Successful ghostwriting assumes basic organizational and writing skills, but there is more. The ability to listen and listen carefully to the client's own voice and point of view is a close second.
Tape recorded interviews are a must since they can be played over and over to make sure you are on the right track or that you haven't missed something important. Research skills also come into play. For example, an event fuzzily remembered may have to be fact checked for details.
Money and Opportunity
Money is the primary reward, and – these days – if you’re a Canadian freelancer and get paid in U.S. funds, given the current exchange rate, so much the better. The Writer’s Union of Canada recommends a minimum fee of $40,000, paid in stages, for a 60-90,000 word book length assignment, exclusive of research fees. Identifying likely markets and preparing a book proposal for prospective publishers may be add-ons too, depending on the terms of the contract upon which you and your client agree.
The seemingly high cost may frighten off potential clients, but that’s okay from the writer's vantage point. Consider that the work from start to finish may take from six months to two years to complete. Given this possibility, providing fair value to the client may prevent the freelance writer from taking on other work. “Opportunity cost,” the bean counters call it.
There’s another aspect to opportunity cost, one sometimes overlooked. It boils down to: “You’re only as good as your latest gig.” Musicians suffer it, actors suffer it, and so do writers. After completion of a contract the ghostwriter may be left with the dilemma of how to market his services, considering months of invisibility. Talk about trying to sell an intangible! Viewed from this perspective, a $40,000 fee is not so astronomical.
Why This Book?
An excellent way to discover what motivates your client – and what will subsequently be the focus for the book – is to ask the question during the preliminary sitdown: “Who is your intended audience?” Often for memoirs, the immediate answer is: “Family, friends, and descendants.” This question is a good starting point most of the time, and certainly before any contract is signed.
Sometimes, though, lurking behind that response and waiting to be coaxed out is a sincere belief that this book has a valuable message for the world, and it may be the case. There may even be a secret fantasy of an Oprah appearance or a movie starring George Clooney, Kate Winslet or some other superstar. It’s important to out these desires since they will affect both the focus and your writing style.
One veteran ghostwriter asks a follow-up question: “If the book came to a movie deal, who would you like to see playing your part?” Surprisingly, a folksy memoir can suddenly shift into a general audience style. While that may seem neither here nor there, it can be the difference between a happy client and a disappointed client, and the latter won’t do your future business one bit of good. Is a happy client a reward? You bet!
Other Rewards
Not all of the rewards of ghostwriting a person's story are monetary by a long shot. From where the freelancer sits, as much or more can be earned churning out corporate PR releases and annual reports, speeches for politicians and business leaders, or other “write for hire” work. Most likely foregoing the byline becomes incidental if the work is constant.
A job well done is a reward in itself, and if an acknowledgement appears in the book or even alongside the author's name on the cover, so much the better. It will be noticed.
For intensity, personal involvement, and demands on one’s research, writing, and interviewing skills, undertaking a book-length ghostwriting assignment is far more satisfying because of the challenges, not in spite of them. This is why many ghostwriters, once bitten, continue to look for more assignments, for better or for worse.
Learn more about this subject in Tips for Ghostwriting a Memoir.
