Posts
Confessions of a CEO Ghostwriter
By Henry DeVries I have a confession to make. After ghostwriting hundreds of books and articles for CEOs, I can tell you I once was tempted to kowtow and let them tell their story the same drab way: with too many facts, too many insights, and no overarching story. But that became, as the cliché…
What’s Ahead for Ghostwriting and Publishing in 2026
Table of contents: AI is Actually Driving Up Demand for Ghostwriters The Sudden Rise of the Luxury Book Ghostwriters Need to Increase Their Own Visibility A Legal and Ethical Reckoning is Coming The Publishing Landscape is Changing Industry Consolidation is Creating Both Risk and Opportunity The Bottom Line Spend any time around ghostwriters, and you’ll…
Resisting the Pull of Generative AI
By Jeff Raderstrong AI’s writing abilities have dramatically improved in the last few years – it can produce compelling fiction and (in certain cases) humans prefer AI writing to human writing. Writerly responses fall anywhere from outright outrage to maybe-this-isn’t-so-bad. While the philosophical debate continues on, the reality remains: AI can write, maybe better than…
A Writer’s Scam Thwarted
The best emails writers receive are from potential clients expressing an interest in working together. So, when someone who represented themselves to be an individual named “Alice Smith” emailed about a potential project, with a subject line of “Writer Services Needed ASAP,” I, of course, wanted to learn more. Alice Smith said: Top of the…
The 2025 Ghostwriting Industry Report
Despite being one of the oldest professions on record, ghostwriting as an industry continues to evolve and grow. This past year was no exception, thanks in good part to technological advances and shifts in reader preferences. Seven of the developments having the greatest impact on book ghostwriters in 2025 included the following: 1. Artificial Intelligence…
7 Things Ghostwriters Should Do Now to Start 2026 Strong
Now that we’re officially in the last month of 2025, some ghostwriting clients are going to be shifting their focus to 2026 and putting off starting any new initiatives right now, while others may be trying to squeeze in some last-minute projects to spend any available funds. If you’re in the former camp and are…
Ghostwriting Gold: What 200+ Ghostwriters Taught Me at Last Week’s Conference
Although I go to writers conferences expecting to take pages of notes from experts on the panel discussions I attend, I frequently pick up even more gems from the people around me. This year at the 2025 Gathering of the Ghosts was no different. Co-hosted by the Association of Ghostwriters (AOG) and Gotham Ghostwriters, the…
How Ghostwriters Can be Marketing Geniuses for their Authors
By Jennifer Locke As Julie Andrews sings, “a bell is no bell until you ring it.” And a book is no book until people read it. Before they write the first word of a manuscript, ghostwriters should ask authors this question: “How do you plan to market the book?” Writing a book takes an enormous…
Help Ghostwriting Prospects Find You
I’m always surprised to receive emails from individuals who are trying to get in touch with a particular member of the Association of Ghostwriters (AOG). In fact, I probably receive an email a month from prospects who are having difficulty reaching an AOG member. These are people who have a need for ghostwriting services and…
Why You’re Not Getting Responses from Ghostwriting Prospects and What to Do About It
I’ve had a few conversations with Association of Ghostwriters (AOG) members recently about job leads and how best to respond to increase your chances of hearing back. Whether you’ve heard about a project through the AOG, ASJA, Author’s Guild, EFA, or through a colleague or agency, here are some recommendations to help your response be…
Guest Post: Navigating the Financial Ups and Downs of the Ghostwriting Industry: 10 Suggestions and Safeguards
By Alice Sullivan I’ve been in the book publishing industry since 2001, primarily as a ghostwriter. While I’ve experienced a few bumps in the road throughout my career when it comes to managing project loads, the rare unhappy client, and the stress of rate negotiation, I’ve never had financial whiplash so bad as over the…
Does Cold Calling Work for Ghostwriting?
Contacting people who don’t know you to ask if they might be interested in your ghostwriting services is not a new marketing tactic, and it is still used today because it works. More than 100 years ago, Alfred Fuller, who later founded the Fuller Brush Company in 1906, began selling household cleaning brushes door-to-door. He…