I think the two most common questions I’m asked are “What is ghostwriting?” and “How does ghostwriting work?” Allow me to explain.
I am a ghostwriter. I write books for people who have wonderful ideas. From one perspective, then, ghostwriting is about making people’s literary dreams come true. I’ve made over a hundred people’s dreams of having a well-crafted book of which they can be proud come true. I’ve made close to two-thirds of those people’s dreams of landing a literary agent come true, and close to half of their dreams of getting published come true. So from another perspective, ghostwriting is a fulfilling endeavor.
I am the primary support of my household, and nobody in my family looks like they’re about to fade away from hunger, so from yet another perspective, ghostwriting is a lucrative occupation. And because I love to write, I’m pretty good at writing, and people seem to enjoy the way I write for them, ghostwriting is, from one more perspective, a satisfying career path.
Finally, because I am one of the few, if not the only ghost who teaches the specific skills, theory, and politics of ghostwriting, it is also a way to give back to the writing community.
That’s what ghostwriting is. How does it work? Ahhhh. That’s a bit more complex.
My first three rules of ghostwriting are: 1) Make the client happy, 2) Get paid, and 3) “It’s not my book.” That’s how ghostwriting works. It’s almost the extreme opposite of editing, although editing skills–the ones most writers know and a few they don’t–always come into play. Where editors make the author’s words work, ghostwriters make the author’s intent work. It’s a back-and-forth process that can be fascinating, frustrating, enlightening, educational, aggravating, adventurous, but is, above all, always intimate.
So Here Come The Plugs
I teach writers, editors, and people who feel they have a flair for the writing field how to make a living ghostwriting books. My course includes the entire span of skills, theory, and politics necessary to launch a career as a ghostwriter or professional editor. Click on 2009 classes on the left sidebar for info on the next class.
My team of personally trained ghostwriters and editors provide Analysis & Recommendations (A&Rs), Substantive Editing, Ghostwriting, Line/Copy Editing, and Submission Packages for aspiring authors, transitioning professionals, and non-writing authors. Click on Services on the left sidebar for more info.
I am currently ghostwriting a novel IN PUBLICfor a non-writing author who has a wonderful story. The book is a historical romance set on the Sultana, whose explosion at the end of the Civil War still holds the record for the worst maritime disaster in American history. The intimate ghostwriting process–I write a chapter, he wants changes, I rewrite, he wants more changes, I rewrite the rewrite, etc., etc.–is visible for members to not only watch, but comment on, make suggestions about, and help determine chapter titles for (she wrote, thereby ending three phrases in a row with prepositions, which is, at least, consistent if not kosher). We don’t have our banner link up yet, but click on ReadAsWritten.com to check out this one-in-a-lifetime experiment.
In case you haven’t figured it out, this site is all about ghostwriting: a fulfilling endeavor that helps make people’s literary dreams come true, a way to earn a living through writing, and–even though it wasn’t listed above–a way to acquire a heckuva education in the process.
You have questions about ghostwriting, editing, the book business? Please ask. Helping writers and authors is what ClaudiaSuzanne.com is all about.
