Comments on: Is Ghostwriting Fair? Ask Anne The Pro Writer

By: annew

annew — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 18:54:07 +0000

Actually, I’ve answered this in an upcoming post on Carol Tice’s blog… short answer is some of my clients have given me permission… another couple let me use them as references… I’ve learned to ask. Looking forward to meeting you f2f!

By: Cathy Miller

Cathy Miller — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 13:48:55 +0000

Anne-
I know this is an older post, but I thought I would ask a question. You know I have no problem with the ghostwriting since it’s a big part of my business. I ghostwrite articles and would like to move into ghostwriting books in my niche.

My question is, how do you establish your credibility as a ghostwriter if you cannot take any credit? On my site for my articles, I have a statement that I have written numerous ghostwritten articles that I do not post, but I would be happy to provide samples upon request. Would it be any different for a book?

Also, I noticed that you do claim credit for some of your ghostwritten books. Was that something agreed to in your contract? How often do you ask for that?

Thanks, as always, for your help, Anne.

P.S. I’ll give you a call next week when I am in SD.
Cathy Miller recently posted..Tagxedo Means More Cloud Coverage Ahead

By: Anne

Anne — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:51:54 +0000

Hi Laura, good to have you here. I didn’t know the number was as high as 70%, but it doesn’t surprise me. And yes, it’s rare for a ghost to break their promise of staying anonymous.

By: Anne

Anne — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:49:07 +0000

Rebecca – well said!

By: Anne

Anne — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:16:42 +0000

Maybe because I ghost I have no revulsion at all The lack of credit doesn’t bother me a whit… probably because I have a bunch of my own stuff published as well.

By: jorgekafkazar

jorgekafkazar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:02:09 +0000

"Time-honored" or not, there is in my mind an instinctive revulsion to learn that someone has been taking sole credit for another's writing. I can't blame the ghost writer--we do have to pay the bills and feed the kids. Lack of credit is something else. If the contract says the ghost is a ghost, so be it. If you sign it, you keep your mouth shut. I suspect Feinman was given verbal assurances that she'd be credited ("No PROBlem, Babs-baby!"), only to get the old razzle-dazzle at contract time, after she'd already bought the Maserati. I also find repellent the false pretense that the famous person is capable of writing an entire book when they're not. This is, pardon the expression, a LIE. .-= jorgekafkazar´s last blog ..Tenirax, Ch V =-.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:36:38 +0000

Ghostwriting is NOT for every writer. You most likely will not receive credit for the work, hence the term “ghostwriter.” I agree also agree that 70% of books are ghostwritten. I’m sure there are some talented celebrities out there who can write, but come on, the majority of them use a ghostwriter.

Most writers allow their ego to get in the way of their work. Writers who cannot let go of of the fact that they will not receive acknowledgment for their work may want to leave ghostwriting to writers who are happy to write and get paid for it. The other alternative is to co-author a book, but again, the ego can get in the way of this as well.

By: Laura Cross

Laura Cross — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:28:35 +0000

Thank you for this post Anne. The Barbara Feinman / Hillary Clinton ghostwriting debacle is an extremely rare case. I have been a ghostwriter for more than 16 years, and worked on 31 commercially published books. My client “authors” have appeared on Oprah, in Publisher’s Weekly and Amazon’s bestseller list. Never once have I come forward to “declare” that the author credited on the cover of the book did not actually write the book – that would be unethical and a breach of the ghostwriting agreement. It is believed that more than 70% of books published each year are ghostwritten – it is a common business practice of the publishing industry. If a writer wants to receive credit, than the hired writer works as a “co-author”. In the Feinman case, it appears this is how her original agreement was constructed and somewhere along the way she was relegated to ‘hidden’ status and wasn’t going to go quietly.
.-= Laura Cross´s last blog ..12 Techniques For Beginning Your Nonfiction Book (Part 2) =-.