KP: By definition, a ghost writer is a professional writer who is paid to write material in the form of books, reports, articles credited to another person. What made you decide to become a ghost writer and what specific qualifications do you need? Do you have publish your own book to be able to ghost write someone else’s book?
SF: I never set out to be a ghostwriter, but seized the opportunity when it was presented. I am a member of a local writer’s group, and one of the leader’s sent an email to the group about a client seeking a ghostwriter. I responded to the appropriate person, and in a week, I was scheduled for an interview with the client. They hired me after the second meeting.
You need the ability to not only write well, but to edit. Ghostwriting is more editing than writing because the clients are the authors. They create the story, while you create the written page.
Another qualification is the ability to communicate. You’re facilitating the work, so if anything is unclear, it’s up to you as the ghostwriter to clarify. Don’t wait for the client to make things clear. That’s your job. Employ your listening skills. I record our interviews, so I have a resource to refer to. Yet, I still find myself asking follow-up questions or clarifying something. .
Have great organizational skills. You have to organize either hours of recorded interviews, pages of written stories or outlines, then create a well written work. As the ghostwriter, you need to keep track of their material provided, because once the project is finished, you have to return their material. For example, I save the recordings to a flash drive to return to them once the project is finished.
KP: One of the most exhilarating aspects of being a writer is finding one’s voice and infusing it into a story. What techniques do you use to find the voice of the person you are writing for?
SF: I read some books and articles about ghostwriting, and did a few exercises before I started on the client’s book.
I met with the clients in person weekly. I am blessed because we have a great rapport which helps to draw out their personalities. I recorded our meetings and listened to the recordings which is a great resource too. And the clients gave me written passages for the book, another resource. I typed the passages into Scrivener (word processing software for writers) and edited them. After a few months of talking with the clients, hearing them on the recordings and typing their written passages, I was confident I had discovered their voices.
KP: Do you specialize in a ghostwriting a specific genre or do you ghost write several genres?
SF: This is my first time ghostwriting, and it happens to be a memoir. I am open to ghostwriting other genres such as a business/finance book. I have a Bachelors in business and have helped briefly with writing a business manual.
KP: Do you have a specific protocol you follow in working with people on ghostwriting their story? If so, please describe.
SF:
#1: Maintain a great rapport with the clients especially on a memoir. My clients are warm, engaging and understanding, so I was comfortable interacting with them, asking them probing questions, and offering various suggestions. Since they were engaging and transparent, it was easy to capture their values and personalities which I consider important to grasp for a memoir.
#2: Maintain professionalism. I was diligent to be on time, if not early to meetings, made deadlines, researched facts, studies or other helpful information for the book and handled the business aspects such as writing a contract and providing receipts for their payments.
#3: Maintain their privacy: Many things the clients share were confidential; therefore, it’s important to respect their information and not share it with anyone.
KP: What are the pros and cons of being a ghostwriter from your point-of–view?
SF: Pros:
- Fun experience: I’ve enjoyed this process especially meeting with the clients. They are an amazing couple, and I’ve gleaned much from their wisdom and knowledge. I have gained a friendship as well.
- New adventure. You discover another person’s world and get to “travel” through time to learn their story. While memoirs are traveling through your own experiences, here you get the opportunity to explore someone else’s world.
- Sharpens your skills: I have grown as a writer through this experience especially my editing skills. And I’ve learned to be a director and visionary. I had to see beyond the written page, and come up with creative ways the clients can communicate to the readers, and as director, I suggested going in a certain direction with their stories or adding a certain story in a different chapter.
- I’ve had to sharpen my communication skills, especially listening. I am learning the how to not only hear what they are sharing, listen for the inside story, things not so obvious. Perhaps listen for their motivations, their passions. Hear their ‘why’. Then translate their heart and spirit in their stories.
- It’s a paid job. Unlike writing your own book, you have guaranteed payment. Whether the book is a best seller or not, you are still paid.
- Builds your resume. Joe Bunting from Story Cartel says that your writing is your resume. You never know what other doors will open because of this work.
Cons:
You’re not the author of the project. You can’t decide the direction of the book. You can’t add your own voice, for you must be invisible. Even if you have a wider vocabulary, you can’t utilize it at the expense of losing the author’s voice. I’ve replaced words to get efficiency, but knew that the author had either used that word before or familiar with the word.
You don’t dictate the schedule. (This might not necessarily be a “con”, depending on your tolerance for flexibility.) You’re working alongside the clients and their schedule. If a meeting is canceled, then you have to work around discussing items that you had planned to cover in that meeting. You may have completed all your revisions, but need to wait on the clients to read and accept them before continuing the next step. Or you may have to speed up to meet the client’s schedule. Again, you’re not the driver of the project.
KP: What recommendations do you have for people who may be interested in becoming a ghost writer?
SF: Study how to ghostwrite. I read two books and some articles about ghostwriting before I started working on their project. You may either write the contract or the client may present you with a contract. You need to be prepared for either scenario.
Ask yourself if you can enjoy being the facilitator of the project instead of the author. The clients are the authors who decide the content, direction and voice of the book. You help the authors not only write the words on the page, but clarify, edit and polish. You’re working behind the scenes to get the work ready for the public. And then after it’s released, you may not receive any public acknowledgement.
If you enjoy learning new stories, experiencing new challenges as a writer and working with others, then I suggest this type of work.
This is a fascinating interview Kathy. Being a ghost-writer seems like the ultimate “sacrifice”. Or perhaps I’m just selfishly egotistical.
I do have one question for Sarah. Does writing someone else’s story and channelling their voice affect how you write your own story?
Waiting to hear.
Hi Audrey, Thanks so much for stopping by. I agree, Sarah has done a wonderful job of showing us all what it means to be a ghostwriter. You pose a very interesting question and I look forward to Sarah’s response. I appreciate your support and interest. Best wishes, Kathy
Audrey,
Excellent question, for I’m realizing I have learned something I didn’t consider until you asked. Perhaps I need to use my GW skills of discovering another’s voice and maintaining that voice throughout the story to my own work. Are my characters’ voices accurately portrayed or do I insert my own voice? This is an area to explore and practice.
Thanks for the question Audrey.
Thanks, Sarah and Kathy for sharing. This was very interesting. I agree with Audrey, I think it’s amazingly generous to be a ghost writer. There’s all that satisfaction of a job well done and no one to share it with 🙁
I am currently interviewing my uncle for a family history, and was wondering what the differences were between interviewing for your story and interviewing for their story? Are there differences? Or if it’s ghostwriting, do they just speak and you only ask for clarifications?
Welcome, Mirel! I appreciate your insightful questions for Sarah. Although I never considered hiring anyone else to tell my story, I find it very interesting to hear about Sarah’s experience as a ghostwriter. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Mirel,
You’re welcome. Yes, differences exists because as the ghostwriter, you interview to discover the story, its purpose, and its characters. You’re gathering information from the outside to get it inside (trust me, you work with the material so much that it becomes your story too.) While interviewing for your own work is gathering information from inside of your heart, mind etc and getting it out. You ask yourself questions to trigger memories, emotions, etc.
Ghostwriting requires more than just listening and clarifying, it’s interactive listening because you have to discover their voices, purpose and “read between the lines”.
Sometimes you’re a director, offering suggestions for improving the work, triggering their memories and emotions, and help maintaining the direction, flow and purpose of the work. It’s very “hands-on”. Trust me, you became “married” to the work; it’s not impersonal especially with a memoir.
Well, I don’t think ghostwriting would be my cup of tea, but it seems you’ve found someone in Sarah who enjoys it. I imagine it would be nice knowing you’ll be paid, regardless of whether the book is a success — or even sells. But it would be terribly hard working to uncover my voice, then having to write in someone else’s!!
Kathy, thanks for another interesting interview!
You’re welcome, Debbie. I agree, ghostwriting is not for me either as capturing someone else’s voice would be the biggest issue but Sarah seems to have found a way that works for her. I’m happy you enjoyed the interview. Thanks, as always for joining in the conversation.
“Ghostwriting is more editing than writing” is so true! I ghostwrite other memoirs, working with the subject’s words, not mine. I just put them into order and make sure everything makes sense, inserting a phrase or sentence or historical context as needed. We can be like book coaches helping to finding the overall message, finding good endings to chapters. We are like actors, getting into the skin of the subject so whatever we need to add is in character (and approved by the subject). The greatest compliment, besides great story, is when people who know the subject says they can hear him/her speaking.
Linda, What an enlightening description to add to Sarah’s of what it means to be a ghostwriter of a memoir. You and Sarah should definitely connect as you share a mutual passion for helping others get their stories out into the world. Thank you so much, as always, for stopping by and sharing your insights and experiences with us.
Linda,
Thanks for “adding” to the post 🙂 Yes, a “book coach” and “actor” are great job descriptions. Sounds like you enjoying ghostwriting too 🙂
Yes, I agree that is the greatest compliment that you heard their voice and translated that on the page.
I would enjoy hearing about your experiences, hear your tips, and learn more information from you too 🙂
This is very interesting, though definitely not for me. I don’t think the voice of my memoir would have worked if written with a ghost writing. I couldn’t have turned my story over to someone else no matter how well we got to know each other.
I did have people who knew me very well help with editing; however, so I like the idea that a ghost writer is really an editor.
I did co-write a non fiction book with someone, but since it was non fiction, the voice wasn’t as important. I think ghost writing would better lend itself to that.
I appreciate you sharing your perspective on ghostwriting , Madeline. I agree, it is not for everyone. But it seems to be a viable option for those who feel they need help writing the story and for those ,like Sarah and Linda who feel passionate about helping others get their stories out into the world. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting.
Kathy and Sarah, thanks for an excellent interview giving the look inside a ghostwriter’s work. As others have said, it doesn’t appeal to me on the surface but, on the other hand, if asked I think I could handle the assignment well considering I did a lot of independent writing during my life before retirement.
Sarah, I applaud you for what you’re doing. Some are not as comfortable with writing as others, and you indeed are rendering a welcome service to them.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Sherrey. I’m happy you enjoyed the interview. I agree,Sarah has enlightened us on the challenges and rewards of ghostwriting. It’s interesting that you find yourself thinking about your own potential as a ghost writer. I find myself wondering the same thing. Should the opportunity present itself, I may give it consideration based on Sarah’s interview and Linda’s comments about helping others share their stories. However, I can’t imagine turning my own memoir over to some one else to write. It takes so long to find one’s voice and once you do, you want to hang on for dear life! 🙂 As always,I appreciate you stopping by and joining in the conversation.
Sherrey,
Glad you enjoyed the interview.
Yes, I am thankful for the clients who require the service due to a lack of time or lack of experience (sometimes both). I am learning that writing is a valuable craft 🙂
Very interesting post, Sarah. Ghost writing is something I’ve considered, though I have so many book ideas of my own it may be a good long while before I get to it! Would you share the titles of books you found helpful on the subject? And do these books address fair compensation for ghost writing? Thanks!
Hi Carol, Thanks for stopping by. I’m going to jump in here and refer you to Andrew Crofts (link in post after the quote) as a ghostwriter resource. I’m sure Sarah has more to share on this as well.
Carol,
It’s not easy finding “how-to ghostwrite” books, but I found one at my local library: Ghostwriting for Fun and Profit by Eva Shaw. PH.D. is an excellent resource that covers the topic well including compensation.
http://www.ghostwritepro.com is a decent website covering this topic too.
http://www.ghostwritepro.com/ghostwriting/taking-the-mystery-out-of-pricing -(Same site discusses setting up your prices.)
I also read memoirs written with a ghostwriter such as Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years because this features two voices contributing, and in my project, I have a husband and wife.
Hopefully these resources help. Thanks for sharing, and if you do ghostwrite, enjoy it. It’s an adventure.
I submitted my comment in the beginning e-mail.
I do thank you, Sarah for the info you offer. I am almost finished with a memoir for someone else, and can use all the help available! I am a published author, but never have been a ghostwriter. You have been SO helpful! Thanks again
Dear Rosemary, Welcome to Memoir Writer’s Journey. I’m so happy Sarah’s post has been helpful to you. I checked out your website. Your memoir, co- authored with two other authors ,Three Brown-Eyed Girls sounds fascinating. Thank you for stopping by and best wishes to you with your memoir. I hope you’ll stop again and keep us posted on how your memoir is doing.
Rosemary,
Thank you for the encouragement. Glad the post helped you. I am still learning the process myself, so I can understand your sentiment. Sometimes, it can be a more scrutinizing process than writing for yourself because not only are you responsible to polish, edit and help produce an excellent product, you became emotionally invested. You may not author the memoir, but you embrace it as your “own” in a way.
(I’m sure you understand that 🙂 ) Let me know more about your project so we can swap tips. I am always up to learning!
Hi Kathy, Sarah. As usual, this is another interesting perspective on memoir writing and enjoyable to read. We all have our tastes and preferences in our creative process, but we’re all ghostwriters in some sense of the word. If we’re writing our own memoir, we do have to go into the stories of those around us, sometimes “eavesdrop” on conversations they may have had with others we weren’t there to hear. In fiction, it’s ghostwriting the stories of people who never existed. I’d be terrified to ghostwrite, Sarah, and admire your gumption for helping someone else get their story out there. But I can also see where it might be something I should consider in the future to broaden my experience as a writer.
Thank you for sharing your insight and experience. It’s been a unique opportunity.
Nice to see you here, Cyd! You bring up an interesting point about how we all use ghostwriting skills as we weave in the stories of others who have impacted us in some way. I agree, Sarah has done a fine job of illuminating the role of the ghostwriter. Thanks, as always for chiming in with your insightful ideas and thoughts.
Cyd,
You’re welcome, glad you enjoyed the post.
Yes, we do ghostwrite in our own works, so you have many necessary tools as a writer. As a writer, it’s fun to tap into a creative vein of organizing, editing and polishing a work, and that’s the beauty of ghostwriting.
The major difference with ghostwriting is you’re switching from the driver seat to the passenger seat, but sometimes that is a good thing 🙂
Like Madeline, I would find it difficult to ghostwrite. I think of interior decorators and how I could not decorate a person’s home if I didn’t care for their style. I guess that’s why I’m not a ghostwriter or an interior decorator. Thanks for sharing this informative article on Sarah.
Interior decorator. What a perfect analogy of ghostwriting, Sonia! It makes a lot of sense and helps me understand the intricacies of ghostwriting. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your colorful perspective. I’m happy you enjoyed Sarah’s post.
Sonia,
You are welcome. Yes, ghostwriting isn’t for everyone, but you’d be surprised how the client does make a difference. As I mentioned in the post, I have a great rapport with my clients; thus, it’s not difficult to help them even if their style is different than mine.
I enjoy organizing, editing and creating so I focus on that aspect 🙂
This is such an exciting post, thank you both, Kathy and Sarah. I absolutely want to get into ghostwriting. My first client has been lined up for a while – he chose me, so exciting! – and he’s finally received security clearance, so it might be ‘all systems go’ soon. I might ‘knock on your door’ for more advice, Sarah, though I’ve got a good idea of how to go about it.
Belinda, I admire anyone who takes on the challenge of ghostwriting someone else’s story. I’m so glad Sarah’s post resonated with you. Best wishes on your ghostwriting venture. I hope you and Sarah will connect. Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
Belinda,
Glad you enjoyed the post. How exciting for you! Yes, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Enjoy the adventure 🙂
Very interesting interview. I would love to ghostwrite someday.
Thanks for stopping by Grace. Sarah has much to share about her own ghostwriting experience to help anyone who is interested in doing this themselves. Good luck!
Grace,
Glad you found the interview interesting 🙂 Yes, it’s fun and adventurous job! Are you currently writing a memoir or different work?