Three misconceptions people have about Ghostwriting and how I shatter them
One of the most interesting part of the business of ghostwriting and publishing is when I get to engage with prospective clients for the first time. Sometimes its a call, messages on Facebook Messenger or Whatsapp. I’ve gotten comments and questions that sometimes sends me laughing, or makes me just plain surprise.
I’ve come to realize that teaching is a fundamental part of business. Many times, you have to educate people on what they are asking for before they give their consent to receive and pay for the service.
People have several misconceptions about Ghostwriting, and I thought to shatter it right here.
Many times, you have to educate people on what they are asking for before they give their consent to receive and pay for the service.
Some of the most recent I’ve received are:
1. “Is that ethical?”: I felt that way too long before I got into the business of ghostwriting. I couldn’t just understand why people will do that. In fact, I felt cheated or deceived that an author will engage someone else to write their books for them and we the reader get “deceived” that the author wrote it him/herself. But, is it ethical? Yes, by all means it is.
First, you are increasing your own ability to publish more books and even better written books. I think of ghostwriters as surrogate mothers. We incubate the thoughts, words and ideas of someone else and give birth to a perfectly finished manuscript for them. If the medical community can accept the practice of a baby growing in the womb of another woman who is not the mother of the baby, then how much more the publishing industry?
2. “Won’t the writer be lying?”: I literally almost choked with giggling when a prospective client said this. I thought they usually said, “All lawyers are liars” I didn’t know (ghost)writers were liars too. Whatever the case, ghostwriters do not lie. They simply relay the story of the author in the best way possible. They become an amplifier of the ideas, ideals and stories which the author will like to share.
For instance, a ghostwriter wrote the bestselling book, Art of the deal for Donald Trump and that book brought out some of the ideals of Donald Trump and people came to see him in a good light. While the ghostwriter is allowed to add humor, creativity and style to the writing, the ghostwriter does not lie or put details that are untrue.
3. “It’s like you’re trading your own work and the other person is profiting”: I got this from my dad. This is sometimes true. In many cases, the ghostwriter is often paid off to write the book , told to sign a contract of non-disclosure and disengaged afterwards. In some cases, the author generously acknowledges the ghostwriter. (Example: Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter, Ben Carson and Cecil Murphey, amongst others). Some highly skilled and veteran ghostwriters, like Tony Schwaltz and Andrew Crofts charge for royalties on the books they write so they gain commission on each book sold all over the world.
While the ghostwriter is allowed to add humor, creativity and style to the writing, the ghostwriter does not lie or put details that are untrue.
Many ghostwriters gain a fortune from this. Though you are trading your work, many times, the ghostwriter gets amazing referrals from people. I’ve gotten referrals from people and with all my strategies for getting clients, I’ve been able to write over 40 books in this past year.
So, what other misconceptions do you have? Do you feel you do not need a ghostwriter?
Interested in knowing more about what I do, let’s connect on Facebook or on my company website. You can also join my mastermind group of aspiring authors for an ongoing challenge here. HURRY!
