Beware if the first words out of a prospective client’s mouth are: “I could write the story myself but I haven’t the time.” Consider that remark a red flag and price yourself either out of the market or so high you’ll be able to retire when the job’s done. Better still, decline graciously and bring the meeting to a close.
Little Respect for the Writer
Between marginal universal education and the ease of written expression afforded by the Internet, respect for the ghostwriter's job has probably hit an all-time low. However, the ability to string a few sentences together does not a writer make. It’s similar to the ability to sloosh a dripping paint roller up and down a wall and declare oneself a house painter. The pages get covered and so does the wall, but more often than not the writing is rambling, incoherent, and full of errors, and the wall shows paint runs, sags, flashes, and missed spots.
The same person who doesn’t “have the time” to write his story will probably be stingy with face-to-face interviews too. These can be so vitally important they should be written into the contract. The ghostwriter can’t always operate from a distance with notes drawn up by the client, no matter how voluminous they may be. Interviews should be upfront and personal, no holds barred.
15 Minutes of Fame
Many prospective clients believe their personal stories have best-seller potential and blockbuster movie certainty, if not a stint on Oprah’s couch, and that it’s up to you, the writer, to make it happen. Among these are successful business people, whistle blowers, the wrongfully convicted or otherwise maligned, recipients of miracles – either by medical or alternative methods– and those who have found salvation by whatever means. Unfortunately, the potential is simply not there in 999 of 1000 cases.
As to those blockbuster advances on book deals or movie rights, the client generally must already be a household name, and in order to protect their investment, publishers will assign an in-house ghostwriter and editor right out of the gate.
Consider, too, the state of the publishing industry. In Canada, for example, the majority of publishers specialize in regional books. This keeps their production and distribution costs down. In that case, the bylined author is expected to do most of the marketing, travelling usually at his own expense from town to town, bookstore to bookstore, while balancing radio and TV station spots. If a client hasn’t the time to write the book or provide pertinent information, there’ll be no time for him/her to market the book, even to a regional market.
Obviously, cutting a deal between a ghostwriter and a client can be tricky. Consider, for example, that some prospective clients expect the ghostwriter to “buy into” the story, even to the extent of writing it for no payment except for future royalties. Few successful freelancers harbour such a death wish. Certainly empathy can be a useful tool, but it won’t keep the writer in beer and nachos – never mind necessities – for the couple of years it can take to put a new book on Chapters’ shelves.
Now for the Work
Let’s say a deal to ghostwrite a book has been struck, a contract signed, and a binder deposited in the bank. The client has been cautioned that publication is not a given and any obligation on the part of the ghostwriter to find a publisher has been explicitly written out of the contract deliverables. Now comes content.
The client naturally wants to appear in the best light possible, though will concede to inclusion of a few warts – after all, no one is perfect. Sometimes, however, this can become bizarre, especially when the client decides to share draft content with various family or friends. Suddenly, approval of a substantive edit is being conducted by consensus, and requests for numerous time-consuming rewrites not covered by the contract can result. This can often be a break point.
When ghostwriters share war stories at writers’ conventions, one tale describes the case of a memoir client requesting that the ten or so formative years of his first marriage be omitted because the second wife took offence to the mention of the first wife. Yet, there was a requirement that the child of the first marriage be kept in. Well, the client is always right, and the ghostwriter can only be thankful that his name is not on the book cover.
The whistle blower client usually goes after government or corporate interests, folks powerful enough to cause all manner of legal repercussions. Often the client is long on allegations and short on facts. In that case, the ghostwriter has to become fact checker for two reasons. First, to provide a client at least a fighting chance to get the manuscript past a publisher’s legal department. Second, to ensure that if litigation does occur, the ghostwriter is clearly and legally off the hook.
These are only a few cautions. None of them should discourage the professional freelance writer from taking a ghosting contract. Check out More Tips for Ghostwriting a Memoir.
