’s totally up to you.

Who Hires Ghostwriters?

Some people hire a ghostwriter because they don’t have the time to write a book. Others don’t know how to write. Sometimes, they just like the idea of collaborating with someone else instead of trying to tackle a subject on their own.

• Managers and c-level leaders use their own book to get promotions, to become better known in their industry, and to gain an edge when applying for jobs.
• it’s common for politicians to use a book to promote their story, their platform, and their ideals.
• CEOs and entrepreneurs find that a book is a great way to showcase their achievements and their methods.
• Activists  may want a book to talk about their cause.
• Economists use a book to show off their economic wisdom and experience.
• Doctors and dentists find a book useful to sell or give out to their patients to explain their practice.
• Soldiers who’ve been through tough experiences can use a book  as a method of therapy to tell their story to others and explain how they overcame the trauma of war.
• Celebrities commonly use books to promote themselves.
• The survivor of a traumatic event  often finds that publishing a book about that event is not only therapeutic but can help others who been through similar experiences.

As you can see, there are a wide variety of people who would love to write their own books but don’t have the  writing chops, time, or experience to get the job done. That’s where a ghostwriter comes in handy.

Have you ever wanted to write that novel or book for years but could never get around to it because life just gets in the way? That’s where a ghostwriter can step in and help you get that book written.

Types of Ghostwriting

What kind of books are written by ghostwriters? Well, ghostwriters don’t just write books. They write just about anything from greeting card rhymes to children’s stories to articles to books. Let’s take a look at a few of the things that are often written by ghostwriters.

• Nonfiction Books
• Memoirs and Autobiographies
• Children’s books
• Young Adult (YA) books
• Business Books
• Novels
• Blogs and other Articles
• Poetry
• Letters
• Resumes
• LinkedIn profiles
• Advertising copy
• Website copy

Why Would Anyone Want to be a Ghostwriter?

Ghostwriting is difficult. There’s no doubt about it, writing a book from start to finish is a complicated and time-consuming task.

I’m passionate about writing. I love to write novels, nonfiction, blogs, articles, and anything else that strikes my fancy. Writing is in my heart and soul and it makes me feel good when I see something that I’ve written published. .

Ghostwriting fills another passion – helping other people. You see, when I ghostwrite I’m helping someone fulfill their dream of writing and publishing their own book. Many people want to write a book, but something comes up in their life that prevents them from fulfilling that dream. It could be the stresses of the job, raising a family, or simply that they don’t know how to write or just can’t get started.

Best of all, I get  to fulfill two passions – writing and helping people – and get paid for it! What could be better?

On top of that, ghostwriting is a fascinating career. It’s educational because I learn about new subjects every day. I get to meet people from all over the world and understand their viewpoints. Sure, it can be disconcerting or frustrating sometimes, but what in life isn’t occasionally difficult. Most of the time, it’s just plain fun to interview, research, and write.

I guess I’m lucky in that I found a career that makes a good living for me and at the same time fulfills my passions. How many people can say that?

What Is Ghostwriting?

Think of a ghostwriter in the same way that you would think of an architect that you hire to build your house. The architect does the work and get paid for it but doesn’t receive any special credit except in rare circumstances.They just design and build your house, and when they’re done you move in and call it yours. Of course, the analogy doesn’t totally hold up, since with the house you don’t claim that you designed and built it. In the case of a book that is ghostwritten, you claim to be the author.

It’s probable that most celebrity books that you see have been ghostwritten. Think about it for a minute. Actresses and actors are paid to act, politicians lead the government, and industrial leaders and CEOs run their companies. Most of these people couldn’t write a book to save their life. Writing a book is difficult and requires a special set of skills learned over many years. It’s highly unlikely that celebrities such as Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Lee Iaccoca, and so forth took the time and had the skills to write hundred thousand words of a coherent, entertaining manuscript.

How do You Work With a Ghostwriter?

You find a ghostwriter that you believe you can work with by performing interviews, checking references and so on. The two of you negotiate a price, sign a contract, and you pay a down payment. It’s important to note that most ghostwriters get paid 25% or more upfront, and that’s nonrefundable. Once the preliminaries are out of the way, your ghostwriter and you will work together to define the book and outline it. Your ghostwriter will probably interview you several times.

The ghostwriter’s job is to write your book, perform interviews, and do some (but not necessarily all) of the research needed. Your role is to ensure the ghost writer understands what you want and give them the information needed, and to review and revise what’s been written. If you both communicate clearly with good understanding of each other, you’re going to get a great book.