Marcia Layton Turner
The Ghostwriting Process
I’ve come to realize that while writing is an art, I’m not an artist – I’m the owner of a ghostwriting business. For that reason, I should have processes and systems in place in my company to ensure consistency of quality and to improve my own efficiency. Do I believe that you can create a…
Take a Blues Lesson from Buddy Guy and Mark Hummel: Expand Your Brand with a Book
Guest Post by Douglas Glenn Clark The excellent memoir When I Left Home by legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy was not penned for fame and fortune. He already has both. Guy wrote his book (with the help of a ghostwriter) because long ago he made a vow to do anything and everything he could to…
Secrets to Writing Faster
One of the biggest reasons clients decide they need a ghostwriter is time. They don’t have enough of it yet they still need to regularly post articles on their blog, or prepare a speech for next month’s professional conference, or get started on that book they’ve always wanted to write. Without enough time, non-writers decide…
The Art of Juggling Ghostwriting Projects
Believe it or not, in addition to being talented writers, ghostwriters are also skilled jugglers. But rather than keeping balls or fruit or bowling pins in the air, they keep writing projects circulating. Being able to manage multiple ghostwriting gigs makes the difference between earning a decent living and being financially well off. Consider how…
Good News for Ghostwriters
Today’s Association of Ghostwriters teleseminar with Debra Englander, editor-at-large at John Wiley & Sons, Inc., was quite an eye-opener. We all know the bad news about the book publishing industry – contracts are harder to get, advances are negligible, and competition fierce. On today’s call, Englander did not dispute any of those observations but, instead,…
Are We in a Golden Age of Writing?
Have we entered a golden age of writing? A recent article in Esquire seems to suggest so and a blog post at Gotham Ghostwriters, with a slew of comments from fellow writers and ghostwriters, seems to bear that out. What do you think? Are there more opportunities emerging for quality writing now than a few…
How Ghostwriting and Co-Authoring are Different
An article in yesterday’s trade press decried the recent announcement that novelist Wilbur Smith, who was signed to a six-book deal with HarperCollins, would be paired with co-authors for his forthcoming books because he admitted he couldn’t keep up with the writing pace on his own at age 79. There were claims of ghostwriting and…
Are you charging too much as a ghostwriter?
There have been some online discussions recently about ghostwriting fees. Mainly, ghostwriters want to know what they should be charging for their work. They want to know what the “right” amount is to bill. And, truth is, there is no blanket “right” amount for ghostwriting work. Every ghostwriter has to decide for him or herself…
Ghostwriters: How to be in the Right Place at the Right Time
We often hear that success can happen when we’re in the right place at the right time. That’s true whether you’re a ghostwriter or not. But how do you know where you should be and when? You can’t predict when a potential client will decide to begin their search for someone to ghostwrite their memoir,…
Demand for ghostbloggers is rising among physicians
When you picture a doctor hard at work, you probably visualize him or her meeting with patients an an exam room, or in an operating room, or looking at x-rays, right? You picture them doing what they’re good at, which is evaluating medical cases and prescribing treatments. That’s what they were trained to do.…
Ghostwriting is Not Article Spinning
Have you seen job postings for large quantities of articles – maybe 50 or 100 at a time? And have you wondered how someone could write so many variations on the same topic? Well, they generally don’t. Which also helps explain the paltry fees offered. Increasingly, clients are asking that writers craft a single article…
Is ghostwriting deceptive?
According to a tweet today from Pastor Rick Warren, “Using a “ghost writer” is PRETENDING to be an Author & claiming credit for another’s work. It’s deceptive & dishonest.” Oh, really? I humbly disagree. A ghostwriter is not someone who comes up with an idea for a book and sells that idea to someone else…