Ghostwriter

Ghostwriter, ghost writer. Or better known in Spain as literary "black" is a figure of literature that has been around for a long time. In fact, there are rumors, for example, that Alexandre Dumas was not really the writer of The Three Musketeers, but the "black" of him.

But what is a ghost writer? What characterizes him? Is it legit? If you have ever considered it, or you have received an "indecent proposal", perhaps what we tell you will surprise you.

What is a ghost writer

A ghost writer is nothing more than a person who writes on behalf of another. That is to say, that other person commissions this person to write something for him (a novel, a story, an article...) knowing that he will never be able to reveal his authorship and taking all the credit for that other person who will be the one to sign as if I would have written.

In other words, he is a "worker, a black man" who does the work but the merits, recognitions and even profits will be received by another person.

Although many think that they are only used to write books, the truth is that you can also order biographies, speeches, articles... any text in which one person writes on behalf of another.

Now this is not so "humiliating". We talk about one unleashing his creativity and then the other one getting all the praise. It's actually a job, one for which you are paid a certain amount of money, sometimes higher due to that loss of rights.

Of course, you must bear in mind that that ghostwriter has to take the deal, and voluntarily assign their authorship. That doesn't mean "free".

Ghost Writer Features

With all of the above said, there is no doubt that we can glean some important clues that characterize a ghostwriter. They are between them:

• Give the authorship to another person. Unless another agreement is reached with the person who hires him, in principle the name that will be accompanied by that document will be that of the buyer, not that of the seller ("black"). In fact, sometimes it is common for the author himself to appear in the book, not as a writer, but as a copy editor.
• There is a confidential agreement. In which the parties share the most important points, not only the legal and confidential, but also the deadlines, how much is going to be paid, confidentiality clauses, transfer of rights, etc.
• It pays. This is perhaps one of the main reasons why so many people, writers or not, take to being literary "blacks." Because they pay you to write. That is, you don't have to wait months, even years to get a good remuneration for your books; You don't have to promote yourself either, but once the job is finished, you receive the money and that's it. No more headaches. And that, believe it or not, is a great incentive.

How to be a ghostwriter

Has the bug bit you and have you seen that It can be a job opportunity as a writer? Well, it is not unreasonable to see him, in fact, some writers combine his facet as a writer with that of writing for others. But to get the jobs to come to you, first you have to take into account the following:

you need a resume

And with this we do not mean that you say what training you have, courses you have done... but to show your work. Have samples of what you have done, what techniques you dominate, types of literary genres that you are good at, etc.

Sometimes, demonstrate certain literary awards is a plus because it will generate a lot of confidence and they will also know that you are good at writing if you have won.

Specialize

Although at first it is good to be more general in order to have more work, over time it is much better to specialize in one or two genres, maximum 3, because then you will not only be good at it. It's just that you'll be the best for those books.

Find clients

The clients are out there. But let's be honest not easy to find or get them. When you go to some famous person or writer offering yourself, the most normal thing is that they reject you, either because they have not considered any book, because it seems to them an offense (as if they did not know how to write) or for any other reason.

That's why sometimes you have to advertise "in other ways" that are not so direct to capture her attention and make customers feel more comfortable (many prefer to treat these issues as discreetly as possible).

make yourself known

Related to the above, you have to be an accessible professional for these people. And for this you can make use of your website, social networks, literary forums... and even events, congresses, etc. That will open the doors to potential clients.

How much does a ghost writer earn?

One of the main doubts that arises when you think about being a writer in black is knowing how much you should ask for. The truth is that the rates are usually between 5 and 15 euros. What exactly does it depend on? Then:

• of the job that they ask you for. An article of a thousand words is not the same as a book of 100000 words. The more they make you work, the more the price per page usually goes down.
• Experience. It is not the same that it is your first order to that it is number one hundred. When you are already specialized, your price goes up.
• Complications. Because you have to document yourself, like that, because you have to imitate someone else... all that increases your cache.
• How famous your client is. Because sometimes many choose a high number when they know that it is a book for a person who is going to make it viral a lot, and that way they make sure they have at least a pinch of the fame that book could get.

Now that you know a little more about the subject, if you are good at writing, have taken your first steps in literature and have had some successes, it is very likely that you can dedicate yourself to being a ghost writer. Although maybe you should first think about whether you like the idea that others get all the praise and you can't tell anyone that it's you who should have them.