The pen moves of its own accord. The message appears in steam or lipstick on the mirror. Letters fade in and out on the old letter.
We’re not talking about this kind of ghostwriting today. We’re going to talk about writing from someone who is really there, but no one knows about them. They are hidden. And their name is secret.
Consider a brand that is so popular and in demand that a single author just can’t keep up. Or maybe someone has a great life story or idea for what to write, but they aren’t an author and don’t have the inclination to train in writing. Or perhaps, someone is a busy celebrity and doesn’t have time to write. These are instances when one would use ghostwriting.
What Is a Ghostwriter?
Ghostwriter Definition
A person who writes in another author’s voice and style for that author.
Ghostwriter Meaning
A ghostwriter is someone who writes web content, blog posts, social media, newsletters, songs scripts, or books for another. They use the brand’s ideas, voice, and style to create content that matches, or seems like it comes from the author or brand who hired them.
It differs from co-writing because the ghost writer does much of the work and gets none of the credit. Their name isn’t listed under authors, just the client’s name is. Writing coaches help the client write the material themselves and editors only give notes on possible changes to something that the author has already written.
Copywriters also write content for clients, but they write shorter copy like blurbs and other marketing materials, not novels, though a ghostwriter can also write copy.
How to Become a Ghostwriter
Practice
Like asking ChatGPT to write in the style of Jane Austen or how actors practice different accents, try writing in a voice unlike your own. Take a paragraph and write it multiple times as if it was written by several of the various popular authors. Try writing it in a dry, formal tone or a chatty, overly friendly tone or a lyrical purply-prose tone.
Freelance
Start off by building your portfolio and client list as a freelance writer. Your name goes on things and it pays less, but it shows potential clients what you are capable of.
Write
Write your own books, blogs, and more—whatever you want to offer your services doing. This is another great way to build your portfolio and get your name out there so clients can get a taste of your capable skills.
Marketing
Create your own website. It’s a good way to show off some of your web page skills, if you have them. Also consider adding a blog to it to showcase your writing and researching abilities.
However, keep the focus on what your potential clients would be interested in more than your personal life. Or show other examples of your writing.
Be upfront about what topics and types of media you are willing to write and which ones you are not. An expertise in nonfiction can be very different from understanding the structure and prose of fiction. And some people may not be comfortable writing about technical subjects they don’t know about, erotica, politics, or religions.
This is also where you would list your pricing and what timetables you may be working on depending on your schedule.
Editing
Editing, revising, copyediting, and proofreading skills are all necessary because a ghostwriter is paid for a finished product, not an outline and not a draft, though the client will probably wish to see both of those as well. A percentage of the payment may be paid at each step.
Research
Research the author or brand’s voice. And research the audience so that the writing can be tailored to them, writing directly to their issues and interests.
Research skills can be used to dive into subjects you don’t know about. Even in personal writing many authors research certain subjects to keep their story realistic and believable.
If you are ghostwriting a memoir, researching historical facts will be necessary. Oftentimes the client is expected to provide you the research, but you may need to dig deeper and double check the facts.
Cold Email
After doing your research and considering your own portfolio, consider finding companies you want to work for and discover the marketing director or marketing manager’s contact information so that you can contact them directly and your emails don’t get lost in the shuffle.
Use your generic pitch and customize it for both the company(or author) and for the project. Talk about the benefits you could provide and be respectfully persistent in following up until you hear from them.
Job Boards
Go on freelance job boards to find work. Search the listings for a ghostwriting job that you feel fits your skills and send in an application. If the employer is interested, they will give you a trial assignment before signing a contract.
Pitch
Have a pre-prepared written pitch with a generic greeting that can be filled in with the specifics, followed by examples of you ghostwriting, or writing with different voices and genres in mind if you are just starting out, then list your pricing, and end with a respectful salutation and your name.
Keep it short while giving as much information as you can. Try to use no more than three short examples of your work.
Contracts
When it comes to the contract there are a few key things to keep in mind. First, compensation doesn’t always have to be money. In some cases, the exchange might involve services or goods instead.
That said, the majority of ghostwriting agreements do involve straightforward monetary payment.
Plagiarism protection is also a big deal. A professional ghostwriter is expected to deliver original, plagiarism-free content. This protects both you, the ghostwriter, and the client from legal or ethical issues down the line.
Then there’s the matter of intellectual property rights. The ideas come from the client and belong to them. A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) keeps the ghostwriter from sharing the client’s privacy.
Then, typically, once the project is complete and payment is made, the ghostwriter hands over all rights to the content. Most contracts include this transfer of rights which keeps the ghostwriter anonymous. To all intents and purposes the public only ever knows who the legal author is and may never know that a ghostwriter was even involved.
Contracts should also spell out what happens if things go sideways. Penalties for breaking the terms—on either side—are usually outlined, so both parties are clear on the consequences. And in case the project needs to be ended early, there should be a termination clause that lays out how that process works.
It’s also worth clarifying who owns what. While you—the ghostwriter—technically own the copyright of the content you create, once it is purchased, the client gains full intellectual property rights.
That means they can edit, rewrite, publish, or repurpose the content however they like because legally it’s theirs.
Ghostwriting Examples
Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Series [1930-present]
In series like these, the publisher often asks some of their writers to help ghostwrite books—book packaging—in the voice and with the specific structure to fit in the series seamlessly.
Jason Bourne Series [1980-present]
Unlike the Wheel of Time series, which was completed with Robert Jordan’s notes by Brandon Sanderson and with his name clearly written as a co-author, the Jason Bourne series has been continued under the original author’s name for counting on twenty-four years since his death with another scheduled to come out next year. Suspicious to say the least. Perhaps it is truly ghostwritten?
Alexandre Dumas
Series aren’t the only things that are ghostwritten, and ghostwriting has likely been around as long as writing has, though there’s no way to be sure. However, it is well known that The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, among other of Dumas’ works, were written with the help of historian Auguste Maquet whose name does not appear on the cover or title page of any of Dumas’ novels.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey [1989]
One of these habits is “synergize.” This means to collaborate. And nothing says collaborating to achieve results like hiring a ghostwriter like Ken Shelton. The step-by-step process of becoming an effective person is all Stephen Covey’s, but Ken Shelton’s skills in writing non-fiction business books helped make this one a best seller.
Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson [1998]
Many celebrities in business, politics, acting, music, or sports use ghostwriters to help them with their memoirs. Telling the story of your life can be tricky since you are too close to it and having the writing skills to pull it off takes a true author with lots of experience. Enter—the ghostwriter.
Some celebrities are more open about who helped them get their book into such great shape. Here, Edward Whitley did a significant job of getting across the client’s personality on the page and sharing information from Branson’s life that are of a very personal and difficult nature.
How Does Ghostwriting Work
Ghostwriting is a lot of work for no recognition, so ghostwriters can charge premium prices for their work. Less experienced ghostwriters charge closer to sixteen dollars an hour, while the most highly experienced are paid eighty dollars per hour.
Though other ghost writers might have a per word charge (usually $1-2) or a flat rate for a completed novel (anywhere from $30-250k). Shop around to look at what current prices are based on your experience.
In order to capture a client’s voice you should listen to how your client talks, listen to their stories to see what is important to them, and read their writing. This is often done through interviews. Consider having a list of questions to ask about what their ideas and thoughts for the project are? What are their goals? What are they trying to accomplish with this project?
Follow them on social media and join their email list. Consider when the client is more formal, more informal, and what word choices or punctuation the client is likely to use.
Sometimes it will take having them read samples and give you feedback on what sounds right to them and what doesn’t. This should be done with open communication and may take several interviews until the appropriate feel of the content is obtained.
Tools you may use for your ghostwriting business include writing software like Word, Scrivener, Google Docs, ect. Whatever you and your client feel comfortable with. You will want something that allows comments and shows edits and/or track changes.
You will also need to communicate, whether it be through phone, email, an app, face-to-face, or online meeting software. And possibly project management software so both you and the client can keep track of project progress.
The ghostwriter—you—will be expected to create a project plan with deadlines, goal completion dates, and how communication will occur and when payments will be made. This may include an outline, or the outline might be one of the check-in points along the way.
While the client has the final say on the content and how the project is written, your skills and experience as a ghostwriter may come into play as you give the client advice and offer options that may enhance the quality or marketability of the product. Again, good communication is key.