Put simply, ghostwriters enable authors to tell their stories. We can help an author at just about any stage of the writing process – from helping to shape and develop an idea or a plot, to writing the entire manuscript according to the author’s brief.
A Bit of History
For a long time, ghostwriters were perceived as being publishing’s dirty secret – as if the idea of helping people tell their story was somehow wrong. But now, we are seen – rightly – as integral to the whole publishing industry. In fact, it’s almost universally acknowledged that without ghostwriters, the industry would not function anyway close to its current level.
And our presence in the shadows isn’t a recent development – just because the celebrity memoir has weighed down the bookshelves over the past few decades, doesn’t mean that people helping others tell their stories is a new practice. Alexandre Dumas famously employed a ghost to write ‘The Man In the Iron Mask’, while H.P. Lovecraft, the famous horror writer, ghosted a book for Houdini called ‘Imprisoned with the Pharaohs’. And although Robert Ludlum died in 2001, he kept ‘writing’ best-selling Jason Bourne novels until 2017 – aided 100% by the still-alive Eric van Lustbader.
So what do we do that makes us such an essential part of the creative process?
Perhaps the best known role the ghost can play is in the celebrity memoir – interviewing the author, pushing gently for stories, insights, observations and reflections and making a coherent, compelling, entertaining read from the celebrity’s life.
But there are many other ‘definitions’ of the ghostwriter’s role. We can be drafted in to help structure a book (either a novel or a work of non-fiction), we can write the book proposal, we can be the book doctor (where a manuscript has been delivered but the author hasn’t hit the right level for the publisher), we can write individual chapters, and we can mentor an author through the writing process.
The requests for our services might come from the publisher who feels their author needs help or it might be from the author who recognises they either do not have the time or the skill or both to write their book.
The reason that the role of the ghost is so flexible is precisely because we know what it takes to write a best-selling book and can turn our hand to fix any aspects that are in need of attention.
How to work with a ghostwriter
Working with a ghostwriter can be an invaluable experience for authors of all kinds. Ghostwriters offer their expertise in writing, research, and storytelling to create a written work that meets their client’s unique vision and goals. A ghostwriter can help an author save time while also ensuring that their written work is polished, professional, and engaging. For non-fiction authors, ghostwriters can help provide valuable research and insights that take their work to the next level. For fiction authors, ghostwriters can offer advice on plot, character development, and pacing.
Contact me for more information
If you’d like to find out more about how to find the right ghostwriter for you, I’ve written about the process here.
Whether you are looking to write a memoir, a self-help guide, or your long-dreamed of novel, a skilled ghostwriter can be instrumental in accomplishing your literary ambitions. If you’d like to have a friendly conversation, entirely commitment-free, about how I may be able to help you, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line using the contact form on this website. Alternatively, you can reach me via email at professionalghostwritereditor@gmail.com.