What Is A Ghostwriter?
When you hear the word “ghostwriter” you might think about some new show on your favorite channel, some haunted computer, or even the local psychic who claims that spirits have written an entire book for her. But in truth, most people don't know what a ghostwriter is, or what they really do. A ghostwriter is a real person, a professional writer who is paid well to write books, articles, web content, pretty much anything, and then allow that work to be credited to someone else. You can see ghostwriting everywhere, from your favorite celebrity's tell-all to political speeches to magazine articles. Yet, more than likely, you will never know that what you are reading was written by a ghostwriter, because in today's market, most publishers or authors don't acknowledge their ghostwriters.
So What Does A Ghostwriter Do, Exactly?
So, what does a ghostwriter do exactly? Well, there are many different areas to ghostwriting – and just as many different types of professional writers out there who are paid for their knowledge and their ability to spin words. From medical to law, children to cooking, relationships to gossip, there are thousands of professional writers out there who are experts on many fields and can create great works of word art for other authors and publishers. Sometimes, ghostwriters are only hired to “polish” up a work that another author has already done. This includes editing, typesetting, proofreading, and adding to the manuscript. But, the majority of the time, the ghostwriter does almost all of the work themselves, from research to final draft. Most authors or publishers will hire a ghostwriter with a specific idea in mind for a book or article, and give a basic topic or title to a ghostwriter to have them create a unique work from scratch.
Most authors and publishers will tell you that a ghostwriter is an indispensable resource that they cannot live without. Without ghostwriters, most celebrities would not have time to sit down and write out their autobiographies, most articles would never be completed, and if they did, they might not have the talents and skills needed to create a written work that would not need any editing for content, spelling, grammar, or other structural problems.
Ghostwriters: A Well Known Secret
So, how can this industry be so prominent when most people don't even know about
it? Easy. Publishers and authors keep ghostwriters a well-known secret so they
don't lose them. Ghostwriters are everywhere – in the writing world, the music
industry, the Internet, politics, and even in academic settings. And, even
though the use of ghostwriters is at an all-time high, there are those who feel
that hiring a ghostwriter is a clear case of fraud and, in some cases, actually
call for lawsuits or charges.
What this small section of the public doesn't realize is that without
ghostwriters, most the written works throughout history would not have been
written, or at least not written nearly as well, without the help of a
“wordsmith”. For example, in Hillary Rodham Clinton's 1996 book, “It Takes a
Village”, ghostwriter Barbara Feinman helped to create this entire works, and
was then subjected to intense scrutiny from both Senator Clinton and many
prominent magazines and news articles since she supposedly broke her
confidentiality agreement when Senator Clinton did not keep up her end of the
bargain on the acknowledgment of her help with the book. The same goes with
former President Ronald Regan's autobiography “Ronald Regan: An American Life”,
which was ghostwritten by Robert Lindsey. President Regan himself acknowledged
that he didn't write the book at all when he stated “I hear it's a terrific
book! One of these days I'm going to read it myself.” So, without these
ghostwriters, would either of these books have been nearly as well written, or
would they have been written at all?
Face it, celebrity names sell better than an unknown author, no matter how good,
or bad, the writing is. Many celebrities have taken to hiring ghostwriters to
create a wonderful literary work for them, and then publish and promote it under
their name. Celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, tennis star Martina Navratilova,
and even William Shatner, have all had ghostwriters help with creating literary
works in their name. But, William Shatner is one of the very few celebrities who
actually acknowledge that they had ghostwriters help create his works.
Ghost writers have also become an invaluable asset to publishers all over the
world, especially when a famous author passes away with works left unfinished.
Pocket Books has continued to release new literary works by V.C. Andrews long
after the author's death, which continue to sell on the top of the lists all
over the world. So, without ghostwriters, her famous characters and stories
would have long since died out and we would not have some of the great works
that are being released all the time. So, when those critics out there criticize
ghostwriters and publishers for being dishonest, they should take another look
at what a ghostwriter truly is and think about where the world would be without
them.
How Much Do Ghostwriters Get Paid?
Ghostwriters get paid depending on their own personal preference, and most charge either by the page, by the word, or they might charge a flat fee for a larger project. Ghostwriting services also depend on the writer. Those who have been in the business for years and have many great references or many works to their name will charge a lot more than a writer who is just starting out. Many ghostwriters will tell you that the old addage “You get what you pay for” rings true with the writing industry, and they are right. When you pay for ghostwriting services, there will be all sorts of pricing offers, from low to high, and you will find that the majority of the time, the lower charges are from writers who have not been in the business for very long or who may not be very good writers.
Editorial Addendum: The recent trend is to outsource ghostwriting projects/assignments to offshore ghostwriters, which saves up to 80%. While a ghostwriter based in USA, Canada, or United Kingdom may charge around $20,000 for a 200 page book, it may cost about $3,000 - $5,000 to get the same job done from a number of offshore countries, without compromising quality. Many offshore ghostwriters offer even cheaper prices, as low as $0.01 per word. It t is advisable, however, not to go with the cheapest bidder. The normal rate of offshore ghostwriters who are really good may be around $12 - $18 per page. It is better to hire outsourced ghostwriters at per page rate rather than per hour rate, unless you are getting a book written and need to talk with your ghostwriter for a number of hours.
Written by MD Weems, Contributing Editor to RentAGhostWriter.Com
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