Four Myths About Ghostwriting and Ghostwriters
You don't need to be a celebrity to hire a ghostwriter.
Many myths exist around who uses ghostwriters, and how they work. Here are our responses to the four most common myths we hear — to help you navigate your book writing decisions.
Myth #1: Ghostwriters Are for Wealthy Celebrities
When people learn we are ghostwriters, they often ask, “Do you write for rich people or celebrities?”
Yes, we answer. We’ve written for TV personalities and several multimillionaires and even one billionaire. But they make up about 5 percent of our clients. Most authors we work with are middle-class individuals with a supersized story to share.
Our clients come from different walks of life:
Former professional athletes
Psychotherapists/relationship specialists
Medical doctors and scientists
Computer engineers and tech leaders
Entrepreneurs and business executives
Holistic health practitioners and advocates
Realtors
Financial planners
Former prison inmates
Survivors of trauma/abuse
Those recovering from addiction
Chronic or terminal disease sufferers
Educators
Professional musicians
Military personnel
Adoption/reunification advocates
Their common theme isn’t wealth or fame; it’s a willingness to share their stories or ideas to help others.
Myth #2: Ghostwriters of Autobiographies Only Write Vanity Books
A vanity book is an autobiography or memoir written to expound a flattering but unrealistic narrative about the author. If that author walks on water while changing it to wine, you’re probably looking at a vanity book. The “star” of a vanity book seems flawless—almost as if they’re too good to be true—because the book is not designed to reflect reality; its purpose is to inflate the image of the would-be author, like an extended social media post: “Look at me! See how great I am!”
Years ago, we worked with one author who wanted a vanity book instead of an autobiography. When we figured out he didn’t want even the slightest bit of unflattering details, fact-checking, or ugly truths, we had no choice but to grit our teeth, do our best, and honor our commitment.
So yes, a few ghostwriters write “fiction” instead of an accurate autobiography for would-be authors. We are not those writers. We’ve ghostwritten one such book, and that was enough for us. (We do, however, write books that are meant to be fiction. We do add fictitious details to memoirs to enhance the story; after all, no one has perfect recall of every conversation and life experience. And we do write books that include many strengths about the author—especially those designed to enhance the author’s platform.)
Myth #3: All Professional Ghostwriters Are the Same
Ghostwriters are different from doctors, lawyers, financial planners, and therapists, in that no special license exists to write someone’s book. Thus, you’ll find ghostwriters’ professional skills and outcomes range from outstanding to awful. And you’ll find service levels from concierge to scam. (Yes, we’ve heard from too many authors who first hired ghostwriters that failed to deliver to expectations, sometimes atrociously so.)
To find a ghostwriter who is best for you and your project, we recommend two things: one, find someone experienced in your genre, and two, find someone who is a comfortable fit for you and your story.
The saying “jack of all trades, master of none” fits with ghostwriters. Those at the highest skill level can likely write solid books of any genre. However, if you wish to write a business book, find a ghostwriter who has written several books in that space. Do your due diligence regardless of whether you have an idea for an autobiography, a memoir, or a horror, mystery, or self-help book. Read excerpts of their books, if they can share titles. Or ask if they have writing samples. See if the voice differs from story to story.
A ghostwriter must be adept at writing in the voice of the author. If all their writing feels formulaic or like it’s coming from a template, the ghostwriter might be a strong writer but not necessarily a gifted ghostwriter. But if you like their writing and see their skill in crafting different voices, that writer might be a great candidate for your project.
Additionally, find a ghostwriter who is experienced with writing books, not just short-form. These are different animals. A book has a much larger arc or outline to navigate, and the style guides also differ greatly between AP Style (for journalism) and Chicago Manual of Style (for books).
Then there’s the matter of fit. We consider fit to be equally important as experience. The relationship between a ghostwriter and an author is like a three to four-month marriage (albeit without sex or a tax break). Expect to have long interviews, read through multiple revisions, and eventually see a cat or maybe even a child running in the background of a Zoom call.
An author must trust their ghostwriter, and a ghostwriter must build rapport to get the whole story. If you’re writing a memoir or autobiography, find a ghostwriter with whom you can laugh and cry. We’ve done both with our clients; that’s how close it gets! You should feel safe and at ease with this person, like you could tell them anything—because that’s exactly what you’ll be doing. We’ve been invited to weddings, received birth and graduation announcements, and had clients make special trips to visit us in our home. You don’t do that in a casual work relationship.
Myth #4: Ghostwriters Work on Royalties
We can answer this only from our work. We get paid to write books, and the author gets any royalties, credit, awards, etc. While we might be given a shout-out on the acknowledgements page or listed as the book’s editors, the only people who know about our arrangement are those who the author told, unless we’re given permission to share this information.
And we’re good with that! Here’s why (lean back in your seat while we give you some context)….
Many potential clients ask, “Can we do a royalty share, in lieu of a retainer?” Our answer is no. We give 100 percent to every client and book. We charge for our devoted time, expertise, and energy—and we create the best possible book for your situation. Then, it’s up to you. While we will direct you to an amazing book-launch and marketing person we use, we focus on the writing.
There’s a reason why millions of books are in print (one source estimates 129,864,880 books have been published since 1440 when Gutenberg's printing press first started churning) that no one has ever heard of, much less read: marketing. You hardly need to market if your last name is King, Rowling, Winfrey, or Patterson. You’re a known entity, and your books will sell. However, if you’re a first-time, unknown author, you must do the work to get your book into the hands of readers. Without going into the how-to, trust us; it’s work. We can write the most powerful, gripping, engaging story ever, but it’s your job to help others discover you and your book. We don’t do royalty-only arrangements, because after we write your book, we have no control over the steps you may or may not take to launch your book.
So, we’re good with being your invisible partner, charging you for our part of the work. If the book we help craft for you allows you to go on the road as a public speaker netting $15,000 per appearance, wins awards, gets turned into a Netflix series, or gets signed by a movie studio, great! (By the way, our clients have reaped such rewards.) You keep all of that. Sure, we’d love it if you told others about our role to send business our way, but that’s the beauty of the ghostwriting contract: you decide how much to reveal. For our part, we’ll count you as a friend, but we won’t divulge the nature of our relationship.
If you have questions—perhaps myths we haven’t covered here—please reach out for a free consultation. We won’t sell you anything, but we will help you navigate next steps.
