Because your client will be taking the credit for your words, something unique is required of you as a ghostwriter: Those words need to sound like they were written by someone else.
When you write, you likely have a voice. The freedom to express your thoughts and opinions is probably what attracted you to the literary world. We writers do tend to be an opinionated bunch.
Unfortunately, that tendency must be repressed for the ghostwriter. You are now responsible for voicing the thoughts and opinions of another person. But... how?
The first, and most straightforward, technique to prepare to ghostwrite for someone is to simply talk to them. A lot. In many ways, ghostwriting is like acting. You need to study your subject, get to know them and learn how to imitate their voice and style.
A thorough interview should always be part of your repertoire. This can be part of the initial discussions that include communicating about job descriptions and expectations. The point is for you to gather all the information you need to be able to effectively pretend to be this person.
This interview process will also give you a chance to get to know your client's views on the subject, something that is particularly useful for nonfiction assignments.
In a similar way, vocal recordings can be incredibly useful tools. An interview may not be possible. I've worked with clients who hired me through a third party because they were so concerned about protecting the confidentiality of the project. In that case, the representative contacted me and answered any of my questions. I never actually had the chance to speak with the client or even knew who they were. (Although, I did eventually figure it out through deduction.)
In many ways, recordings can be even more valuable than interviews. Plus, your client's “conversation voice” is likely going to differ significantly from their “writing voice” or their “opinion voice.” When they just rattle off their ideas into a mic, you have a record of them speaking naturally about the subject, and you can easily refer back to that in the future. You can even pull notes and quotes directly from the recording as you listen to it.
This was particularly useful for me during several projects I did for a female athlete. Although she was—to date—one of my favorite clients, the gig came with several unique challenges. First, she was a woman. I am not. Also, English was not her first language.
My client also had a very distinct style and voice, which she had very cleverly built into her brand. For all of her savvy and ability, however, she just wasn't comfortable writing. We also lived several hundreds of miles apart in different time zones.
A recording was the best option. Once it arrived in my email inbox, I could listen to her rant on the subject as many times as I needed. I was also able to extract exact quotes that I liked, and change the wording as I needed. This gave me the ability to directly insert the client's voice into the piece, which then lent credibility to the rest of what I wrote.
There are plenty of other ways you can get to know your client and their voice. Even without ever actually hearing them speak.
More often than not, your client will probably just want to hand you an outline or a manuscript and let you work with very limited contact. Of course, you'll have the ability to ask questions – which you should absolutely do – but the majority of your work will be based on some form of document.
Study that document. Learn to identify the main points. Decide what ideas can be scrapped and what concepts need to be developed.
Sometimes, a ghostwriter is asked to essentially rewrite something, rather than work from scratch. In my career, this is typically an article written in the past by the client (or another ghostwriter who did a less than satisfactory job). If you encounter this situation, do not simply edit that article.
That's not what you were hired to do.
Treat that article, and any other manuscript that you're given, as an outline. Take quotes from it, use it for references, but write your own piece.
The ability to rewrite is also extremely valuable when working on fiction projects. Very often, someone looking for a ghostwriter to work on their novel will already have a short manuscript that tells that story. Usually however, this is simply a summary and is not intended to be the book itself.
Are there interesting side-stories that could be embellished to build up the character or provide more context? Mark them on the manuscript and, when you start writing, use them as reference.
In one of my fiction projects on a fantasy novel, the client's summary briefly mentioned that the citizens of a certain rural village made use of massive hogs for transportation. In another sentence, the summary mentioned that the people there also lived in reverential fear of the surrounding forest. These two simple points fascinated me enough that I wrote several pages worth of backstory that intertwined both the hogs and the forest with the character of the protagonist.
The point is this: Allow yourself to be influenced by the work that the client has already done.
Up to this point, I've sort of bounced back and forth between discussing the requirements of ghostwriting nonfiction and fiction. But it's time to really focus on this because, in truth, they are two very different tasks.
When working on a nonfiction project, having some familiarity with the subject is a powerful advantage. Still, if you're a capable researcher and have taken the time to learn from your client, you may be able to put on a pretty convincing show.
Even if you have that ability, you might decide that you want to specialize. Which I highly recommend. Generalist writers have the advantage of being able to take on more work, but they also tend to get paid less. Plus, you will presumably select a specialty that you enjoy, making your work less of a chore.
Unless the client has a very distinct style or way of talking that they're known for, the voice used in nonfiction tends to be a little more flexible. Of course, you will need to be aware of any jargon that may be appropriate for the topic and genre that you're working in.
A common type of ghostwriting gig is the memoir. In these situations, you will usually have pretty liberal access to either the client or a detailed outline. Since you're working with a real person's (presumably) true story, you really don't have a lot of freedom with either voice or story. Get to know your client as well as possible and avoid letting your own style creep in.
Ghostwriting fiction presents a unique set of challenges. Since fiction is, by its very nature, a highly creative act, individual styles tend to be much more pronounced. Learning to write within the bounds of your client's style is key to the success of the project. To do this, read as much of their work as possible. The more you take in their ideas and speaking pattern, the easier it will be for you to imitate them.
Sometimes, though, this can be an issue. While many writers who look for ghostwriters are capable of telling a well formed story... others are not. Occasionally, your task will be not only to imitate but also to emulate – that is, imitate with the goal of improving. This can be a tricky balance; you need to honor their way of thinking and expressing themselves, while making those thoughts... better. To do this, focus on the core ideas rather than the actual sentences. How can those concepts be expanded or phrased in a more pleasing way?
One of the biggest problems that you will face when asked to ghostwrite fiction will have to do with the story itself. Usually, the client will give you a fairly complete outline of the arc of the book. Of course, good writing dictates that you weave in other elements to deepen the plot and build more interesting characters. Be careful, however, that you don't take too many liberties with the client's ideas without checking first.
This can be a challenge, especially if you get really involved in the project and start falling in love with your ideas. Remember, this book isn't supposed to represent your ideas. If you do think up something you would like to add that deviates from the client’s original plan, do your best to sell it to the client. But you have to be willing to let it go if the client turns it down.
Remember that little tangent I went off on about pigs and forests and such? Yeah... the client didn't like it either. Personally, I absolutely adored it and felt like it was pure genius. But it got cut. And the client had every right to do that.
If you're just starting out and cannot afford to be picky, it's fairly possible that the person you now have to speak for might be someone that you strongly dislike or disagree with. Before the job even starts, you need to decide just how strong those feelings are and if they will affect your work.
As I mentioned in the introduction, most of my work takes place within the health and fitness field, an umbrella of topics that tend to be highly controversial and divisive. It's not unusual for me to be hired by an individual who has a much greater degree of notoriety than myself and has developed a distinct brand philosophy. Unfortunately, this also means that it's not unusual for me to be asked to write something that I disagree with on a visceral level.
In one situation, a client sent me the topic along with some notes and the request to “back everything up with studies.” Here's the problem: The ideas that he was asking me to support had long since been debunked by credible science and are largely considered outdated and inaccurate by every authority on the subject. There were no studies to cite.
I was then faced with a dilemma. Do I write the articles and twist the science? Or do I simply refuse?
This is a question that you will very likely face as a ghostwriter. What you chose to do is a highly personal decision that will likely be influenced by how much you disagree and how much you need the work. Also, if you signed a contract to work for a specified length of time or to produce a certain amount of work, it may not be a wise decision to try to back out.
In my case, the issue was not big enough for me to make a scene. Granted, I disagreed and hated feeling like I was propagating information that I knew to be false. But then I remembered something that a ghostwriter should never forget: It doesn't matter what I think.
Again, I had been hired to write the client's ideas. For all of their fallibility, his philosophies weren't hurting anybody. They were just wrong. So I wrote them and allowed him to use them to impact his own reputation. That's his decision.
Plus, I discovered a useful little trick that we'll get to in Chapter Three.
There have been times when I've had to just tell a client that I could no longer work on a certain project. And, you may be put in this same position at some point. But how do you know when it's time to let that job go?
As I've already mentioned, you may be able to simply overlook some of the issues. Or you may not. Is your dissension going to impact the quality of your work? Although you might think that you're such a professional that could never happen, no one is immune from this.
You have your own personal beliefs, opinions and values. When a client asks you to write something that conflicts with those beliefs, opinions and values, you are likely to withdraw and lose interest in the project. Even if you're totally determined to soldier on.
It's much better for both yourself and the client if you speak up early, rather than produce sub-par work – which would waste your time and your clients money and could potentially impact your reputation.
But how do you have this conversation? If possible, it's better to avoid getting into an argument with your future ex-client about the issues you're having. In a very non-confrontational way, explain that you are having issues supporting some of the thoughts and cannot produce the quality of work that they need on that subject.
Or you could give them no explanation and state simply that you are no longer available. Just be aware that this approach will likely receive a less than favorable response.
What about those working in fiction? The basic principle is the same. You might be uncomfortable with the subject matter or even with the style that you're being asked to work in. Be honest but respectful when expressing this.
In both of these cases, it would have been better if you could have anticipated the problem before accepting the job – which is why open communication during the interview stage is so valuable.