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Ghostwriting
The first
time someone asked me to ghostwrite her book I said, “no.”
Ghostwriting, I thought, was for hacks, a deceptive art
practiced by lowlife writers and desperate wanna- be authors
either too rich or too lazy to write their own work. I was
wrong on all counts.
I am lucky
that the first ghostwriting request came from someone who
was persistent, and whose life story was interesting enough
so that eventually curiosity got the better of me and I
relented. I fully expected, however, that the most rewarding
aspect of the job would be the money, but on that count
I was wrong again. While my own work still holds my highest
attention, I nevertheless have discovered in ghostwriting
a viable and valid creative process that I am proud to publicly
declare.
Ghostwriting,
as I practice it, is a highly collaborative process, so
if you’re looking for someone to scribe your opus while
you catch a Coppertone tan, I’m not the ghost-gal for
you. I ghostwrite because I have found that the clients
I take on are often transformed by the process of having
to try and translate for me their life stories or finest
ideas into conversation that I can rework as usable, if
not inspired, prose. I expect every client to write for
me a table of contents that often becomes the template for
their book. This is often a difficult, and occasionally
painful process, because it forces people to confront the
issues that have lead them to seek a ghostwriter in a very
direct way. I had one client, a convicted felon, who, in
writing his table of contents, broke down in tears. He explained
to me that he had not confronted the truth about his life
in years.
This is
why I ghostwrite, because of this man’s tears. Because
it had been years, for him, for many of us, too much time,
too many words, lost but now reclaimed. As a practicing
clinician/psychologist, I pushed my patients to find and
then write the plot lines of their lives. Ghostwriting,
thus, is a natural extension of my early clinical training,
but without the constraints imposed by a doctor/patient
relationship. In ghostwriting, I become, paradoxically,
clearer about who I am by living inside the worlds of people
who I am not; I become an exorcist, of sorts, not a ghost
at all, not by a long shot; the clients are the ghosts,
but by the end of the books they feel firmer, their lives
seem truer, and they hold in their hands a product made
of pages but reflective, like glass; I give the gift of
many mirrors. I am lucky to do so.
The reflection
is never mine. Neither is the book. I am not really a ghostwriter.
Think of me as your underwriter. I invest in you. Because
you are worthwhile, you have generated an entire life, or
a single, rich idea. This is why the return is yours to
keep.
Are
We A Match?
I get many
more requests that I can take on. Sometimes I have to turn
a client down because of time constraints, but other times
it’s because we are not well suited to one another
in my opinion. If you were actually able and willing to
read through the entire “ABOUT” section and have
not dismissed me as a right-brain aging hipster, then we
might be compatible. Here are some of the other qualities
I look for in a potential client:
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You have a story
or an idea that is more than a notion. It is something
you have thought a lot about, and you can articulate
your basic premises. I am NOT a ghost thinker. I am
not able to read your mind or do your thinking for you.
There are ghostwriters out there who are willing or
able to develop theories or plots for people, but I
am not one of them. Consider hiring me not if you think
you might have something to say. Consider hiring me
if you in fact feel you do have something to say, and
are ready to say it, to the best of your abilities.
For instance, I had one potential client, a psychologist,
who spoke to me about writing a book about aggression.
“But what about aggression?” I asked. She
did not know. She wanted me to first develop her theory
and then write her book. I won’t do that, because
if I did do that, it would be my book, not yours. |
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You have the time
to collaborate with me. I don’t need hours and
hours a week, but I do expect you to be available to
write your table of contents and to read and comment
on chapters as I write them. I also expect you to be
available for several exploratory conversations in which
we flesh out the topic and trade ideas. These conversations
will occur at several critical points along the way. |
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You want to publish
your story. I enjoy helping clients winding their way
through the publishing process. It is very difficult
to find an agent, and if you were to do this on your
own, your chances are slim to none that any agent would
even get to your work in the slush pile. One thing I
can do for the clients I take on is assure them that
a first rate agent will read and consider their work.
I can assure my clients of this because I only take
on clients whose ideas are compelling enough to me that
I am proud to show the product to my own agent, or to
other agents with whom I have a close working relationship.
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You have the money
to put towards such a project. I work on a sliding scale
but in general my fees begin at 10k for a proposal and
50k for a full-length manuscript. We will discuss the
relative merits of writing a proposal versus a full-length
manuscript in our initial meetings. |
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The first consultation
is of course free of charge. However, I have found it
necessary to begin charging once the first consultation
has passed because too many people tend to use hours
and hours of my time for publishing advice, which I
am happy to give, but only in the context of a working
relationship. After our first consultation, if you want
to continue to speak, you will need to put down a deposit,
the specifics of which we can discuss. |
What Happens When
My Book/ Proposal Is done?
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Because I only
take on clients the agents I collaborate with have already
expressed an interest in, after your book or proposal
is completed I submit the work to one or several of
the agents I work with. I may occasionally show work
also to one of my editors, although this is always done
with the agents’ full knowledge and approval. |
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Some clients fail
to understand that this part of the process takes time.
You must be prepared to wait several weeks for a response.
Because the agent has already expressed an interest,
responses are rarely rejections. They can be wholesale
unequivocal acceptances to suggestions for revisions
after which the agent agrees to represent the work. |
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Some of my clients,
usually from the business world, have asked me if they
can pay one of the agents I work with to meet with them
prior to submission, or pay one of the agents to represent
the work before even having a proposal or a book to
submit. The short answer: No. You can meet with your
agent only AFTER your agent has agreed to represent
the work. Unlike other businesses, money in the publishing
world will not by you advantage. Talent will. |
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Once the agent
agrees top represent your work, the process for editorial
submission begins. I explain this to clients at the
appropriate time. A few things, however, are important
to understand up front.
1. YOU DO NOT
PAY THE AGENT.
2. YOU DO NOT
PAY THE PUBLISHER. Unlike self-publishing, you do
not pay these professionals money to take on your
work. The agent will take 15% of whatever your book
earns. The publisher is paid by the sales your book
generates.
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Of the books I
have ghostwritten 98% have been represented successfully
by an agent. 88% of the books I've ghostwritten and
coached have been published! These numbers are unusual
and outstanding. |
If you are Interested
In Hiring me as a Ghostwriter:
Contact me at writing@laurenslater.org
and describe your project as best you can. Send your CV
or resume, if you think it's appropriate. Please put your
phone number in the contact information.
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