Ghostwriters Central: About us & FAQ.

About Us

Partners Michael McKown and Eric Shapiro teamed up in late 2002. Since Ghostwriters Central’s inception thereafter, the company has fulfilled the writing needs of an endless assortment of clients, from high-profile figures to new authors.

Every project undertaken by Ghostwriters Central, from a one-page document to a 300-page manuscript, is handled with the utmost care. We always deliver clients' projects with excitement, secure in the knowledge that we have devoted great effort to the cause.

Ghostwriters Central sets itself apart from its competitors in two major ways:

1) We're the most down-to-earth ghostwriting service we know of. Whereas many of our competitors approach their work with an air of entitlement, we pride ourselves on keeping things simple, open, good-humored, and fun. Indeed, we attribute a good part of our success to our attitude. People hire Ghostwriters Central again and again because we operate with 0% nonsense and 100% accessibility and professionalism.

2) Our pricing has been designed with full awareness of the client's needs. Our affordable rates reflect the fact that whether you're hiring us to write a book, a screenplay, a speech, a business plan, a resume, or what have you, we fully acknowledge that you're at the beginning of a long and involved process (i.e., getting published, getting a movie produced, delivering a speech, starting a business, finding a job, etc.), and we have no intention of using that to our advantage. In fact, we recommend that you beware of ghostwriting companies that attempt to inflate the value of their work via grossly inflated prices.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) What is a ghostwriter?

In brief, a ghostwriter is a professional writer who composes text on behalf of other people without taking credit for it. Oftentimes, as in the case of Ghostwriters Central, ghostwriters work for a fixed fee, and do not share in the profits of the works they compose.

2) How does one work with a ghostwriter?

Check out our video, titled "How An Author Works With A Ghostwriter."

This short video displays some of the ways in which clients and ghostwriters work together. In general, the client provides the ghostwriter with detailed notes (handwritten, keyboarded, or in audio form) which the ghostwriter uses to furnish the needed text. You give us the content; we give you the form.

3) But don't ghostwriters ever feel deserving of credit?

Professional ghostwriters do not, because again, the content is yours; we're here to execute it. Substance is everything. (Though on occasion, as you see in bookstores, ghostwriters do *share* credit with authors. Authors are also known to include ghostwriters in their acknowledgements. Ghostwriters Central has no requirements for receiving credit; we almost always remain anonymous.)

4) Supposing I don't like the work you do?

This is a very common concern, because the work we do is subject to each client's taste, judgment, and opinions. We work to ensure success in two ways: (a) Prior to writing a single word of any project, we communicate with you about your desired tone, style, and wording, and (b) when possible, we show you a sampling of the work product before it is completely drafted, so we know we're headed in the right direction. In general, strong communication is the key to ensuring customer satisfaction, and our company's satisfaction rate is very high. Moreover, in rare occurrences when a draft does not work for a client, editing can produce the desired result.

5) I've never worked with a ghostwriter before; can you walk me through each step?

Many of our clients have never done anything like this before, and we're always more than happy to keep the process grounded, accessible, and understandable. Moreover, writing projects can be emotional, and your comfort is of the utmost importance to us.

6) How do I know the work won't be plagiarized?

As much as we value words, at Ghostwriters Central, the "p-word" makes us shake our heads. Accordingly, when needed, we employ a powerful computer program to scan our work products for plagiarism. Since we are well aware of the serious consequences of plagiarism, our document scanning is done as a precaution, not as a necessity. In the event that our system identifies plagiarism, all offending material is deleted, replaced, or properly referenced prior to delivery. We take plagiarism very seriously, and make every effort to ensure the originality of the work we do for our clients.

7) My book/screenplay idea is really hot. Will you waive your fee and participate in the back-end?

No. This reply is not a judgment of any client's concept, but a reflection of our business model: We work strictly on a service basis, and are without the time or willingness to work at-risk. We are a writing/editing firm with a slate of projects which often take months to complete. We cannot devote perhaps several hundred hours to a project without receiving compensation.

8) Will you assist me in getting my completed project out to the marketplace?

Our company's core commitment is to providing extraordinary writing and editing. As is stated on every page of our website, we do not offer publishing, talent management, or career guidance to our clients. Prior or simultaneous to hiring a ghostwriter, one is advised to develop a marketing strategy and establish marketing allies. Our clients who have had commercial success have invariably benefited from the expertise of assorted professionals outside of our company, from publishers to publicists to talent agents to entertainment attorneys. It is unwise to mistake an excellent piece of writing for an instant-access pass to commercial gain. The marketplace is highly competitive and risky, and should be approached as such.

9) How will my project be delivered to me?

Via email, in .doc and/or PDF format.

10) Do you ever refuse any projects?

We do not work on (1) homework assignments, (2) medical ghostwriting projects, (3) material that is hateful, amoral, or degrading, (4) projects in which the client has no notes, concrete ideas, or content, and (5) projects where the client desires to rewrite preexisting published content in which he or she holds no intellectual property rights.

11) How can I be sure that a ghostwriter won't run off with my material and publish it under his or her own name?

To protect your work:

(1) Visit http://www.wgawregistry.org/webrss/ and click on “Register your Work Online.” The rest should be self-explanatory. You will be prompted to upload any descriptive files (notes, summary, manuscript, etc.) to the WGA website. It will cost $20 for them to preserve a five-year record of your authorship (and a renewal notice will be sent to you when the term runs out). Our firm isn't affiliated with the WGA in any way, and this advisement is not an advertisement.

(2) And for the best available information on copyrighting, please visit the following link: http://www.copyright.gov/.

12) What does Ghostwriters Central love more than anything?

Excellent work and happy clients!

"Above all else...be understood!"

Experienced professional writers available on a wide variety of subjects
for books, screenplays, speeches, etc. We can handle it.

Ghostwriter Central
Michael McKown/Editor
E-mail us today:

888-743-9939 toll free
818-433-4050 local
Text only: 747-333-8660
10-6 West Coast Time

On Hatteras Street in
Tarzana, CA 91356

WE ARE PLEASED TO SIGN NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS
TO PROTECT YOUR VALUABLE INFORMATION.

We work strictly as a writing and editing company, and strictly on a service basis. We offer no publishing, talent agency, talent management, talent referral, or talent counseling/training/listing services. We never do any writing or editing work for deferred pay or royalties. Please see our rates for more detail.