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Ghostwriting
Words of Another
How many of us have never been moved by words? Never felt so strongly inspired? Or compelled to delve into an imaginary world? Incredible stories unfold all around us, of individuals, and of organizations – but when it comes to putting such thought-provoking content on paper, we realize it is no cakewalk.
While some can match their writing to the speed of their thoughts, others can barely put ideas to words. For such and more, we have the humble ghostwriters.
What Is Ghostwriting?
Ghostwriters are writers for hire. They step in to lend you words, sentences, and even ideas. They help and assist authors to write, without staking claim or credit for it. The content is published in the name of the author, often with a generous acknowledgement to the ghostwriter.
The history of Ghostwriting goes back a long way. Believe it or not, some of the greatest literary works had ghostwriters behind them. H.P Lovecraft, Peter Lerangis, and Raymond Benson were some of the notable few.
Some of the most notable books have been written, to some extent, by ghostwriters. The Three Musketeers (by Alexandre Dumas), James Bond series (Ian Fleming), the Hardy Boys series (Frank Dixon), the Nancy Drew series (Carolyn Keene), Splinter Cell (Tom Clancy), are just some of the ones that come to mind.
However, today ghostwriting is not limited to literature and books. Businesses are engaging ghostwriters for all types of official content writing requirements. Some of the projects that can engage ghostwriters are Business Reports, How-to Manuals, Blogs, Speeches, Newsletters, Autobiographies, Fiction, Scripts, and Screenplays.
Why Hire a Ghostwriter?
Perhaps the most decisive reason for hiring ghostwriters, is a lack of time. Lack of time to research, lack of time to put thoughts to paper, and lack of time to refine the document. Organization or individuals should consider engaging professional ghostwriters because:
They bring method to the madness. They are skilled at organizing data, researching, collating material, and weaving them all together.
Having an accomplished writer by your side lets you save time, get a manuscript done, and approach publishers.
They help you identify the gaps, provide suggestions to fill them, benchmark with similar content, and even assist you to develop a tone of voice.
Even if you’re unsure about certain aspects, you can rely on the ghostwriter to take complete charge.
How Ghostwriting Works
Often, the writer will share a set of ideas and a rough draft for the ghostwriter to get started. However sometimes, a writer would solely have to depend on the author’s inputs (written or verbal) without any substantial research being made available. On other projects, a writer would be required to do both – research for new ideas, and execute them through words.
Celebrities, businessmen, sportspersons, and politicians are usually a busy lot. They have the story and the drama for a bestseller, but rarely the time and patience to sit through multiple briefing sessions. In such cases, a ghostwriter can travel with them, or visit them regularly to discuss one chapter at a time.
Working out a schedule for ghostwriting is like seeking dates from a superstar for a movie shooting schedule. If you are lucky, you can get a lot done in a single session, if not, it can go on for ages.
Finding A Good Ghostwriter
A good ghostwriter can work independently, delve deep, and build insight, while lending professionalism to the process. Here are the things to consider:
Your Domain
Engage a writer who understands your subject (or at least has the passion to learn new things). You don’t need an expert (this might introduce prejudice and interfere with the writer’s own thoughts and opinions) or a novice (who does not understand the domain at all). Ideally, a ghostwriter should be an individual or a team that is passionate for the project and can learn and explore as they go.
Read Their Work
Consider their work and portfolio. But remember that ghostwriters are ‘writers for hire’. They speak the author’s tone and lend a structure to their story and their ideas. Whatever be your impression, ‘Excellent’ or ‘Not So Impressive’, don’t let this be the deciding factor.
Read Client Reviews
Seek recommendations, reviews, and testimonials. Sometimes, the book or the content might not have achieved commercial or critical acclaim, yet the author might have a very high opinion about the ghostwriter. Good reviews mean that the client had a good experience working with the writer.
Explore Options for Joint Sessions
While you may hire a ghostwriter, don’t forget that the project is yours. Based on the size of the project, you need to monitor its progress, and the ideal way to do this is to meet often. This will give you the opportunity to know the content inside out, even though you’re not writing it.
Plan B
On rare occasions, things might not work out with a ghostwriter. It could be the tone of writing, the subject matter expertise, unavailability, etc. In such cases, you will need to have a plan B. This is where engaging a professional content agency is a smarter choice. This way, you have access to a pool of full-time writers. With a professional company managing your project, you can rest assured that you will not be left in the lurch.
Understand Their Process
Ghostwriters generally follow this four-part process:
Discussion on the subject matter and the goals and aspirations for the project
Collating existing material and extracting information from the source material
Streamlining the content to highlight and fill in the missing pieces
Begin the writing process and work towards developing the first draft
LexiConn is home to readers and writers. We love everything about books, and books have loved us back. We approach ghostwriting projects with a lot of passion and admire our authors. We follow proven processes for content creation and have streamlined quality control guidelines.
We deliver well-researched content, with domain experts monitoring the drafts at every stage so that the final piece is a true reflection of your unique ideas. With LexiConn, you can effortlessly transform your ideas into words. Writing, filtering, and refining, we give you only quality, nothing less.
So, if you always thought that there is a “book inside you”, talk to us. We can help you get to print and beyond.
