On Ghostwriting
If you regularly read insightful articles or books from a busy leader in your industry and wonder, “How are they able to churn out so much quality content?” the answer is that “they” is plural.
Since the dawn of civilization, public figures have been hiring ghostwriters to put pen to parchment so they can spread their ideas. In Ancient Greece, unknown scribes would write speeches and letters for political leaders. Even some of the Bible was ghostwritten. People started outsourcing writing as soon as it was invented.
Today, ghostwriting is commonly utilized by industry experts and thought leaders to produce blog posts, articles, speeches, social media posts, and books.
What is ghostwriting?
In its basic form, ghostwriting is when a writer produces a work that’s credited to someone else. This is different than co-authorship, where multiple people collaborate on a work and each receives an author acknowledgment. And while some ghostwriters are given a collaborator credit, which is usually designated by the phrase “with [collaborator’s name]” on the cover, many are invisibly involved.
Why use a ghostwriter?
To be an industry leader, you need to build a public platform. That’s a non-negotiable. And to build a public platform, you need to write—blogs, books, social posts, letters, etc. That, too, is a non-negotiable.
Many can’t write for themselves, though, and need to hire a ghostwriter. There are several reasons why.
Lack of writing skills is a common one. Do you think Jose Canseco, the ‘roided out former slugger who tweets things like “I am and will always be just simply a baseball player,my tombstone will just say. Baseball.” was capable of writing a book that changed the sport forever? Of course not. His ghostwriter, Steve Kettmann, wrote Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big. Even though Canseco didn’t know how to say it, he did have something worth saying, and Kettmann used his skill to take Canseco’s provocative confessions, translate them from cave-speak to English, and craft an engaging book. (Because of the controversy the book generated, Canseco later threw a changeup and said he wished “he” never wrote it).
But even if someone has the skill to write, they might lack the time and energy. This is a legitimate reason to hire a ghostwriter. Writing is hard work. Even if you can write, you might not have the space or the brain juice to bring your vision to life without sacrificing something important like your health or family. Even famous writers have been known to utilize ghosts from time to time—Dr. Seuss; James Patterson; and Tom Clancy, to name a few. Charles Dickens used one, too. Kind of. In 1873, a Vermont printer named Thomas James claimed the ghost of Charles Dickens visited him in a seance and finished his unpublished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, through him. In a very Dickensian twist, the ghostwriter was the writer himself.
The point is that if you’re somebody, you can hire a nobody like me to bring your ideas to everybody. You build your public platform, spread your great ideas, save time and headaches, and I get paid. It’s a win/win. But if you try to pay with “exposure”, I hope the ghost of Dickens clanks your pots and pans on a nightly basis.
I’ll Be Your Friendly Ghost
I’m looking to help the right thought leaders build their public platform through engaging writing—blogs, articles, books, you name it. If you have something to say, I’ll help you find the words. Reach Out and let’s chat about your project.
But if you’re the ghost of Dickens, seek out another human vessel to finish your novel. I’m booked.
