This is the first of a series of three blog articles on ghostwriting. Whether you are a writer of a different sort wanting to launch into a new branch of word creation, or you are looking to hire a ghostwriter to finally get that book written. Or perhaps you are an entrepreneur and need to get some content out there to assist your readers and build your business.
This article, we’ll explore what a ghostwriter is and what they do. The articles which follow will delve into how to find the right ghostwriter to produce your content, and tips and tricks on getting into ghostwriting yourself.
So, what is a ghostwriter after all?
Perhaps some clue might be in the title. A ghostwriter writes.
But what do they write?
Well, just about anything. Generally, ghostwriters will specialise; this allows them to develop greater experience and expertise in certain content areas, which ultimately allows them to produce a better quality piece of work for their client.
For instance, a ghostwriter’s niche might be B2B content writing. Or it could be writing books, like small business support books, or memoirs.
It’s not new.
Ghostwriting isn’t a recent concept. In fact, many famous politicians and speakers throughout history have been known to deliver speeches penned by another person. More recently, ghostwriters have been used by everyone from small business owners needing a white paper written, through to celebrities wishing to pen their autobiography and successful CEOs writing their business book.
Are ghostwriters different to copywriters?
There is an overlap. The key with a ghostwriter is that their name remains withheld and authorship of the work is officially given to someone else—there are a few exceptions to this but we’ll discuss them in a later article around confidentiality clauses.
A ghostwriter is essentially invisible in the finished product—hence, the ‘ghost’ part. This can sometimes be the case for a copywriter too (which in fact makes them a ghostwriter anyway). You can read more about what copywriters do here.
Copywriters and ghostwriters write similar types of content. Ghostwriters certainly get work writing content marketing material like blogs, articles, and EDMs, as well as website copy for businesses, white papers, speeches, and reports. They might also assist in developing a company’s corporate story (read more about business storytelling). But a ghostwriter may also write full-length books, which is not often a task a copywriter will take on.
Want to know more?
Our next article delves further into what genres of work a ghostwriter will do, and how to go about finding the best ghostwriter for you, including key questions you need to ask and even a rough idea of how much you can expect to pay.