What makes a professional ghostwriter?
By- Michael McKown
A ghostwriter anonymously writes a project on behalf of a client, in that client’s voice, so the job gets done with the wordsmithing skill that a professional writer has. That’s it, in the proverbial nutshell.
Technically, anyone secretly writing on behalf of another person can be called a ghostwriter. By itself, the term “ghostwriter” does not imply exceptional writing or storytelling skills. For example, go to a freelancer website and do a search for ghostwriters and you’ll find hundreds or thousands of listings, all of which extol the creative skills of whomever placed the ad.
Private institutions offer courses in ghostwriting and issue certificates of graduation to those who pass. The point of certification is to assure prospective clients that this person is capable of doing the work. Others point to their degrees in English or communications for the same reason.
I’ve been in the ghostwriting business for over two decades. When someone applies to join my contract writing staff, I want to read their manuscripts, speeches or screenplays. What I’m looking for:
- Skill with American English.
- Storytelling ability.
I’ve been around long enough to know not to equate excellence with a degree or certification. At my company, I look at what the prospective staff writer can actually do. Whether they completed high school or earned a university degree really doesn’t matter.
“Professional,” to me, means the writer acts in a mature and professional manner. Client service comes under that heading. The screening process involves investigation for complaints. Angry clients post gripes. Ghostwriting is a confidential service, so I’m not looking for endorsements, just complaints.
As the head of a well-known ghostwriting company, I am the one ultimately responsible to the client for the writer and his or her work. I am the one accountable. If the delivered work isn’t satisfactory, if it’s not delivered on time, or if there are issues with the writer, the appeal comes to me for resolution.
This is not the case with freelancers. Those writers are independent. There is no supervision or accountability. If you’re unhappy with their work, you can’t appeal it to someone higher up. If the writer cuts off communication, you probably don’t have recourse. If you’re considering hiring a freelance ghostwriter, contemplate the downside.
Professional ghostwriters work through a defined process
The ghostwriting process begins with making contact. Email, text, phone call, a website contact form or a knock on the door. The prospective client and writer will discuss the project in detail. This should qualify as a free consultation.
Whether the project is fiction, non-fiction, autobiographical, technical or even a screenplay, professional ghostwriters invariably begin with an outline. The development of the story and characters over time is an arc and it must be integral to the outline. That structure provides the editorial discipline necessary to tell the story effectively and to avoid wasting time. An experienced ghostwriter will not waste the client’s time, or their own.
Any contract with a ghostwriter should include the terms of drafts and revisions. The client has every right to inspect the writer’s work and require justified changes. At my company, writers are required to implement chapter or script approvals in a staged process. This approach minimizes any need for extensive rewriting at the end. Revisions to the final draft are common and consist of minor adjustments. A revision is not a rewrite. The contract must specify the limit to draft and revisions.
Voice capture and client representation
Ghostwriting is an art. Seldom does a client hand a project to a writer and say, “Just get it done.” Invariably, a client needs to have a project written in that client’s own voice. That client, for whatever reason, wants it to appear that he or she wrote it. Therefore, the writing must capture the client’s voice, their personality, their use of idioms, humor, or even chilling seriousness. The ghostwriter’s art is to extract the nature of expression from client interviews or ordinary conversations. The client can expect to spend time simply conversing; it’s not time wasted. That writer is learning how to “be you.”
A skilled ghostwriter will keep your voice in their head as the writing progresses throughout the process. This is necessary to maintain consistency throughout. This is disciplined writing, not merely facility with language.
Some clients are fully ready with source materials, such as their own written narrative, documents, diaries, and even recordings. Others arrive with the story concept lodged in their heads. You can expect to be interviewed for as long as the writer believes necessary to gather the information needed to expertly write the project. The writer and client must have direct access to each other by phone or video. Communication solely by email or text is not recommended.
Experience across long-form projects
An expert ghostwriter will be able to write your project, whether it be a speech, screenplay or book, with a professional storyteller’s understanding of how to draw the reader in from the first paragraph. Then, to maintain interest as the story evolves.
A professional ghostwriter not only needs to adopt the client’s methods of expression and maintain those throughout the process, but must also act as the book’s buyer, or movie’s viewer, find the portions that interfere with the story arc, and cut.
An experienced writer can judge the work as it develops and flag elements that may require deletion or revision. The development of an editor’s eye, as I call it, can take years. The end result is the ability to detect the unclear, the misstated, the irrelevant, and cut out those pieces with the skill of a surgeon.
Ghostwriters should be proactive. They should use their expertise, knowledge of publishing standards, filmmaking requirements, or speechmaking structure, to improve the odds of success. Problems must be brought to the attention of the client, and the writer needs to explain why they are problems and propose solutions. The goal is to help the client succeed.
Ghostwriters are not merely typists taking dictation. However, if that client just wants someone to type what he or she says without feedback, they should be looking for clerical transcription services instead.
Editorial judgment and professional standards
Audience expectations form the approach to the project. Col. David Hackworth (US Army, Retired) published his memoir in 1989. Titled About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior, opened with a scene that would immediately grab the attention of anyone who served in the military. A North Korean ambush of an American combat unit of which the author was a participant.
It was a moment of graphic violence, anger, death and panic. Ultimately, Hackworth ended up on top of a tank, banging on the hatch with the blunt end of his knife, shouting at its commander to open fire. And that’s where the scene ended. This Navy veteran was breathing hard and my heart was racing.
Military memoir, open with a desperate military scene. Consider who will be interested in the book or movie. An experienced ghostwriter will grasp where the focus should be. With a book, length doesn’t necessarily matter, so long as it maintains interest.
Who would believe children would be willing to read 700-page books about an English wizard named Harry Potter? Author J.K. Rowling did.
Screenwriting is a whole other animal. The format is different and the “language” of film and TV is visual. Screenwriters also face production constraints, such as budgets and theatrical run times. Screenplays need to meet structural requirements in order to be considered. Unlike with a manuscript, when a screenplay is sold, the author loses control altogether.
Confidentiality, ethics, and accountability
Two common concerns of clients are ownership of the finished work, and the possibility of theft. The client, by federal law, is the copyright owner of the project written as a “work for hire.” Regarding theft, you cannot copyright an idea, only the expression of the idea, such as the manuscript or screenplay. No reputable ghostwriter will steal a client’s work. If such an accusation is made, however, the courts will adjudicate accordingly.
A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) binds the ghostwriter to silence about the project and the client.
Failure to disclose a ghostwriter can become unethical if it misleads the public about the expertise or creative capability of the client. Ghostwriters must not fabricate, exaggerate or falsify information to enhance the credentials or reputation of the client. The client must collaborate with the writer to claim “ownership” of the final work.
Ethical and honest behavior on the part of the ghostwriter assures their long-term reputation.
Collaboration over automation or freelance models
When the client hands the ghostwriter a project, such as marketing or brochure text, and says “I need it in a week”…that’s outsourcing. When the client hands you a memoir project in which that client will participate…that’s collaboration.
AI chatbots can write, but long-form projects like screenplays and books can be problematic. Imagine throwing hundreds or thousands of prompts at a chatbot to write a story. Not only must the narrative make sense, it also needs to match the voice of the client. The chatbot won’t engage in verbal conversations to understand the voice. And the chatbot may well not have a critical editor’s eye, knowing what to cut to improve flow.
Freelance writers, content mills and AI-assisted writers that produce X number of words for X number of dollars is transactional writing. That sort of writing is highly unlikely to be published or bought by a film or TV studio. Transactional writing means the client paid for a certain number of words, and received those words. Transactional writing is structured differently from collaborative ghostwriting engagements.
High-level ghostwriting services are built around collaboration rather than content production.
And now, in summary…
Long-form collaboration remains a fundamentally human process. The downside: The client can expect to pay for the service.
“Professional” means more than the client paying someone for the service. That word describes a skill set (writing), acute listening skills, perception and insight to your nature and mannerisms, and a willingness to work with you to achieve your goal.
A pro ghostwriter brings knowledge acquired over years of experience to bear on your project. They know how to avoid literary minefields, they know what works, and they have a bulletproof set of ethics that keep that writer – and the client – out of trouble.
Think of a ghostwriter as an actor studying a script. That actor needs to blend into their character to be convincing. That blending into some other person is precisely what a ghostwriter does with the client.
When the work must be done correctly, the standards of professional ghostwriting matter.