What does a ghostwriter do?
Many people ask themselves: What are ghostwriters? A ghostwriter is an author that writes texts in the name of somebody else. Ghostwriters are getting more and more popular, as many people lack time or skills to create appealing content. Ghostwriters are being hired for writing scientific articles, speeches or even larger literary works such as autobiographies.
Hiring a Ghostwriter is totally legal. Usually a ghostwriter signs a contract with the client in which all the details of the project are defined. In most of the cases these contracts contain a transfer of copyright to the client and an agreement of the writer to stay anonymous. Nowadays ghostwriters are widely accepted.
Why do people use ghostwriters?
It is a known fact that clients of ghostwriters are often experts in their niche – but not with writing. Some also like the time to write. Hiring a ghostwriter is a great solution in such conditions. There are plenty of examples of celebrities or high performance managers who hire ghostwriters to write their memoirs. But also politicians make use of ghostwriters regularly, as they lack the time to prepare their speeches. Another group that is hiring ghostwriters are scientists. In order to publish the results of a research a paper has to be issued. In many cases those scientists want to rely on the eloquence of an experienced ghostwriter to make their paper more readable.
Tasks of a ghost writer
Being a ghost writer requires several important skills. One of them is doing extensive research. Ghostwriters of scientific papers need to have a certain knowledge on the topic they write about. If they don't, they will have to do the research to perfectly match the requirements of the contents they need to provide. Also scientific papers have important requirements such as correct quotations that need to be applied.
Writers that are writing autobiographies need to have great interview skills, to find out as much as possible about their clients. It is important to understand the story of a person in detail, but also to find out more about the intentions and overall tone of the text. Matching the clients expectations makes extensive conversations and interviews with the contractor essential.
And most of all they need to have an adapted style that allows them to copy the style of the person they are writing for. A professional ghostwriter is able to adapt in such a way. The style is highly dependent on the clients profession and milieu. For example, an actor's autobiography has to be written very differently than the one of a professional football player.
How do you become a ghostwriter?
To become a ghostwriter, some specific skills can be a big help to have a great start in this business. You should already be experienced with writing and have a certain talent for it. If you have already been working as a journalist or even published books before, that is a great advantage for getting started. With a great portfolio you are definitely a step closer to becoming a ghostwriter. Starting from scratch, another challenge might be finding your first client. Nowadays the easiest way to find your clients is via the internet. Building your own website advertising your capabilities of being a professional ghostwriter is definitely beneficial for attracting clients. An alternative to that is working for a ghostwriting agency that will assign projects to you in exchange for a commission fee.
How much does a ghostwriter job cost?
Just like it is with other experts, also with ghostwriters you will get what you pay for. While it is possible to hire ghostwriters for relatively low prices you should be aware of the fact that you might be working with a beginner. High quality workers though will have their price as well. Comparing numbers we found prices for hiring ghostwriters at agencies starting from 40,- Euros to per page up to 80 Euros per page for scientific writing. When it comes to biographies, the prices depend very much on the skills of the writer, as well as his reputation. Renowned writers who also published in the name of celebrities are hired for six figure salaries.
How do I find a ghostwriter?
If you want to hire a ghostwriter, it is recommended to search for a professional that is familiar with the niche of the content you need. This especially applies for scientific publications but also for other genres such as biographies or speeches. Imagine, a writer that has an expertise on economics should write a speech for a green party politician. It just doesn’t#039;t makes a lot of sense.
The best way to find a ghost writer is using search engines and checking out profiles of professional writers which fit your requirements. You may contact them to receive examples of their work. If you want to make sure to have a solid contract and maintain anonymity, the best decision could be to hire a ghostwriter via an agency that you can find from various sources, such as Ghostwriting Erfahrungen. Agencies make sure that you never even find out about the name of the writer and vice versa.
Working with an agency not only ensures a high probability of anonymity, but also helps to avoid plagiarism. That is because agencies will check on the works of their writers before they deliver.
Vivid examples of ghostwriting
There have been a large number of very successful ghostwriting projects. Famous politics such as John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush or Barack Obama relied on their skills. But also famous sportsmen released biographies written by ghostwriters, such as for example Andre Agassi or David Beckham.
There are also several examples of great autobiographies by other celebrities such as Heidi Klum who was working with Alexandra Postman or other great examples amongst people who hired ghost writers for their books:
- Elton John
- Gwyneth Paltrow
- Lionel Richie
- Michelle Obama
- Pamela Anderson
Pros and Cons
Working with a Ghostwriter can be a very helpful and efficient way to reach your goals when it comes to delivering all kinds of publications. However, if you are hiring a ghostwriter, there are some risks you need to be aware of. These are the pros and cons of working with a ghostwriter:
- it saves you a lot of time
- you’re guaranteed to receive great quality text
- you can influence a project with frequent communication to any degree
- you can really on skills of a professional
- quality has its price
- there is a certain risk a ghostwriter can harm your reputation
- you might have a bad conscience by letting somebody else write in your name
Overall, ghostwriters are in high demand. not everyone has the skills of writing, or time to work on a large text. Ghostwriters are an easy way to work around that. A highly skilled ghostwriter can be a great solution for providing text of excellent quality, if you are willing to pay the price. For skilled writers ghostwriting is a great opportunity to monetize your passion.
