HERE’s a fun fact: did you know that Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon- the purported authors for the popular childhood mystery books Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, respectively- didn’t exist? These names are pseudonyms that represent a variety of named and unnamed authors who wrote in the same style about the characters in the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys fictional universes. These writers agreed that they would give up all rights to the work they wrote and operate under confidentiality.

Writers who agree to terms such as these and write copy for books, articles, speeches and a variety of other types of written work but are not credited for and have no rights to that work thereafter are called ghostwriters. Instead, the credit and ownership of the written work go to the client who hires the writer.

For some artists, such an idea may seem absurd; the thought of pouring your effort and creativity into the work, only for others to take the credit. And perhaps, at its very core, it is. But, ghostwriting is an extremely useful and convenient method of producing written work. In fact, the business of ghostwriting can be quite lucrative, depending on the types of contracts you procure.

Those bestselling memoirs and autobiographies you see being churned out by celebrities? Many of them have ghostwriters to thank for them. Lots of popular songs that heat up the charts are also written by ghostwriters. Even works of art and musical compositions credited to famous artists have been created by unnamed persons. Ghostwriting is more popular than you may think, but as its name suggests, it is meant to be a covert operation based on a mutual agreement between parties.

Are there advantages to being a ghostwriter?
Long ago, ghostwriting was frowned upon and considered a “lazy” or “dishonest” way of gaining recognition by taking credit for someone else’s work. Today, ghostwriting has transformed into a lucrative subgenre where ideas can be developed by other parties, while those who put their names on the work pay the creators handsomely for their creativity. In many cases, ghostwriters are even publicly acknowledged by their clients or are sometimes referred to as “research assistants” and other titles.

That is not to say that the clients don’t do any work in the process. Ghostwriters have varying degrees of participation in the creation of written work ranging from the actual writing of the entire body of work and coming up with all the ideas; to rewriting something that someone has already written; to simply developing someone else’s ideas or even writing a story that they would have narrated orally.

Though they may not have any rights to the work they initially created, this career path does have its perks. For one, clients pay a hefty price for someone else to undertake the bulk of the work, so if you’re fine living a life of obscurity but would still like to put your writing skills to use, this is a good path for you to get into. Ghostwriting also gives its writers a vast amount of knowledge. Every time a ghostwriter undertakes to write someone else’s story, they have to become that person.

The job also requires the unique skill of being able to adopt the subject’s voice. Speechwriters — a type of ghostwriting — have to ensure that when their subject reads from that speech, the words they say are not unlike the things you would hear them say in an interview or at another forum. Ghostwriting, therefore, requires extensive research and acquiring the knowledge of the subject you are writing on then using that knowledge to come up with a finished product that can sound credible. Ergo, ghostwriters are constantly able to learn and improve their writing skills through the versatility required for what they do.

How do I become a ghostwriter?
First, it would be good if you have some manner of a portfolio in professional writing before you undertake ghostwriting. Clients looking to hire ghostwriters need the highest quality of work because many times they occupy high-ranking positions in society and need to uphold a particular standard. Start creating a portfolio for reputable writing projects you have done in the past so that your client can know you can undertake the job.

Next, practise your research skills and learn how to write in different voices. No two projects are the same in ghostwriting. Every written project is for a different occasion, and if you have multiple clients, it means that you have to learn to speak in their distinct voices. Undertake writing courses that can help you to do that, there are many available online.

Market yourself. Internationally, ghostwriters now have agents that market them to bigger clients, but if you are now starting, you can find many potential clients on peer-to-peer platforms like Upwork, Freelancer and even Fiverr. My first ghostwriting client came from Upwork. He was an international speaker based in South Africa and wanted a ghostwriter to write a 20-chapter book on leadership. The job was tough, but in the end, I received good reviews for my research and promptness. Good-paying ghostwriting jobs do exist! So, familiarise yourself with these platforms, create accounts and start looking for open jobs that can land you clients.

Ghostwriting is not for everyone. But for writers looking to make money while working on their own projects, this is a viable niche that you can tap into. Just put your best writing skills forward, be professional and do your research and you will find that the opportunities are out there!

Interested in contributing to this column on writing? Email me at thewritemind592@gmail.com