What It’s Really Like To Be A Ghost Writer

Take it from me — I’ve been doing this for a while now!

andrew-neel via unsplash

A heck of a lot of people write books… and a heck of a lot of those people actually DON’T write their books.

I know this because I’m one of those people in the background writing the books for the ‘authors’. Yep, they slap their name on 80,000 words of gold, they add ‘author’ to their Insta bio and they bask in all that literary glory.

Before you get up in arms about it — “Oh my gawsh, my favourite celebrity ISN’T a literary genius?” — consider that writing probably isn’t their specialty. They could be a bloody great actor, have the voice of an angel or be a wildly successful sportsperson (or even just an influencer who’s amassed a huge following and gets a book deal coz there’s a guaranteed audience for their book, ca-CHING). Does any of that amount to being a great writer? Not necessarily, and that’s so okay! We can’t all be good at everything, right? (And if we were, people like me would be out of a job.)

Now, you should know fro the get-go, the ghost writer life isn’t a glamorous one. It’s unseen, mostly uncredited and, in my experience, often underpaid — but that’s another story. Yeah, I’ve hung out with some crazy-high profile people, I’ve frequented the homes of the 1 percent… But the shine stays firmly on them, folks, when all’s said and done.

With this in mind, ghost writing is definitely not for everyone. (Possibly myself included… I’m the kinda gal who likes recognition for my work. I believe strongly in giving credit where credit’s due, which is kind of the opposite of what you get as a ghost writer.) But it can be a great way to flex your writing skills, meet some interesting people and bag some cash while you’re at it.

What is a ghost writer exactly?

Essentially, a ghost writer is someone who is paid to write a book for someone else. The ideas in the book belong to the person hiring the ghostwriter, but they need an experienced writer to help them get those thoughts down on the page.

A lot of celebrity memoirs, for example, are penned by ghost writers because these individuals lack either the time or the skills (or both!) to write their own books. And like I said, no shade — they’ve got other stuff going on, their talented in other areas… you’d get a qualified mechanic to work on your car, why wouldn’t you hire an expert to write your book?

How much do ghost writers get paid?

Ugh, if you find out could you let me know?! No but seriously, this seems to vary wildly, and it’s super-hard to find a standard fee online. Even in discussions I’ve had with commercial book publishers about industry standards, no-one seems keen to give you an exact figure. And I get it, to some extent — there are a lot of variables, like the ghostwriter’s experience, how many words the manuscript will be, the genre, who’s paying… (eg. the ‘author’ or the publisher, if there’s already a book deal in place).

Experienced ghost writers can make anywhere between $15,000 and $60,000 — again, depending on those things I mentioned earlier, like genre, experience, expected time outlay, etc. You’re simply not going to pocket the same cash from an illustrated kid’s book as you will from a 100k-word memoir!

As rough guide from a few different sources (and my own experience), ghost writers can charge somewhere between 25–30 cents per word. If you’re just starting out, you might be looking at something a little closer to $5000-$9000 per book (or 10-15 cents per word).

Photo by Gaman Alice on Unsplash

How do I become a ghostwriter?

Again, full disclosure, I kind of stumbled into this line of work. It wasn’t totally random — I’d been in magazine publishing for about 13 years beforehand, as a writer, section head and then editor of national commercial titles. Book publishing is a bit of a different ballgame to mags, but as far as writing (and editing) goes, a lot of the same storytelling principles apply, so that background definitely put my in a great starting position to become a ghost writer.

Ghost writing is definitely not for everyone. Possibly myself included… I’m the kinda gal who likes recognition for my work. I believe strongly in giving credit where credit’s due, which is kind of the opposite of what you get as a ghost writer.

Again, full disclosure, I kind of stumbled into this line of work. It wasn’t totally random — I’d been in magazine publishing for about 13 years beforehand, as a writer, section head and then editor of national commercial titles. Book publishing is a bit of a different ballgame to mags, but as far as writing (and editing) goes, a lot of the same storytelling principles apply, so that background definitely put my in a great starting position to become a ghost writer.

1. The first step, I think, is to get super comfy with the idea of not getting the credit. To some people that’s really no big deal. To others, it’s a deal breaker — all that hard work and no pats on the back? So make sure you feel okay with this part of the deal, coz that’s the ghost writer life!
2. Next? Get some experience. I know, I know, it’s not like you can just casually write a handful of books to throw on your LinkedIn profile. But keep writing. Keep an eye out for freelance writing opportunities, post on your blog regularly, heck get a job as a writer, even if it’s short-form (ahem, hello, magazines!). Create long-form Insta captions, pitch to websites, newspapers, help friends with their website copy… get into the practice of writing more to hone your craft.
3. While you’re at it, hone your interviewing skills. You’re going to need these as a ghost writer because, while some people are great at telling their story (just not writing it — that’s what you’re here for), others will have to be prodded and poked and finagled and coaxed into sharing their ideas, thoughts, feelings and emotions (and trust me, you’re going to need all of the above for a genre like memoir, for instance).
4. While I am definitely not an advocate for working for free (heck no!) or charging less than you’re worth, you might need to offer some discounted rates when you step into the biz, and raise your fees as you acquire experience and skills.
5. Once you have some experience under your belt, some examples to show potential clients, some confidence, skills and know-how, join online platforms and Facebook groups for the publishing industry to offer your services and keep an eye out for potential jobs/clients. One of my favourites is Reedsy, but there are plenty out there. You can also get in touch with publishing houses to let them know you’re around and available — you never know when they might be on the lookout for a great ghost for one of their authors!

Liked this article? Come visit me at Edited Away — I offer writing workshops, tips and 1:1 mentoring.