What Does A Ghostwriter Do?

When I tell people I’m a ghost writer I’m usually met with a bewildered smile, followed by the inevitable question: ‘What exactly does a ghostwriter do?’

Well, for starters, I can’t tell you what every ghostwriter does as we all tend to work differently and many of us have specialisms. For example, a colleague of mine writes business books and wouldn’t dream of touching an inspirational memoir. Another ghostie prefers the celebrity end of the market. As for myself, I’ve written 10 inspirational memoirs to date and though I’m very happy to ghostwrite other genres, I know that this is where my real strength lies.  So, for me, the book starts with the story.

Nowadays, stories tend to come to me from all sorts of avenues: they come through my agent Andrew Lownie, through my website ghostwriter4hire, from former journalism contacts and occasionally,very occasionally, someone seeks me out because they have read one of my books and they believe I am the ghost for them.

After the first contact is made, I’ll sit on the phone with the person and listen to their story. In that very first conversation, I’m trying to work out the answers to several questions:

1: Is this a strong story that can be backed up with evidence?

2. Is there enough material for a book?
3. Is this someone I can work with?
4. Do I have a connection to this person or their story?

The last question is crucial for me. There has to be something in the person, their story or the way they are telling it that moves me. It can be anything really; an expression, their voice, an anecdote or a throwaway line, but I have to hear something that inspires me, that makes me want to know more. After all, each book takes me around three months so I have to feel that I am spending my energies wisely.

Once all the requirements are met, I’ll set about creating a proposal for the book. Most non-fiction books are not written before they are commissioned; instead the writer creates a blueprint for the work in the form of a proposal. This is a hefty document containing a synopsis of the story, biographies of those involved, an analysis of where this books might fit in the commercial market and a detailed chapter breakdown. Each of my proposals is based on several hours worth of interviewing with the subject,takes at least three weeks and is typically between 7,000-11,000 words long. Once the proposal is ready, my agent will submit it to publishers in the hope of landing a commission.

Of course, I am not always successful. I’ve probably had around 65 per cent of my proposals commissioned, which is not bad going. If we do get offered a publishing deal then I arrange to spend about four or five days with my subject for some intensive interviewing. This is my favourite bit! As a former journalist, I love interviewing people, chatting away, really getting to know the person I am working with and to find out what makes them tick.

I record every interview so that I don’t have to worry about writing it all down. I just focus on the person and what they are telling me. And since I have to understand them completely, I don’t shy away from asking deeply intimate questions. Though we start out as practical strangers, by the time I leave, my subject and I are like the best of friends. Now I am the guardian of their deepest, darkest secrets and it is my job to put that person and their life onto the page. A daunting task.

The next part of the job is to transcribe all my recordings. Then I work out exactly how everything fits together in the story and whether significant parts of the narrative as outlined in the chapter breakdown need to change in the light of the new material. If so, I usually discuss this with my editor before starting work in earnest. Then, as soon as I am ready, the job of writing begins.

I usually produce three chapters a week, which I send to my subject on Fridays for corrections and additions over the weekend. Sending that first batch of chapters is always very nerve-wracking. Will they like it? Have I got their ‘voice’ right?  Once I get the thumbs up, I’m away and the chapters come flying out until, about two months later, the manuscript is written. It’s slightly miraculous, even to me. Then there’s one more week for reading and checking before we send it off to the editor for a structural edit, copy edit and legal read.

But this isn’t the end of the story. The ghostwriter is really responsible for the book more than anyone else so over the next few months I have to get all the copy editor’s queries answered, the legal issues ironed out and ensure my subject is happy with all the other stuff like the cover design, the back cover blurb and title. Finally, publication day arrives and I am on hand for press and publicity queries or to accompany my subject to a TV studio for moral support. I will even write articles myself to help promote the book.

So what exactly do I do? The answer is… practically anything!

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* Katy Weitz has ghostwritten ten books, many of which have been bestsellers. For more information visit  ghostwriter4hire.org or contact her agent at andrewlownie.co.uk.

 

 

Tags: featured, ghostwriting, memoir, women writers

Category: On Writing