Always Go to the Original Source for Verification

Most writers understand the importance of finding the original source of information before using it in a book, article, blog post, report, speech, infographic, or anywhere else it may be cited. Those who attended journalism school likely had it drilled into them, while others learned through other methods, such as books or workshops.

The core takeaway is that professional writers don’t cite a second or third-hand source. That’s the equivalent of hearsay. For example, you wouldn’t cite a publication if the publication quoted another source, such as a report or government study. In that case, you need to quote the original report or study.

This is important for several reasons.

Confirming that the information you’re sharing is accurate is critical. Did the other writer accurately summarize the report’s findings, for example? Or did they take some data out of context? You need to see the original source to make sure that what you’re using is in line with the original presentation of the data.

Second, you want to try to cite sources that are the most current. Citing data that is incorrect or outdated makes you look, at worst, less credible as a ghostwriter and, at best, a sloppy researcher. For example, if a particular study is released annually, you would expect to be citing 2024 data in 2025, unless the publication isn’t released until later in the year.

What you wouldn’t do is cite data from 2015, for example, if there are 2023 or 2024 numbers. The problem with writers who rely on older data is that they can make assumptions or projections that turn out to be off-base because they didn’t seek out more recent figures.

We could also talk about the reliability of sources, with scholarly data being given more weight than a personal blog, but suffice it to say that you should always seek out the original information source to avoid relying on poor information in your decision-making.

This is true with respect to reporting as well as in other instances that have surfaced recently.

Ghostwriting agencies

If you’ve read past blog posts here about ghostwriting scams, you know that these bogus operations seem to be multiplying. There are many websites and so-called ghostwriting and publishing businesses online that seek to separate you from your money.

Some provide formatting of your materials and call it ghostwriting while others won’t provide much in the way of writing services at all. That’s why they’re considered scams — you won’t get much, if any, value for the money you give them.

One way to protect yourself with these operations is to, once again, go to the source.

That is, look for the name of someone who runs the business. Can’t find a name and bio? Be skeptical that it’s a real business then. Anyone who starts a business is generally very proud to tell you who they are.

Then, look for the names of ghostwriters or editors who supposedly work with the agency. If there are any, and most scammers do not list the names of any ghostwriters they partner with, email the ghostwriters to ask if they are affiliated with the ghostwriting company in question.

Go to the original source.

I suspect that in most cases you will receive a response that the ghostwriter is not affiliated with the fraudulent company and that their identity has been borrowed for the appearance of legitimacy on the scam site.

In fact, this has happened. In one instance, when an author reached out to the ghostwriter who was supposedly hard at work on their book, the ghostwriter had to tell them that they had no idea who they were and that the writer was not involved in their project. The only way the author discovered this fraud was by reaching out to the source, to the writer to verify their connection to the supposed ghostwriting agency.

I encourage you to do the same, to be sure you are not paying money for services you won’t receive.

This brings me to another situation that has cropped up — the sale of mailing lists of writers.

Mailing lists

Last week, a mailing list company emailed many members of the Association of Ghostwriters (AOG) to ask if they wanted to buy a mailing list of our 1,000+ members.

Only, we don’t have 1,000+ members. I don’t know who is on that list, but it’s certainly not a complete list of our membership; that information is kept private.

Yes, we have a public member directory of a portion of our members, which anyone can search, but we do not rent or sell our membership roll.

Several AOG members emailed to ask about the email offer and to inquire about the existence of the list.

They went to the source.

And I told them that the offer was either a scam or simply bogus information. Other writer organizations have also been targeted for this fraud, so we’re in good company.

I have received emails offering to sell me the AOG list as well as the membership list of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), as well as the attendee list for the Gathering of the Ghosts convention in 2024.

In all cases, the size of the list for sale greatly exceeded the size of the membership or event attendees. That means that most of the names on those lists are worthless. They certainly aren’t members of the organizations, nor did they attend the ghostwriting conference last year.

All of this is to recommend that before you spend money on an online product or service, including ghostwriting, confirm that the offer is legitimate. Go to the sponsoring organization or to the management to confirm that what is being sold is being done with their blessing.

You may save yourself a considerable amount of money by going directly to the source.