Ghostwriting

 Is your love of writing exceeded by your desire to make a living wage?  If so, ghostwriting is a great option for a career.

Your writing will likely be read by much larger audiences than your “zine” or blog, and have a greater impact.  Instead of constructing characters, plot and themes, you are presented with a definite task in your work, one which touches on a wide range of experiences.  Ghostwriting exposes you to interesting people, gives you authority in creating your work schedule, and provides opportunities to travel.

A prospective ghostwriter needs to be aware of particular skills that are valuable in the field.    The ability to conduct interviews in which the interviewee is encouraged to divulge insightful information is very important.  Some clients will be apprehensive when you delve into their past, and a good ghostwriter should be acutely aware of this sensitivity.  Because your clients are paying you to write as themselves, they can often be worried about how they see themselves represented, which is a facet of ghostwriting that will be present from the beginning to the end of a project.  Professional ghostwriters know to swallow their pride when such occasions arise, rather than risk losing the client and access to potential clients in the future.

It's highly encouraged that you seek clients that are involved in fields of particular interest to yourself.  If you majored in English and minored in Political Science, it may be most advantageous to seek politicians, businessman, or lawyers as clients. 
 
    Most professional ghostwriters begin by contacting a person that interests them who hasn't already had an autobiography written for them.  If they accept your offer to meet, you will construct an outline of an interview in which you learn more about them.  After this it's important to negotiate a flat-fee with the client before continuing with the work.  Often clients will offer a percentage of the royalties from the book, which quite often is abysmal.  After negotiations, you collaboratively construct a list of chapters and a rough outline of each.  During the writing process, you work with the client by sending them files of the chapters to review and make comments on.  The writing process also involves doing a lot of research on the client, trying to fill in the gaps of their account.  Once the book is complete, and the client's revisions are implemented, they read the book in its entirety and again make comments or request revisions.  When they are satisfied with the final draft you will work with them to contact publishers that may be interested in buying their book.

There are many ways in which ghostwriting may be undesirable to prospective writers.  Most ghostwriting jobs are completed within 8 months, and so writing powerfully and quickly is a tremendously important skill.  Those who suffer from writers block won't enjoy the time constraints.  You will always be writing what the client wants, using language that isn't representative of your personal writing, and editing out information that you believe to be important but that the client feels encroaches on their privacy.  In these instances, it's imperative that you have the ability to swallow your pride. 

Many writers are unwilling to accept these conditions.  If these caveats don't discourage you, you may find being a ghostwriter both intellectually and financially agreeable.

Useful links:
http://www.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2008/12/11/best-careers-2009-ghostwriter.html
http://www.write101.com/invisible.htm
http://www.writingcareer.com/articles/become_a_freelance_ghostwriter.php