Ghostwriters
Central: Information
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?
Ninety-nine percent 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) Do you think my book/screenplay has a good chance of being
published/produced?
Our happiest clients approach the ghostwriting process with the mindset
that you never know unless you try. We go into every project with a positive
mindset, knowing that quality writing gives our clients a leg up against
the competition. With this in mind, we deem it unethical to give guarantees,
because like everything in life, creative projects draw varied results.
Which is not to say we don't see our clients experiencing success on a
frequent basis, because we do.
9) 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/.
10) 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
10-6 West Coast
Time
18645 Hatteras
St., #401
Tarzana, CA 91356
WE ARE PLEASED
TO SIGN NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS
TO PROTECT YOUR VALUABLE INFORMATION.
We work strictly
on a service basis. We never do work for deferred pay or royalties.
Please see our rates for more detail.