What is ghostwriter? A to Z of ghostwriting

What is ghostwriter? A to Z of ghostwriting

We always dream of publishing a novel, selling tens of thousands of copies and living on it, but unfortunately, the numbers of readers and book sales in our country often force us to complement our income with other trades, as explained in this other Article (10 signs that you are on the right track to be a professional writer).

Today I will tell you about a fairly unknown profession (for the general public), but which is very popular in Anglo-Saxon countries and increasingly here: the profession of ghostwriter, or "ghostwriter".

What is a ghost writer?

With the name of ghoswriter, or "ghostwriter" is known those people who write a book hired by a person or company and who will not appear as authors of the same. In fact, as an author, a different person will appear, the person who has hired you.

This is very important, because there is also the figure of a commissioned writer (for example, a publisher can hire you to write a biography of Rosalía de Castro), but the ghostwriter is someone who does not receive public recognition for his authorship or collect royalties. .

As ghoswriter you will charge a fixed price agreed between you and your client who, from the end of the book, will be considered the sole author of the book. You disappear: hence the mysterious name of "ghost".

Although it may sound strange to some, this profession is most common, especially in the case of biographies and essay books: 80% of the works are usually non-fiction. People who hire a ghostwriter are either publishers who need a one-off job, or people who want to tell their lives, some episode they know, or even some fictional story.

You might be surprised, but - contrary to what seems to be from urban legends and Hollywood scare movies - most of a ghostwriter's clientele are people who previously have never written a book and that they generally only sell the book to their friends and a small group of readers.

And it is that the normal thing is that someone who wants to dedicate himself seriously to writing wants to succeed on his own merits.

There are also cases of writers who have already published but who, for different reasons, hire a ghostwriter for a specific book, although it is much rarer. If you have moral qualms about exercising this profession - although I already tell you, it is quite common and, in fact, some now-known writers started out like this - think that most likely you will receive commissions to tell the life of someone's family, or his history of overcoming in the fight against alcoholism. It is what is most abundant and it is normal, therefore, that they want to sign it with their names: they are very personal.

I, myself, in the past, have worked as a ghostwriter on several occasions (when I had more time and no project of my own was a good way to continue writing and also, you get paid) for some biographies, an autobiography and two novels. There is also copywriting for blogs and web pages, which is sometimes another form of ghostwriting and can be another option to increase your income by writing.

How does it work?

There are several issues that you have to consider. I briefly comment:

Legal and confidentiality agreement: Generally -and so you must demand- the future author and you will sign a written agreement, in which you will detail the commitment of both. Here will be indicated the delivery times of the book or chapters, the length of each chapter or book (if applicable), the price that the client will pay you per word or page, the method of payment and the time of collection, and It will, of course, include a confidentiality clause (in which you agree never to reveal your role in writing this book) and the transfer of your copyright in its name.

If both parties agree, the ghostwriter may appear in the book as "proofreader", or, as Marian Ruiz explains in the comments based on his personal experience, as "content reviewer". It is a way of giving visibility to this “ghost” work.

How much is charged? It depends. I have charged between 5 and 15 euros per page, but the final price depends on many issues:

• The length of the final work: it is not the same to charge for an article of 10 folios than for a book of 200 folios; it is normal for the price per page to drop in that case
• Your experience: it is usual to charge lower prices if you are not yet a very experienced ghostwriter or it is your first or second job.
• The complication of work and style (it is not the same if you can write "your way" than if you have to imitate the style of other books by the same author or if you have to research and document yourself if it is not. 

Normally, the person usually tells you what it is that they want to appear in each section or chapter (broad content); sometimes he can even pass you recordings of his voice telling you an anecdote, or something he wants to appear; other times they will tell you in writing.

There are authors who leave you a lot of space for you to add ideas or details of your harvest (especially if it is fiction) and others -especially when it comes to a biography- will give you much more information and will leave you less broad sleeves. It is important to talk to the future author about what your method will be to be clear about how much work you are going to need and to be able to establish a fair price.

The usual method of work is for the author to pass material or argument to you for a chapter or several. You will write them and he / she will read them and suggest ideas, ask for changes, deletions ... Take into account that second rewriting job when giving your budget.

Ideally, you should discuss all this beforehand and include it in the contract, to avoid misunderstandings.

How to become a ghost writer?

1. Improve your technique

No one is going to hire you as a ghostwriter without asking you for at least a sample of your work. There you will have to demonstrate that you have a good level of writing, both spelling and grammar, as well as writing, and that you master essential techniques such as descriptions, dialogues, scene changes, flashbacks, structure, turns, dramatic tension, and a long etcetera.

You can do this through writing courses (faster option and that you can later add to your resume) or on your own, reading a lot, studying books and writing blogs like this and, of course, writing.

2. Get a good resume

These first two points are common if you want to dedicate yourself to any profession related to writing: getting a good CV is essential, since it attests to your work and your formality. I mean accumulate as much as you can of:

-Literary awards: give confidence in the quality of your work, whether of any type of genre. Currently there are many literary awards in which you can participate, almost every day.

-Finished books (or blogs to show your articles): they say a lot about your perseverance and that you dedicate yourself to this in a serious and professional way, not as a passing hobby.

-Studies related to writing: They never hurt, both to improve your writing techniques, and to attest that you have taken the trade seriously, for future clients.

-Publications: Although, as an author, you may be more convinced to self-publish (an equally valid option for your books to reach readers), having some work published by a publisher is, for the general public, a guarantee that your texts have passed some filter that others have not done. They always come in handy.

That is why we always require all writing teachers at Portaldelescritor to have books published in editorial and previous experience, the next point.

-Previous experience (as a ghostwriter or in any writing profession) and customer opinions. Again, they serve to make future clients trust you, even if your texts are good.

Put yourself in the place of your future client. Imagine that you want to reform your house: Would you hire a licensed architect, with several years of experience and finished buildings, or someone whose resume says only something like "I've liked houses, and now I love to designing them"?

That advertisement (and I have found many variations of this in people who dedicate themselves to writing trades) speaks of that person's enthusiasm, but makes it clear that he has no studies, experience, or anything demonstrable that proves the quality of his work or his worth as a professional.

People easily follow someone on social networks - it is free and does not imply any obligation, not even to open the future email - but when they have to pay, they will look very carefully at who they give their money to. , so that it gives you the best possible result. Building a good resume takes time, but it is one of the best investments you are going to make and that no one can take away from you.

3. Specialize

Although it is not mandatory, it will always be easier for someone to hire you if you are specialized in a genre or topic. For example, if you like science fiction, racing cars, or the 19th century, all of this can go on your resume and show up in your writings, awards, and publications. In this way, if someone specifically searches for a writer for an article, book or even novel on these topics, they will find you right away.

4. Make yourself known (blog, RRSS, books, interviews, linkedin ...)

Very good, Diana, but how do people find me? Unfortunately, it is part of the "ghost" of this profession. There is no directory to sign up for and people don't usually put "ghostwriter" on their resume, although you can. And you can also clearly indicate on your website, blog or social networks that you are a freelance writer or editor or even a commissioned writer or editor.

And then move as much as possible so that as many people get to know you. For this you can use social networks -where you must make sure that people know that you write- your own books, interviews ... your Linkedin page, of course! It is there where many go to find freelance writers, especially for magazines or blogs. And, of course, your own website or blog.

Go creating a resume and an audience for yourself at the same time, and believe me, there will come a time when you won't have to strain. People will start writing you to request your services: it happened to me and other bloggers, like Javi Pastor, who tells about it in this post. It is not an overnight thing, but here you have the roadmap to open the way to work in that, and other, trades of writing.