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.