Ghostwriting Novels: A Guide for Ghostwriters and the Ghostwritten

Publication due 24th October 2024. Ordering links will follow shortly.

“A no-nonsense, affable approach to the subject, covering all the bases and providing good, solid advice.” Jonathan Oliver, Editor

“I have an idea …”

You don’t have to have fame or fortune to have an idea for a novel. You do need to know what to do next, and that is where most ideas sputter and die.

However, there is an army of writers out there who can help you turn that idea into reality. They are ghostwriters, and they underpin the publishing industry. There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t hire one yourself.

This book is for any authors thinking of hiring a ghostwriter, and for any writer thinking of being hired as one. Ghostwriters, and the ghostwritten.

Authors will learn how novels are put together, and what they can or should expect of their writer. Writers will learn how to adjust their tried and tested skills to writing from inside the head of another person. From both points of view, this book goes through all the steps needed to ghostwrite a novel:

  • Developing that initial idea into a plot that will make a gripping story.
  • The common mistakes to avoid.
  • The legal, financial and practical aspects to take care of.

Above all, this book shows how ghostwriter and ghostwritten can work together in a rewarding partnership to turn that initial idea into the dreamed-of reality – a novel.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword, by Ralph Turner

Introduction

  • Who This Book Is For, And Who I Am
  • Defining Terms

1. What Exactly Is A Ghostwriter?

  • Not Only But Also
  • Why Publishers Believe In Ghosts
  • Ready to Make That Decision?

2. How Fiction Works

  • Where Do Stories Come from?
  • Where to Start…
  • The Idea
  • The Plot
  • The Characters
  • The Writing
  • Summing Up

3. What Goes Into Publishing A Novel?

  • Enter the Editors
  • It’s Not Just the Words
  • Rewriting the Rewrites
  • Now It’s the Words
  • Selling the Thing

4. Should I Hire A Ghostwriter?

  • Can’t I Just Use AI?

5. Finding And Hiring That Ghost

  • How Do I Know They’re Any Good?
  • Chemistry

6. Someone Wants To Hire Me!

  • What Does The Author Want?
  • Establish Expectations
  • Get To Know The Publishers
  • Get To Know The Material

7. What Makes A Good Ghostwriter?

  • Ditch the Ego
  • Deadlines Should Not Whoosh
  • Confidentiality
  • Series and Parallel
  • What Else Have You Got?

8. Red Flags

  • Clients to Avoid
  • Boundaries to Set

9. The Money

  • For the Ghostwritten: Some Harsh Facts About Money
  • For Ghostwriters: So, What Do I Charge?
  • For Both: PLR and ALCS

10. The Legal Side

  • Get A Contract
  • NDAs

11. Conclusion

Appendix 1: What Do I Do With My Manuscript?

  • Should I Find A Traditional Publisher?
  • Should I Self-Publish?
  • Other Options

Appendix 2: A Sample Contract

Appendix 3: Scams, And How To Avoid Them

Appendix 4: The Obligatory Origin Story