Hello everyone,

For this Friday post I thought I’d give you a sequel to a previous post ‘What is a Ghost Writer?’, again brought to you by my Dad, John Carter. He’s been an author for 13 years and has published many books in that time – mainly sports-related, including the award-winning ‘Warriors on Horseback’ for Bloomsbury Publishing.  Has also undertaken considerable work as a ghost-writer and copywriter, so I thought he’d be the perfect person to tell you a bit about what it’s like being an author; over to him!

The Writing Process

Writing a book is difficult.  Unpublished authors can feel overwhelmed by the whole process and quickly lose confidence and momentum.  They stop enjoying the experience and it becomes a burden.   My advice would be to just do it.  It probably won’t be word perfect but it doesn’t have to be.   Just start writing and over time the words will start to flow.  By all means try to emulate writers that you respect and enjoy, but also remember to put your personal stamp on your work.  In my first book the initial chapters didn’t flow too well.  I was suffering from imposter syndrome and was too conscious that I was an amateur and not a ‘real’ writer.  So I tried to copy writers that I liked.  Over time I forgot about that and developed my own style. 

Working with Publishers

Most publishers specialise in certain genres and for an unpublished author it can be difficult and frustrating to find one that wants to work with you.  Bear in mind that they won’t need to read the whole book to make a decision.  A sample chapter plus a synopsis of the book is what they will need plus a persuasive argument of how they can sell copies and make money! That’s the key because, in truth, publishers are driven almost entirely by profit.  If they believe that the idea behind your book is commercial enough then they will be interested.  In my experience they are less worried about how well-written it is.  They have editors and copyrighters who can polish up the prose if need be.  Once you are a published author they I found the doors are easier to open.  You have experience and a track record.   Now that I have several books to my name I have developed useful contacts in the industry.

Of course nowadays there are many self-publishing options, many of which are quite inexpensive.  

Rewards

If you are going to write a book purely for financial gain then I would suggest you think twice!   Unless you are lucky enough to become a best seller then you are unlikely to be able to justify the amount of time you will spend on the book in purely monetary terms.  But there are significant benefits to becoming an author.  Finding that a publisher is willing to print and promote your book is a big thrill.  I vividly remember seeing a cover for the first time with my name on it.  What a buzz!  And going in a bookshop and seeing your book on the shelves never ceases to amaze and delight!     

So, I hope you found that interesting! Thank you to John for providing his insights for this post, if any of you have any questions feel free to comment them on here or DM us on Instagram, I’ll get John to reply as soon as possible.

I hope everyone’s doing well!

– Elisha (& John)

In case you’re interested:

Published books

–   Play the Masters, 1992, Queen Anne Press

–   Newmarket – a year at the home of horse racing, 2008, SportsBooks Ltd

–   First past the post, 2010, Abbeydale Ltd

–   The stupid footballer is dead (ghost-written with professional footballer, Paul McVeigh), 2013, Bloomsbury Sport

–   Warriors on horseback, 2015, Bloomsbury Sport.  2015 winner of the prestigious Dr. Tony Ryan Award in America

–   Good Manager Guides – published as e-books on Amazon, 2019 

–   Ahead of the Game (written with professional footballer, James Coppinger) – to be published by JMD Media Books in October 2021

Hello everyone!

We have a different kind of blog post for you today: an insight into a career in English. If you like this idea please let us know and we’ll try to put together more posts like this one, detailing other career paths.

This post, however, is discussing what it is to be a ‘ghost-writer’, brought to you by my Dad, John Carter, who has been a ghost-writer and author for numerous years. Over to him!

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I’ve always enjoyed writing and I’ve relished linking my love of words with my love of sport to write non-fiction books as a hobby.  Being a published author is a big thrill and I’ve had five books published under my own name. 

However a few years ago I was contacted by a professional footballer who wanted to write a book but didn’t have the time or expertise to do so themselves.  They wanted me to work with them and act as their ghost-writer.   A ghost writer is a person who writes under someone else’s name with their consent. They get paid for their services but normally receive none of the credit for the work produced.  It is quite normal, for example, for celebrities to employ ghost-writers to produce their autobiographies.

There is nothing illegal or deceitful in this relationship and increasingly my hobby has turned into a business; nowadays most of my working week is spent writing, usually on behalf of someone else. I’m almost a full-time ‘ghost’!

About a year ago someone asked me to explain in more detail what the role entails and my reply was garbled and unconvincing.  I knew that I had satisfied clients and books had been successfully published; I knew that once we agreed on the approach we’d meet up for chats, I would ask questions, they would talk and then I turned their words into a manuscript. But that explanation felt like it sold myself and the role short.  It had become so intuitive that I wasn’t even sure myself.  So I resolved to do some analysis. 

Recently I ghost-wrote two books totalling 130,000 words across eight months and, for the first time I plotted the time spent, the process followed and my thoughts along the way.  This analysis informed the following set of tips that might be helpful for someone who has aspirations to ghost-write professionally:    

·         There’s a lot more to ghost-writing than interviewing people and then transcribing their words – that’s only a quarter of the time. To use a sculpting analogy, that just gives the ‘clay’ to start moulding.

·         The hard graft is in converting the initial content into the book’s agreed structure, with a coherent, joined-up flow and in the client’s authentic voice so that a first draft comes to life. This is where the ‘moulding’ takes place and it takes up nearly half of the overall time.

·         In terms of time spent in creating the book it’s a 90/10 ghost-writer/client split, albeit the client is always in charge.    

·         It really helps if you work with clients that you feel chemistry with on subjects you know and enjoy. That was the case for these two books and it helped immensely.

·         Agree on a loose framework for the book upfront with the client, including the topic areas to be covered and how the content will knit together in a way that engages the reader.  Try to keep to that because 180-degree changes of direction are time-consuming.  However recognise that manuscripts inevitably assume a life of their own! 

·         Apps can transcribe audio interviews but time savings are limited because rigidly transcribing word for word is of little value. It’s more nuanced than that.

·         In addition to being crouched over a laptop, you will spend time glazed over, mulling over aspects of the book whilst walking, laying in bed, eating etc.   I have grown to relish this creative thinking time.

·         If you feel in the zone then ride that wave and get writing but that can’t always be the case and at times you will get stuck when you are not quite in the mood when you open up my laptop. It’s more about perspiration than inspiration.

·         A fresh pair of eyes – ideally ‘representing’ the traits of a customer group likely to purchase the book – should read the first draft of the book before the client sees it.

·         The scariest moment is sending that first draft to the client.  To get a response  saying ‘it’s great, just what I was looking for’ is a great joy and relief!  

·         To write in the client’s authentic voice pay attention to their key messages, pet phrases and use of language. 

·         When the sentences and paragraphs feel clunky and refuse to flow then read them aloud.  The rogue words will reveal themselves.

·         Although it’s ‘work’ you are still allowed to enjoy the process.  Besides, you will write more fluently if you feel that way.

If you have any questions then leave a comment and I’ll do my best to answer them!

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So, there you have it. That’s what a ghost-writer does; VERY simply, they write a book for the client through initial interviews, then transcribing their words and doing extra research, and then creating the book around those very basics. Of course there’s check ins, lots of drafts and other processes as well – not to mention if the client wants you to help them publish the finished book!

I hope that this has been helpful, and perhaps inspired some of you consider this career path. As mentioned, any questions let us know in the comments or over on our Instagram and we’ll get back to you with answers from John.

We hope you’re having a lovely day!

-Elisha (and John)