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What is
ghostwriting?
What
kinds of writing do you do?
Who have you
worked for?
Will
you get credit for the work?
How much does it
cost?
How long will it
take?
Do you
do all the work yourself?
Will you help me to get my book published?
What is ghostwriting?
We’re not crazy about the term ghostwriting, but it seems that’s
what most people call one person putting another person’s message into
words—and that’s what we do. In a sense, we are literary impersonators.
Borrowing your "voice," and writing under your byline, we do our best to say what you want said in the way you want it said.
Thus, ghostwriting goes beyond mere editing. (To learn more about our
editing services, please go to
Edit Resource.)
Our work as ghostwriters starts by intently listening to you describe the piece of
writing you are looking to produce. Once we have an agreement to work
together, we take whatever source material you give us, such as a first
draft you have worked up or transcripts from your speaking engagements.
Of course, you may not have anything like that and may prefer to have us
interview you. Either way, we work with you to get the information we
need and then we get busy writing.
During the writing process, we collaborate as closely
with you as you want, and we do everything we can to make sure you are satisfied with
the final product. In short, we custom-design our approach to the
project according to your particular needs.
What kinds of writing do you
do?
We write books, articles, study guides, reports, newsletters, book
proposals, online content—you name it. But we respectfully pass on any
project that we believe might turn out to be dishonest, destructive,
immoral, or illegal.
Some of our ghostwritten work has been self-published; much of it has
gone out through major publishing houses.
Who have you worked for?
We prefer to give our clients privacy and to let them mention
working with us. But while withholding names, we can tell you
that we have worked for the following individuals:
• A popular
psychologist whose books about improving relationships have sold in the
millions
• The
president of a nongovernmental organization who wanted a book to
publicize his organization’s social work in developing nations
• A politician who wanted to release a book about character in public
life, coinciding with his reelection bid
• The head of an international Christian ministry whose declining health
prevented him from personally completing a book that was close to his
heart
• A pro football star, a rhythm and blues legend, and a U.S. Senator,
all of whom had been asked to contribute brief stories of their lives to
a collection
• A preacher who wanted to offer viewers a study guide that went along
with his upcoming television program
• A musician who wanted to publish his autobiography but whose
enthusiasm for writing stopped at producing the notes for the project
•
Many more well-known and
lesser-known people
Will you get credit for the
work?
We have no
desire to take credit for your ideas. We do believe, however, that
readers deserve to know that someone other than the primary listed
author was involved in preparing the material. So typically we request
that a client offer some kind of indication of our
participation. This could be a byline that says something like “Your
Name with (or and or as told to) Eric Stanford.” Or it
could be a line on a copyright page that says, “Prepared in association
with Edit Resource” (Edit Resource being the company through which we
offer our ghostwriting services). Or it could be a mention in the
acknowledgments of a book.
How much does it cost?
Our fee varies depending on how long it takes us to complete the
project. And that depends upon such things as how extensive the material
is that you want us to produce, how complex the subject matter is, how
much research you need us to do, and how available you are for
interviewing. Once we gather detailed information about what you are
looking for, we can provide an estimate of what our work
will cost you. We require that 50 percent of the estimate be paid up
front, with the balance of our bill paid within thirty days after we
complete our work.
We
don’t charge for minor expenses (such as long-distance phone calls and
postage). On the other hand, if we incur major expenses in completing
your project (such as airfare and lodging bills required to meet with you in
person), we would expect you to reimburse us for those costs.
How long will it take?
That depends on a lot of factors, including all of those listed above as
affecting the cost. To give you some idea, though, an average-sized book
of average complexity, with helpful source information provided by the
client, usually takes us around three months to complete.
If
you’re in a hurry, we may be able to find ways to speed up the process,
such as by hiring a research assistant. Please note, however, that we charge extra
for rush jobs.
Do you do all the work
yourself?
Usually. But we are in touch with other publishing professionals who
research, write, edit, proofread, create indexes, and so on. If your
deadline is tight, or if you are looking for specialized skills we don’t
have, we can (with your permission) look for someone in our
network to help us meet your needs.
Will you help me to
get my book published?
We will write the material you request—including a book proposal if you
want one—but that’s as far as we go. While we can give you some basic
advice about finding a graphic designer, a literary agent, a publisher, a printer, or
whatever else you may need, we do not provide their services ourselves. |
