Today we have a very interesting blog for you because we are going to tell you everything that you need to know about ghostwriting if you are not familiar with this industry and this line of work.
We will help you understand all the basics of ghostwriting and most importantly help you understand how does ghostwriting work so that we can walk you through the ghostwriting process.
We will let you know the process of hiring a ghostwriter and the difference between regular writing and ghostwriting when it comes to authorship attribution.
We will also help you understand if confidential ghostwriting is a thing and what are the basic ghostwriter responsibilities in the industry.
You will get to understand the basics of ghostwriting contracts as well as ghostwriting ethics and everything else that is important in the world of professional ghostwriting and ghostwriting services.
So, in this blog about outsourcing writing and utilising ghostwriting in literature and every other industry, let us start by understanding what is the meaning of Ghostwriting.
What Does Ghostwriting Mean?
Ghostwriting is relatively simple to understand and it is when you hire a professional ghostwriter to write on behalf of you.
These are professional writers who are going to write for you and not even claim attribution and credit for that work.
They are professionals and they are experts in the topic and they will work with you and according to you so that you can get the perfect bit of content you are looking for.
You have to think of this just as any other service because ghostwriting is a service and that to a very important service.
The ghostwriter is providing their writing skills and experience on the topic as well as research skills as a service for money.
Ghostwriters are hired by individuals as well as companies for their content needs and there are important reasons why.
This Is Why Individuals and Companies Hire Ghostwriters
Time Constraints
One of the most important reasons why companies and individuals get professional ghostwriters is simply because they need a lot of content in a limited time.
The company might need high-quality content for a product launch or they might need content to announce a new marketing campaign or something else.
That is when they need the help of a professional or a professional ghostwriting agency to provide them with a high volume of content in a limited time.
Better Investment
It just makes more business sense to hire the services of a professional ghostwriter rather than having a writer permanently on the payroll.
Some companies even make the mistake of assigning their employees to content work for a temporary period of time but that is also bad for business because that employee will not be able to do that actual work.
That is why instead of getting a permanent ghostwriter employee and even assigning someone content work, the better investment is to simply hire ghostwriters on a contractual basis.
They can simply start working when there is content need and you can pay them by the project and not by the hour.
Professional Expertise
Professional expertise is something that you simply cannot justify with something else and there is no substitute for it.
That is why if you want the finest level of professional content for your website and your business then you are also going to need the finest professionals in the form of professional ghostwriters.
You can of course do the job yourself and you might probably be better acquainted with your business and markets than the ghostwriter but you are a businessman and not a writer.
That is exactly where the ghostwriter can help you and produce excellent content.
Brand Identity
One of the most important elements for any business is going to be brand identity and brand identity is something quite complex.
It is not just about having quality content but that content should project the brand in the way you want and that is where a ghostwriter comes in.
They have the skills necessary to project your brand and not just write content.
They will help your brand by showcasing it in a good light along with relevant keyword usage and other SEO techniques so that the content is actually functionally good and not just high quality.
Ghostwriting Contract Legalities and Elements to Keep in Mind
Before you choose a ghostwriter for your content needs, you need to understand the ghostwriting contract. While we are not going to draw down a contract for you because every contract is different, we are going to talk about important elements of the ghostwriting contract.
Apart from these elements, the ghostwriting contract should also contain all the specifics by which the contract can be cancelled if either party does not follow certain objectives and obligations.
Copyright
Let us start with the most important legality to keep in mind during ghostwriting. It is going to be about copyright ownership and how copyright is enacted.
When you create the contact you need to put in the copyright clause that clearly states that you are the owner of the content and that you are the author.
You must also state that the ghostwriter is simply here to work for hire. This is usually the case because then the ghostwriter cannot claim the content as it belongs to the client.
Disclosure
Since you are already familiar with the copyright situation in a ghostwriting contract it will be easiest to explain disclosure to you.
One of the clauses of the agreement is simply that the ghostwriter will not claim the work as their own. One of the ways in which the ghostwriter can claim the work is to simply speak about it and say that they have written the work.
In order to prevent that, an NDA is put in place so that the ghostwriter will not disclose their works and dealings with the company or individual they have written for.
This is usually placed in the ghostwriting contract in the form of Non-Disclosure Agreements(NDAs).
Payment Specifics
The third most important thing you must understand about the ghostwriting agreement is to do with payment.
A ghostwriting contract should clearly state all the specifics of the project and also the specifics of payment.
A good ghostwriting contract should contain the exact amount of payment that will be transferred to the ghostwriter after they have submitted the work and the client is satisfied.
The payment specifics should also contain all the details if the payment is to be made in some other method and in instalments rather than a single cash transaction.
This Is How the Ghostwriting Process Takes Place
In-Depth Research
While there can be variations to this process but generally speaking the first and most important step of any ghostwriting process is going to be research.
You can even call it information gathering because that is basically what the ghostwriter is trying to do.
It all depends on the project but the ghostwriter is going to break down research into multiple steps so that it becomes easy for them to plan out the next steps.
One section of that research is simply going to be a conversation with the client in order to understand what the client wants. It is also gathering all the information that the client can give.
This can be a lengthy process or it can be a very short process depending on the type of project. This is because if the project is an autobiography then the interview process with the client is going to be quite lengthy. But any other project will take a shorter time.
The research process is also going to include everything from collecting different materials to the ghostwriter doing their own research.
Roadmap Creation
Now that the ghostwriter has access to all the research material they will ever need, they will start the process of planning the entire operation.
The planning can include everything from creating a road map of how they are going to proceed and it can also contain everything from structuring the important elements of the content.
This planning process is different for fiction and nonfiction but the core theme is still the same which is simply to predict the future path.
That is where the knowledge gathering and research will help them because they will have everything in front of their hands to plan out each step of the process.
This is even more beneficial if the ghostwriter is writing a novel and needs all the characters in a single place along with all the themes of the novel.
This is the step before which the ghostwriter can actually start the writing process.
Writing The Content
And finally, we come to the most important step of the entire process of ghostwriting which is going to be the writing process.
This process usually goes smoothly but it all depends on how good the ghostwriter is when it comes to information gathering and road map creation.
If they prepared for the journey of writing with all the information in close proximity then they will not have a difficult time during the writing process.
They can even consult the client regularly and show them different samples of the work to ascertain whether they are going in the right direction.
This is a step that is very individualistic and can be very different for each and every writer that is why it can be different for your ghostwriter.
However, we must always stress the importance of feedback collection from the client. This is because if the ghostwriter carries on writing without even asking for regular feedback then it might lead to a lot of waste of time if the client finds out that the ghostwriter is not writing according to their needs.
Editing And Changes
Call it a common practice or call it an inefficiency but the client is never going to approve the project the first time no matter if it is as perfect as possible.
That is why when the ghostwriter completes the writing process, they start the process of editing the manuscript.
That is when the client is brought into the confidence and given the manuscript after the first round of editing or even before the editing process in some instances.
That is when the client provides their feedback and mentions all the changes they want to be done so that these changes can be included in the final draft of the editing process.
However, the ghostwriter should also be prepared to make changes even after the final draft of editing is completed and this is something that the client and the ghostwriter should be comfortable with.
Approval And Publishing
Once the client is satisfied with all the changes to the manuscript, the manuscript is handed over to the client by the ghostwriter along with every piece of material and research.
The closing contract is signed and the client usually assures the ghostwriter when they are going to complete the payment.
And that is it for the ghostwriter because then the client is going to publish the content and utilise it however they like.
This is basically a very straightforward process if you think about it but the steps can have minor changes depending on the type of book and the type of content.
This Is Where You Can Find Ghostwriters
Freelance Websites
One of the places you can get ghostwriters is simply from freelance platforms where you can hire freelancers.
These are individuals who do not work with any agency or company and typically work at very affordable rates in the industry.
If you have very little content requirement and you simply want a freelancer that gets the job done for an affordable price then you can definitely try them out.
But if you want high-quality professional content and you also have the need for a lot of content then this is not the best option for you.
Ghostwriting Agencies
The second option is going to be the professional option and we are talking about ghostwriting agencies because these are professional people working under a single roof.
The difference between a freelancer and a ghostwriting agency is that multiple ghostwriters work in a professional ghostwriting agency.
This means you can expect a high volume of content with an agency and that too at the most affordable rates and also without compromising quality.
You can expect industry leaders when it comes to content writing with agencies as they will be working together for your content and you can also expect the best level of discretion with your content.
We have this blog will help you understand how ghostwriting works and if you are looking for a reputable ghostwriting agency that has a long history of high-quality content then we are here for you.
We are Ghostwriting India and we are one of the pioneers of the ghostwriting industry in India. We do everything when it comes to ghostwriting in India.
We do every kind of content and that includes traditional offline content like novels and books and essays as well as online web content.
We also do screenplay writing and children’s book writing and much more. We welcome you to visit our website to find out more about our services.
Common Ghostwriting FAQs
How does a ghostwriter get paid?
Ghostwriters usually get paid a one-time fee after the project is completed or they might even get an advance before the project has started.
However, there are rare cases when the ghostwriter is paid in instalments. Sometimes the ghostwriter can even be paid in company stocks but that is even more rare.
Generally speaking, if you are a ghostwriter then you should simply ask for a flat fee that you should get after you complete the job.
How does being a ghostwriter work?
Being a ghostwriter is simple to understand and it is when you provide your writing skills and research skills as well as experience as a service in exchange for money.
The ghostwriting service is just like any other kind of skill-based service where the ghostwriter is the expert professional who is providing their services.
The reason why people hire ghostwriters is not just because they can write extremely well but simply because the client can claim the work as their own.
Ghostwriters never claim their work as their own and this is a basic principle of the ghostwriting industry because people come to ghostwriters simply because of that.
They are hired by individuals as well as companies and even government institutions in some cases because every industry needs high-quality content.
Is it legal to be a ghost writer?
Ghostwriting is completely legal in India and all over the world, this is because you are just exchanging your services as a ghostwriter for money.
However, you must keep in mind to draw up a legal contract whenever you start working as a ghostwriter because without a legal contract is proof of work.
Ghostwriting is so legal in fact that government institutions utilise ghostwriters to write content for them and even lawyers utilise ghostwriters when content is needed.
However, you must keep in mind that ghostwriting can become illegal if the content is illegal and has malicious purposes.
Why do writers use ghostwriters?
Writers utilise ghostwriters simply because they do not have the time to write their own books. It is very common for writers to hire ghostwriters when they are in need of a lot of content.
There can be other reasons as the writer might not be well physically or mentally and they might simply want a fresh set of eyes on their work.
Whatever the reason may be, it is very common for writers and established authors to utilise ghostwriters.
