What Is Ghostwriting?
Some people want to write a book but don’t have the time or energy to do it. Maybe it’s because you’re a speaker and writing is just not your thing. Maybe it’s because you have way too many things going on and don’t have time to sit down with your laptop and punch out the words. Maybe it’s because you don’t want to learn what all goes into writing a good book (because there’s a lot).
All of these are valid reasons for not writing a book. But you still want to!
So what do you do? You hire a ghostwriter!
Ghostwriters basically take your words and turn them into a book. It’s still your book because it’s your words and ideas, but you don’t have to sit at the keyboard for hours on end!
This probably sounds too good to be true, so let me explain a little more with some FAQs.
Can you publish the book under your own name?
Yes! The contract will transfer the copyright over to you, so I won’t own any of it. When we’re done, it will be 100% your book! At that point, you can publish the book under your own name or a pen name or whatever you want.
Who owns the copyright?
In the US, the person who wrote the words owns the copyright—that’s me. However, we’ll both sign a contract that transfers the copyright over to you once I’m done, so I won’t own any of it once the project is complete. It’s all you.
Can you make changes to make it feel like your book?
Please do! I encourage all my clients to make any revisions they want after receiving the draft. You’ll have multiple chances to rewrite whatever you want. I’ll be the writer, and you’ll be the content editor. This is a collaborative process.
Will this really save you time?
Think about how much time you’re spending looking at my blog right now. Imagine spending time figuring out how to outline, and then how to write a book, and then how to publish, then what editors to use (What even are the types of editors? Do you need a proofreader too?) then finding a designer, and how long is this book supposed to be? And that doesn’t even include all the time actually writing, which could take hundreds of hours.
You’re going to spend a few hours with me in interviews and sending me information for the book. And you’ll have a few hours of revising the book (if you want, but it’s up to you) each time you get it (around three times). So that adds up to . . . way less than doing it yourself.
But . . . is this legal?
It’s absolutely legal! I have a contract that maps out exactly what service I will provide and what you’ll get from it. Then you’ll decide how much you tell people about working with a ghostwriter; you don’t have to say anything at all or you could use my name. Totally up to you and what you decide. I’ll be under a non-disclosure agreement to not share that I worked on your book, but it’s up to you whether you share our agreement with others.
