Why the world will end without Ghost Writers?
“Pas du tout,” replied Poirot tranquilly. “Japp and the local inspector will divide the credit between them. But” — he tapped his pocket — “I have a cheque here, from Mr Opalsen.”
That was an excerpt from one of the short stories by Agatha Christie.
Detective Hercule Poirot solved a case, but the credit goes to the local police. He got his cheque though, and now, on his way back home with his friend Captain Arthur Hastings.
But what has that story to do with ghostwriters? Well, that’s how ghostwriters are.
Continue reading to know how do ghostwriters work, and what do ghostwriters do.
What is a ghostwriter?
A ghostwriter for your book will put your thoughts into words and complete your book in a way that attracts readers. Ghost writers in the music industry write lyrics and other instrumental pieces on behalf of an artist or a company. Ghostwriters for blogs and social media ghostwriters create digital content while being behind the scenes.
So, ghostwriter, in simple terms, is a professional writer hired to write something for which they don’t get any credit. All the rights of the work remain with the owner or the person who hired the ghostwriter, aka the ‘ghost’.
A ghostwriter puts your thoughts into words and completes your content in a way that attracts readers.
And the ghost writers’ world is enormous. Some are freelance writers, while others work for writing and editing agencies.
Who hires ghostwriters?
Celebrities, musicians, and politicians get ghost writers for hire. Even renowned bloggers and authors hire ghosts for their work. At least 25% of New York Times nonfiction bestsellers are ghost-written as per Priceonomics. It’s almost 100% when the work is related to a celebrity.
Unfortunately, you can never be sure about the correct numbers. Ghost projects are mostly hush-hush.
Celebrities seek ghostwriters for books because they don’t know how to tell their story. Politicians need well-crafted speeches from time to time. Barack Obama, for example, had Jonathan Favreau to write his speeches.
Then, musicians use ghostwriters to create lyrics. Elton John, an English singer, and songwriter has used the services of Bernie Taupin for many lyrics.
Bestselling authors too, go for ghost writers hire services. Tom Clancy is a popular name in that matter. When the demand for his action novels exceeded, his publisher hired ghostwriters to churn out more novels.
And then, there are writers and marketers, who need more content in a short time and thus, must hire a ghostwriter or a team of ghost writers.
What do ghostwriters do?
They do what they are good at. They ghost write content, take their payment, and send the content to the respective owner(s)/client(s).
Online ghostwriters are hired to understand people and their business, and then create high-quality content for them. These can range from articles to press releases and social media posts to emails.
Sometimes, a single ghost content writer can handle everything for a client, and at other times, specialised writers are hired for each task. These ghostwriters adapt to the style and produce engaging content on their behalf.
Book ghostwriters align with the voice and style of the author and write book(s) under the name of the author. They get paid a fixed price for their work or earn royalties from sales as per their agreement.
Ghostwriters turn your ideas into the content you want. They will write, edit, proofread, polish, and ready the content to be sent to the world. In-depth technical articles, tourist brochures, video scripts… ghostwritten content exist everywhere.
The list of things ghostwriters do is endless.
How do ghostwriters get credit?
Most often, ghostwriters don’t get credited for their work.
But, ghostwriters for books, sometimes, get mentioned in the acknowledgement section. They can be named as a research assistant, ghost writer or co-author depending on how prominent their role was in completing the book.
Then, ghost blog writers might be allowed to share their work as samples, but they won’t have any right to the published work. At times, they can negotiate a by-line as “with the assistance of”. But in most cases, blog ghosts remain anonymous.
Similar is the case with other ghostwriters in the industry. Only the people they work with know about their capability.
Is ghost writing legal?
Well, ghostwriting may seem unethical. But it’s not illegal. Why would it be? Jon Snow can handle the mighty sword, but if he wants to publish a captivating story, he would like to hire someone with a mighty pen instead, or keyboard. Probably a ghostwriter?
In Avengers, Agent Phil Coulson prepared an “official” statement for Tony Stark to read, after the blast at Stark Tower. Yeah, someone at S.H.I.E.L.D. ghost-wrote the speech for the Agent, which Mr Stark delivered on stage.
Ghostwriting is legal. And if you’re thinking to try freelance writing, ghosting can bring you plenty of money. (conditions apply)
Wrapping it up…
Becoming a ghostwriter guarantees a drab life, devoid of any lustre. You’ll hear praises about a bestseller in a cafe, but you can’t exclaim that you wrote it.
However, if you LOVE your job, the art of writing, you’ll be grinning like a Cheshire cat every time you hear someone mentioning they liked your work(s).
“Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.”
— Mark Twain
Yes, ghostwriters do the heavy lifting behind the scenes, to bring out a polished piece which everyone will see. Confidentiality clauses bind them to remain anonymous. But they take pride in their job. And why not! Ghost writers are ruling the world.
And how to become a ghostwriter?
Become a freelance writer, refine your skills, build an impressive portfolio… And once you are well known as a writer, you can become the ghost everyone would seek.
