Ghosting

 Ghost Writers in Disguise

Richard Scott

Of late you’ve probably heard the term “Ghost Writer” being bandied about, and perhaps you have wondered what, exactly, a ghost writer does, how it is done, and what the benefits of being a ghost writer are.

Before becoming a part-time ghost writer myself, I had these and other questions.

What does it take to become a ghost writer? How much can you make doing it? How do you find ghost writing gigs? And the big one, why in the world would you write salable articles and let someone else get the credit for them? Oh, and is it “ghost writer” or “ghostwriter”.

Let’s work backwards:

• Is it “ghost writer” or “ghostwriter”?
  The term is Ghost Writer, but the back formation Ghostwriter has crept into common usage.

• Why write and give away the rights to your work?
  The big reason is money. You have to eat while you create your magnum opus, right?
  Here are two other good reasons: You can get experience writing, and writing to a deadline, and you can test your work under another person’s name. You can see if what you write will sell.

• Where do you find ghost writing gigs?
  You know what I’m going to say, right? The Internet. Just do a Google search for “Ghost writing jobs” and prepare to be deluged.
  Be ready to show some solid examples of your work. The person who hires you cannot afford to take you at your word.
  Also, keep in mind that the samples you provide should fit the style and need of your client, and yes, this means doing some homework. You need to know what your prospective client is all about.
  By the way, a good many ghosting gigs come from word-of-mouth recommendations. Never leave your client unhappy if you can help it.

• How much can you make by ghost writing?
  I’ve seen everything from a few dollars for an article up to $10,000 for a novel. (More if you’ve got a track record, and you know how to deal.)

• What does it take to become a ghost writer?
  This is the big question. If you really think about it, you can’t just come out and say you’ve ghost written a book for Celebrity A or Politician B. A ghost writer who can’t keep his or her mouth shut won’t get many gigs. So, how do you show your skill? You write. You write, and write, and write, and you put your writing where others can see it.
  Where would that be, you ask? How about a blog? Blogs are easy, they’re quick, and free, and while having an active blog with a lot of daily hits and page-reads is always nice, really all you need is a showcase for your work.

So, there it is in a nutshell. Sure, there’s more to it, plenty more to keep the wheels of your mind turning, but ghost writing is your opportunity to keep writing when your novel is stalled, to bring in some cash when you need enough to get by but don’t want a job that will eat your soul, or if you just want to test-drive your prose out in the real world. Now, that wasn’t so spooky, was it?

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Is Ghost Blogging for You?

Richard Scott

There are a good many ways to make money with your writing skills. One person I know says “if you can’t get published, you’re not trying hard enough.”

I’ve been asked to write about one way I make money at my keyboard. It is a form of Ghost Writing called Ghost Blogging.

Ghost blogging is a potentially lucrative way to both practice your writing skills, and to “test drive” them on a public forum. It is a form of journalism that has certain restrictions, and a number of benefits as well.

Restrictions? If you are writing under another person’s name you must, in most cases, be sure that what you write represents that person’s philosophies. For example, if the person you are “ghosting” for is a known Conservative, writing articles for that person with an extreme Liberal slant may not be appropriate. If the person is well-known, and has an obvious style, you would want to study and do your best to copy that style.

The benefits should be obvious. First you get paid. Paid is good. You also get a chance to see how well your writing does in public, as most blogging platforms allow for the tracking of individual page-reads. You get an idea of how many people have seen your work, and by reading comments left by the them, you can weigh your communicative effectiveness.

How do you get a Ghost Blogging job? You can start by doing Guest Blog spots on popular blogs. You do that by spending time on the target blogs, reading, doing well thought-out, in-depth comments, and building a relationship with the blogger. After trading Guest Blog submissions a few times, and winning the respect of the other blogger, you can suggest that should the need arise, you could step in and write in his place.

Perhaps the easiest way to get a Ghost Blogger gig is to do a Google search for “freelance writing”. You will find a good many Ghost Writing and Ghost Blogging opportunities.

Now comes the tough part. Depending on who you talk to about it, opinions differ wildly about the ethics of Ghost Blogging. You need to weigh your options against your needs, and draw your own conclusions about this. If you decide to take up Ghost Blogging you will need to consider whether or not to tell others what you are doing.

Clearly you can’t put specific Ghost Writing or Ghost Blogging experience on a resume. Doing so would break confidence with your employer. Further, unless you are willing to go toe to toe with those who are against the practice, keeping it to yourself is just a good idea.

At the end of the day the idea of Ghost Blogging is a tough call. A quick search of the Internet will show you people on both sides of the pro/con spectrum, both sides being loud and adamant in their views.

As it is with all life decisions, you get to make up your mind and choose.