What is ghostwriting?

The obvious answer is: when one person helps another person write something incognito. This includes anything from an essay, to an editorial, a speech, or an entire book written for and with someone else without benefit of credits. 

In my case, and for the purposes of my website: http://www.theghostwriter.net and for this blog: ghostwriting is all about writing books--memoirs, business books or even novels. 

I won’t get into the reasons people want or need help writing because those of you who do, know who you are, and why you need help. Instead, I want to focus in this first blog on what ghostwriting really is! 

I would start by asking: If you are considering hiring a ghostwriter, how can you insure the “relationship” will be a success, that you will be able to control the content, that you will get your money’s worth, that you will enjoy the process and the “collaboration,” and end up with a high quality, marketable end product—a book people will want to buy and read?

Ghostwriting is a relationship between two people that is not taught at any college, university or trade school. It is both a business and a personal relationship. There are no ghostwriting classes on how to help another person bring his or her story, goals and dreams to fruition. Usually, someone like myself who ghosts, comes to the profession from other experiences. I started in advertising and ran an agency for 25 years before accidentally becoming a ghost.After I sold that business, I wrote a best seller on my own, which led me to the world of publishing and eventually, I began to try my hand at ghostwriting.

From that first ghostwritten book, a memoir, I taught myself the human relations, behaviors, interview skills, business and marketing expertise and yes, a much higher writing competence to enable me to help more than 40 individuals to write their stories and to help them bring those stories to market in the form of books. (To date.)

When you decide you want and need help writing your life story, business book or any other kind of book, in today’s world, you either know someone who knows a ghost to refer, or you rely on Google to search for that person. That is where the adventure begins and soon thereafter, it is where the relationship starts.

An excellent ghostwriting relationship is a marvel of human interactions. You have a story in your mind but have no viable way to get it on paper, let alone in book form. You probably also have no idea how to get it published and then promoted. 

A ghostwriter, who is about to help you do this, has no idea what the story is, what it entails, what the point is, or what you want to do with it, until you sit down and talk to each other. He or she knows very little about your personality, if you’ll be easy or difficult to work with, how you’ll respond to in depth interviews and probing or anything else about you for that matter. And, of course, you know little about the ghost other than what his or her marketing materials and web site offer—the persona and expertise he presents to the world, which of course, is advertising.

All of this lack of information flows both ways. The only way to begin—is to begin. Before you start to tell your story, you must be 100% positive that you are going to be able to work with this individual for the next four months to a year on an on-going basis monthly or weekly or even daily. And that doesn’t just mean in a business sense, it means in a personal sense. In the case of memoirs or life stories, you are getting ready to bare your soul to some extent to a stranger. That’s about as personal as a business relationship gets. Many times, a ghostwriter will wear several hats during the relationship and work. A ghostwriter is part confidant, part writer, part counsel, friend and business partner, but most importantly, a guide. It is a symbiotic relationship and it is unique in the world of commerce. The ghostwriter does the heavy lifting of recreating your voice, developing a sellable style, recreating scenes, characters, emotions and all the rest of what constitutes a well written book, and you provide the content.

Business books aren’t as personal, nor are novels, but many of the same dynamics apply. For my clients that has always started with a phone call, an introductory conversation about who I am and what I bring to the table, what my qualifications are, my experience and just about anything else they needed to know. 

That same conversation also entails you telling me what you want to achieve, what your story is about, some of your own background, where you live, how and where we will meet that works with your schedule and geography? In short an initial “get to know one another” conversation. 

 It has been my experience these last 25 years, that you, the potential client can glean a great deal from this one conversation. In addition to the general foundation of your needs and my experience and talents, you’ll get a good feel for what type of person I am. And therein is the most powerful take-away from the first conversation: “Do I like this guy? Can we work together smoothly?” There is nothing more insidious than being stuck in a relationship with someone you don’t like, who doesn’t communicate clearly, doesn’t understand your needs, and doesn’t give you some joy and satisfaction every day you work together.

So, the beginning is straight forward and simple. The next step is to meet in person. That can be in your office, home, my office or a neutral venue anywhere in the world.

This article will be continued in tomorrow’s blog.

Be sure to post your comments or questions, or visit my website at: http://www.theghostwriter.net