16 Resources and Tools for Ghostwriters

If you want to increase your productivity as a ghostwriter here are some tools that will help you spend more time on your craft and not as much on the administrative side which can often drain your writing time.

1. Word Hippo

I use this tool for writing all of the time.  It really helps when you can't think of a word off the top of your head, and if you're using the same words over and over again. Word Hippo will help you think of new words or replacement words without getting too stressed.

2. Fotor

Every writer has their own particular favourite tool for creating images with.  Fotor is mine.

I use it to create blog images, social media images and book covers.  Offering a wide range of  templates  including social media profile covers, logos, ads, photo editing, graphic design and more.

3. Grammarly

From style and tone, Grammarly will help eliminate errors and find the perfect words to express yourself with.  It will also organise your writing feedback to help you see how each change helps your readers understand your message better.

4. Scrivener

Great tool for creating books,helping you to map, outline, compose, research and edit all your long-form jobs.  Used by best-selling novelists, screenwriters, and non-fiction writers and more, it will provide everything you need to not only start writing but continue writing.

5. Google Calendar for Business

Use it for scheduling events by checking colleagues availability or layering a calendar in a single view.  Helps you delegate access to another user, with easy access to share confidential calendars.  With added security and disaster-recovery features which makes it easier to access and share confidential calendars.

The Positives and Negatives of Ghostwriting vs. Producing Your Own Work

So what are the positives of being a ghostwriter?

Positives

Paid Well

If you do your job well it can be a very lucrative track to take for any writer.

Your Ghostwriting Talent Will Carry You Far

Publishing houses and editors seek out highly skilled writers, so it's not impossible to climb the tree if you want to reach the top.

Working With the Rich and Famous

Opportunities may arise for you to work the great and good of society.  People gravitate to other highly skilled people, and ghostwriting is no different.  Not only will you be well paid for your services, but these kinds of jobs require you to stretch your writing muscles even more.

Research Is There Already

When the client hands over their own research, all you have to do is to make sure it's accurate.  Verifying the research you've been given can be done through internet search, because half the battle is having the right information in front of you to write the best manuscript for your client.

How to Ghostwrite a Book for Your Client

Blog post updated 25/08/21

You've been handed the outline by your client.

Now what?

How to Use the Outline to Write a Book

What is an outline?

You could liken the outline to that of a journey, the outline is the direction you will take to get to where you want to be.  This usually comprises a breakdown of each chapter, the synopsis, plot summary, character biographies, and plot development.  The plot points and arcs are well covered in the outline, along with the stakes and arcs of the story.  This goes along with what the secondary characters are to the principal character.  A summary of each chapter will show what follows in order for the story to move forward.  Developments and key features of the story draw you further in to help you build the world your client is imagining.

What Kind of Client Hires a Ghostwriter?

If you're new to ghostwriting you're probably wondering what kind of people would want to hire a ghostwriter.

Fiction Ghostwriters

Most ghostwriters are hired by people writing novella's, fiction, graphic novels or any other works that have been left unfinished.

When it comes to writing and producing books there are three kinds of ghostwriters:

1. The author has unclear ideas, notes and no outline.

2. The self-publishing author unclear on how to finish their book and sees a ghostwriter as the only way to finish their book 

3. A self-published author who's looking for a writer to finish their book or maybe add a few chapters.

The author has unclear ideas, notes and no outline

If your client happens to have no outline your job will be to draw that information out of them in order to complete the project.  

Normally all you have to go by is genre and a concept, it's up to you to see where focus is required, then what elements are needed to develop the rest of the story by yourself. 

Things You Need to Become a Successful Ghostwriter

Being a good ghostwriter depends entirely on temperament and talent, which means it takes a special kind of writer to become a ghostwriter.

So what kind of skills do you need to become a really good ghostwriter?

A ghostwriter is someone that enjoys working the shadows and not in the spotlight.  This is because the reader expects to hear only the voice of the author and not the writer doing the work.

Ghostwriting allows the author to pass their knowledge and interpretation of experiences to the ghostwriter who then articulates the author's own story into a more meaningful and readable format for the reader.

The Mechanics of a Ghostwriting Contract

All of your rights to a manuscript or any ghostwritten work are automatically taken away the minute you start working on it.  All copyright is handed over to the client or author to do with as they please.  

Each contract you agree to as a ghostwriter will always have this stipulated that the copyright work is for the author/client, making this the most important part of the contract.  

All needs are carried out whether it be for writing a book, social media post, screenplay or any other literary work, all services are rendered.

Not All Contracts are the Same

Writing jobs can differ just like writing contracts, and ghostwriting contracts are no different.  Some may feel like you're writing a top secret document, and be highly confidential, this is all determined on the terms of the contract in hand.  

This will state the tasks performed by the writer and client, and will include:

What to Charge for Your Ghostwriting Services

Measly sums of money for hours of writing, along with unreasonable expectations for working deadlines, the iterative process of writing, and the costs for each project.   Selling yourself short is easy to do when you're just starting out as a ghostwriter.  If you do decide to take on work that doesn't offer that much to you in the way of money, then you need to take a long hard look at how much your writing skills are really worth.

What I mean to say is that you can do a lot better than a mere pittance.

You need to do some research before you set your pricing, and look into the least amount you're willing to take.  Understanding that the bar should be set high,  and starting on a minimum rate won't bode well for future ghostwriting gigs.

Often many clients are inexperienced when it comes to hiring writers, it's your job to lay out the facts of what is required in order to complete a job.  You can tell them what kind of rates to expect, and extras including revisions that will add on to the final price.

Why On Earth Would Anyone Want to be Ghostwriter?

Ghostwriter's, the writer's who never get credit for the work they've done.  

So why on earth would anyone want to be a ghostwriter?

We're going to look at points that cover the positive and practical sides of ghostwriting that will help you understand why so many writer's decide to take up ghostwriting.

Ghostwriting Gives You Flexibility

When you're writing for someone else, the ideas and thoughts aren't yours they're someone else's.  This means you need to use your own skills to be able to:

• Help your client choose a topic
• Give the manuscript the right tone of voice, from their point of view
• Choose a writing style

If you're not flexible it won't work because the client is relying on your expertise to be able to choose the right tone and pick the right writing style for the project.

What You Need to Know About the Ethics of Ghostwriting

If you're a writer and not getting any credit for the work you've done, how is that ethical?

A question ghostwriters get asked again and again.  The truth of the matter is this kind of writing is legitimate and perfectly legal and above board.  When done properly ghostwriting should be a worthwhile experience, and not a painful one.

When this question pops up in conversation most ghostwriters will tell you that they're there to simply help the author put their voice on paper, in a simple and appealing way.  All ideas and knowledge have been handed over to the ghostwriter, but it's the author who gets the credit in the end.

As seen in a previous blog post, the job of a ghostwriter is to write in the voice of someone else, and not get any credit for that writing.  

How to Launch Your Ghostwriting Career and Sell Your Ghostwriting Skills

Half the battle of marketing yourself as a ghostwriter is knowing what kind of writer you are to begin with.  With so many people using the internet for commercial and personal use it's no wonder that people are turning to ghostwriters to get their works published.  Businesses are always looking for new ghostwriters to create brochures, web copy, social media posts, articles, blog posts, books, or even commercial publications.  

Selling Yourself as a Ghostwriter