Ghostwriting

Question of the day: Could you talk a little more about ghostwriting on your blog? I know that is how you got your start. I have an opportunity to ghostwrite a book. I assume it won't pay well and the famous author will be hard to work with. I also assume I can't say right out that I wrote the new book or take much credit for it. But I also think it would expose me to parts of the industry that I dont know yet. Plus it is a topic I am very passionate about and am well versed in.

This is one instance where I think it's very beneficial to have an agent. Because there are a few things that are likely negotiable in your above scenario that an agent may be able to advocate for. In absence of an agent, I suggest that you advocate for yourself. There is no harm in asking (and in fact, I WOULD ask) if you can have a co-author credit, and as always, you certainly should feel free to negotiate the fee. 

I was talking with a writer friend recently, and we were discussing how firm our respective husbands are when it comes to business. I mean, there's no hesitation, there are no personal feelings involved. They bring their business to the table, they negotiate, and then they walk away from the table. It's already been well-documented through various studies that women are often less aggressive in negotiation, and ideally, this is where you get your agent to be the aggressor. But without one, I really do think that you can and should advocate for yourself.

All of that aside, if you're interested in the project and you're prepared for what you think will be headaches, AND you're okay with the terms they're offering, then by all means, I would take it. Actually, I'll amend that slightly: some ghosting situations are NOT worth taking - after I wrote my initial ghosted-book, I turned down a few other offers. For me, that specific situation was what I needed to do to get my foot in the publishing door. Though the situation was a TOTAL nightmare, and I truly look back with very few positive memories, I can say, with total assuredness, that it 100% helped me crack the magazine world. And so, for that, for me, it was all worth it. 

I don't know that every ghosting situation opens up doors, but if you're relatively new to publishing, certainly, I think having written a book can help. At this stage, you want to build your clips, impressive clips, and even as a ghost, you're doing so. (As long as you can publicly disclose that you were the ghostwriter.) Like many things in life (and in this business), you need to weigh the positives and negatives, and decide what you can live with and what's worth it to you. 

Has anyone out there ever ghost-written a project? How did it go? What would you recommend to our reader?

Comments

[Kristan]

I have not ghostwritten anything, but I'm wondering, even if this writer can't PUBLICLY say they ghost-wrote the book, wouldn't it be acceptable to mention it in a query or pitch letter? Kind of like how a graphic designer can't claim work they did at a firm, but they can use it in their portfolio when they're applying to other jobs? In both cases it might be technically against the rules (or might not, I don't even know) but at least for the latter example, it's done all the time because the situation isn't really public.