Ghostwriters: Free Writer's Digest Tutorials this Weekend

Perhaps in honor of International Freelancers' Day, which is today, September 21, Writer's Digest Tutorials (http://tutorials.writersdigest.com) is offering a free weekend of tutorial viewing. Learn about non-fiction writing, fiction writing, freelance writing, getting started as a writer, making more money, building a platform, and many others, all for free this weekend.

Normally you'd pay $79.99 for a month of access to these tutorials, so don't miss out on the chance to hone your skills, pick up some new information, and potentially boost your bottom line, all thanks to the generosity of Writer's Digest.

While ghostwriting isn't one of the tutorials they offer, the content included in those they do can certainly apply. From non-fiction writing to memoir writing to fundamentals of writing or subject-specific guidance, these tutorials could be well worth a little time this weekend.

Ghostwriters as Publishing Consultants

Ghostwriters write, that's pretty obvious. But as more clients express interest in penning their memoirs, or in sharing their new business tactics or lessons learned, ghostwriters are, by necessity, now becoming publishing consultants. Not only do they help clients structure their writing, craft and edit it, and prep it for publishing, but they also need to be able to educate clients about how the publishing process works.

At the Association of Ghostwriters, we receive many job postings from would-be clients interested in retaining an experienced ghostwriter to tell their tale or to restructure something they've previously drafted. Some clients understand that hiring a ghostwriter is akin to hiring an attorney - you pay a fee for service, often on a per-project basis, sometimes by the hour. Many, however, propose a split of future royalties once their book is published.

While this would be a very fair proposition if traditional publishers were paying large advances and if consumers were buying more books, the hard truth is that very, very few books ever earn back their advance. That is, the advances publishers pay are advances against royalties, meaning that no royalty check will be cut until enough books have been sold to cover the publisher's costs. And too few books ever do. Not to mention that many advances are now in the four figures, not five or six as they once were.

So, in reality, clients are unwittingly proposing to split a percentage of $0. To most ghostwriters, including this one, that royalty split means we earn no money for our work. Of course, the vast majority of clients have no idea that this is what they are proposing.

Which is why many ghostwriters today find themselves having to help clients understand the state of the publishing industry, and the unfortunate fact that to get a book published requires money up front.

The good news is that ghostwriters willing to invest time in counseling potential clients are likely to build a larger client base. It's a value add that most would-be authors now need.

What is a ghostwriter?

Although we are the Association of Ghostwriters (AOG), it's surprising to me how many people who contact us do not actually know what a ghostwriter is. Granted, the writers who craft articles, speeches, blog posts, and book for clients anonymously generally know what their role is, but recent phone calls from potential clients suggest that everyone else may not.

One prospect wanted to know what it would cost to have a ghostwriter edit a draft of his book, which he hadn't yet written. I explained that each member of the association decides for themselves what to charge, so I couldn't give him a standard fee. However, I pointed out that ghostwriters are, first and foremost, writers, and would be very qualified to assist in getting that draft done. "Really?" he asked, perking up.

That this wouldn't be obvious to him suggests to me that we ghostwriters need to do a better job of educating people regarding what we do - myself included. We need to explain that ghostwriters assume the client's voice in creating written documents - everything from sales letters to proposals to case studies, and on and on. If it needs to be written, we ghostwriters can either write it or point you to another writer who is in a better position to help, perhaps because of their industry experience.

The major difference between a freelance writer and a ghostwriter, in most cases, is that ghostwriters do not ask or expect to be acknowledged for their involvement. Typically, you won't see a ghostwriter's name on an article byline, though you may see the client's. Nor will you see the ghostwriter's name front and center on a book jacket, unless it has been requested and approved by the client.

That is not to say that the article or book were the ghostwriter's idea - they weren't. This is another misconception, I think, about our role. The concept, message, material, opinions, research, and sources generally come from the client, who then hires a ghostwriter to put all the words together. Most clients hand off writing projects to ghostwriters because they lack the time, not because they are incapable.

What else do you think the outside world needs to know about ghostwriters?

BusinessGhost on Shark Tank

Ghostwriting and the TV show "Shark Tank" are two things I wouldn't normally think go together, but last week I discovered that they do. Shark Tank is one of my new favorite shows (I love hearing about the interesting inventions and business ideas people have), so imagine my surprise when last week the investors on the show were presented with the opportunity to invest in BusinessGhost, an Irvine, California-based ghostwriting service that assists business people in writing books.

Sadly, the investors were not convinced that the business model was scalable, so owner Michael Levin walked away empty-handed. Before he exited, however, Levin did share some interesting information about his ghostwriting firm.

BusinessGhost has eight ghostwriters on staff, who complete an average of two ghostwriting projects per month. The firm earns between $35,000-75,000 per book project and has annual revenues approaching $750,000 per year.

The good news for independent ghostwriters is that the fees he quoted seem quite fair and the demand for the firm's services seems steady. If there is any bad news, it's that the business may not be scalable, meaning that it may be difficult to grow much beyond a certain point. However, in my mind that's not a surprise. Writing is a skill and individual writers have different voices; one client may prefer a writing style akin to Malcolm Gladwell and another may want Tim Ferris. That difference is what helps differentiate ghostwriters.

Fortunately, if this show is any indication, demand for ghostwriting remains high. We all just need to learn how to leverage what makes us each unique - our writing voice.

Is ghostwriting deceptive?

According to a tweet today from Pastor Rick Warren, "Using a "ghost writer" is PRETENDING to be an Author & claiming credit for another's work. It's deceptive & dishonest."

Oh, really? I humbly disagree. A ghostwriter is not someone who comes up with an idea for a book and sells that idea to someone else who then puts their name on the cover. The role of a ghostwriter is to help a client articulate a message, relate a story, or share a concept - not make everything up and then publish it under someone else's name.

At least that's my personal opinion.

The projects I've had the privilege and pleasure to work on were for honorable people who lacked the time or believed they lacked to skill to produce a book-length manuscript. Truth is, nearly all of my clients have been very capable communicators. However, they may have forgotten some English grammar rules or simply didn't enjoy the process of writing. So they hired me to assist.

By stepping in to help them organize their thoughts, sift through their research, and pull together tens of thousands of words on a particular topic, I'm more midwife than anything else. The baby is theirs, I'm simply helping to deliver it. And just as a midwife or doctor does not attach their name to a newborn baby, I don't attach mine to the books or articles or blog posts I help create.

Is that dishonest? I don't think so. But what do you think?

Ghostwriting is Not Article Spinning

Have you seen job postings for large quantities of articles - maybe 50 or 100 at a time? And have you wondered how someone could write so many variations on the same topic? Well, they generally don't. Which also helps explain the paltry fees offered.

Increasingly, clients are asking that writers craft a single article and then "spin" it using software, such as spinchimp or thebestspinner. Spinning involves finding synonyms and alternate keywords to use in place of the original terms featured in the article. The goal is to generate many versions of the original article that websites will view as original content. That's the goal.

However, spinning software doesn't always churn out articles that make sense. While you can get a sense of what the original article may have been about, the tenth or twentieth or fiftieth iteration can sound like gobbledygook. Like this: http://www.developmentsunited.com/2012/04/03/ghostwriting-doesnt-really-mean-writing-like-somebody-else/ It kinda sorta makes sense. But not really.

Although Google may like the fact that this website has a steady stream of new content, it's likely that web visitors don't appreciate having to view useless material like this. Surprisingly, the order in which words are strung together really does matter. And humans are much better at doing this than software programs.

The Perils of Underpricing

As the executive director of the Association of Ghostwriters, I receive phone calls on a regular basis from people who are either considering membership or who are hunting for a ghostwriter to assist with their project.

On many occasions, I end up having to educate the caller regarding the role of the ghostwriter and how publishing works. That is, there aren't many ghostwriters willing to work without some kind of up front payment; most would-be authors expect ghostwriters to split the millions in royalties that are sure to be forthcoming once the book is drafted, edited, and released. Or to provide article-writing services for pennies per word.

Last week, I received a call from a professional looking for someone to do some ghostblogging. She had placed job postings in the hopes of finding someone locally and was surprised by the low fees writers were quoting her. Instead of going with the lowest cost provider, as so many clients often do, she decided to call the AOG for other options.

The problem with the quote she received was that it was so low that she suspected the writer to be an amateur. She couldn't imagine a successful writer being able to write enough blog posts to sustain themselves long-term at the fee quoted. So she continued to look for a writer who would quote a fair fee, but not bargain basement.

I think there's a lesson in there for writers everywhere. There are clients who understand the amount of work required to produce high quality writing, and they expect to pay for it. So low balling a bid to try and win a particular project may end up costing you the project. Better to be realistic.