I'm a Ghostwriter. Ask me anything

[Saggingninja]

And yes I should be writing!

Following

I can't believe David Walliams writes his own! Is that true?

Interesting thread. I ghostwrote a non-fiction book years ago, a one-off. I enjoyed it, and the Amazon reviews were pleasingly complimentary about my writing (but it was a very niche subject so barely sold!), but I wasn’t sure how to get into it so am now doing something else.

I barely got a thanks from the ‘author’, of course!

I'm one too!

Thanks for replying ninja (that's appropriate for a ghosty, not sure about sagging though!
I am a nosey git and love AMAs like this.
For anyone else interested on the topic these articles were enjoyable:
www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/what-the-ghostwriter-saw-i-write-they-take-the-credit-1932674.html
www.theguardian.com/books/2004/oct/23/featuresreviews.guardianreview34

It's not often I get to talk to fellow ghosts, so I have a few questions too if that's OK ninja?

Do you ever approach publishers for private clients?

If not, do you give them your contacts (names and direct email addresses)?

Do you do whole packages for the clients who want to self-publish?

Thank you!

I have never heard of Naim Attalah and I have never read A timeless passion (1995) Despite being intrigued to just how bad the sex scenes are, I think I'll survive not reading the 'fucky fucky'
(for anyone bemused, he was who the aforesaid Jennie Erdal hosted for for two decades before writing a ghosty equivalent of a kiss and tell).

hosted? ghosted

I can believe David Walliams writes his own for the simple reason that they’re really not very good. That’s not being snobbish, from a technical point of view, structurally and so on, they’re really not great. And yes, kids love them and so on, I’m not smacking him down, but if you compare them to Roald Dahl - I mean the rhythm, sentence structures, vocabulary - he’s not a tiny patch on him as a writer. Just nowhere near, it bugs me that Walliams is compared to Dahl at all. And actually he could be a lot better with some strict editing!

Of course David Walliams writes his own books! He wrote comedy scripts long before he wrote children's books.

www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n05/andrew-ohagan/ghosting

Here's O'Hagan's article about Assange OP mentioned - thanks ninja
I admit I am terrible and like klatsch and tratsch aka sleb twaddle so my interest is not all innocent

hollow Keep your hair on, I only asked because at some point it was questioned, probably reddit or somewhere equally reliable

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3461441-To-think-that-David-Walliams-hasn-t-written-all-his-books?pg=3

It was on here!

It's on MN every month or so! Tbh none of the posters knew anything anyway, they just thought they did!

Hi ‘Weliveinapigsty’ waves
I haven’t done a self-published yet and would be interested in your experience as a lot of writers will call it ‘indie’ publishing – which is fine but you really have to be your own super tough editor and it can be hard to wear both hats. I’ve read a few self-published and quite a few have great ideas and good stories but the point of view is all over the place or the voice slips or the novel sags in the middle. I’m not a novelist but I appreciate just how hard it is.

Neither have I approached publishers for private clients – again I’d be fascinated in your experience!

Emma your experience sounds fairly typical in terms of not getting any thanks. It’s quite common for the ‘author’ to really believe that they wrote it themselves. As I said for my most recent book I happened to be in the publishers office when they were talking about the latest book launch and when they realised I was there, an embarrassed silence ensued. They could hardly invite me to the book launch of the book I had written in case I accidentally let slip that the author hadn’t written a word. Or even worse I’ve heard of ghosts who have done this for years, suddenly snapping and shrieking in bookshops: ‘I wrote that! And that! And that!’

Hi Ninja!

I haven't taken anyone through the self-publishing process either, but I get a bit frustrated when clients put a really awful cover on something I've worked on and it just screams unprofessional when it goes out there, despite them having paid me to write it really well! I just wondered if you knew of any great companies, who were reliable and genuine, who did the whole process.

In terms of giving out my contacts, I have always done that in the past, but I think I might change that approach. Clients always want more of them, no matter what, and although I tell them that publication is never guaranteed (in fact, it's quite unlikely), there is always the worry that they might give the impression that I've implied it's a done deal.

I'm not bothered when someone doesn't credit me - although most do - but I did laugh when I saw someone on breakfast TV talking about how they had pushed themselves so hard to write it, when I doubted they had even read it

I’ve heard of ghosts who have done this for years, suddenly snapping and shrieking in bookshops: ‘I wrote that! And that! And that!’

And weliveinapigsty that’s hilarious, about the breakfast TV slot.

Fascinating that you think some really believe they wrote it ninja. I can believe that after my experience.

Weliveinapigsty

There's a well known ex pop singer - now fashion designer who shall remain nameless Victoria Beckham who got a well known journo to write her book for her. VB was thrilled by how it turned out and invited the journo to her house for a 'surprise'. Journo travels half a day to get to VB's house and turns up to find the surprise is a bunch of flowers and a copy of the book that SHE HAD WRITTEN.

Maybe we should ask Mumsnet for a subsection in creative writing on Ghosting. According to my agent and many others I'm sure, the publishing industry is kept afloat by them.

DH knew a ghostwriter who started specialising in sports autobiographies — he claimed that while the egos were just as big, they were less likely than other celebrities to actually pretend to have actually written their books (mainly because none one would believe them.) The main challenge was trying to make endless football cliché sound interesting, apparently.

Ninja God re VB I wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry. Bunch of poxy flowers and waste of petrol/half a day. Has she never heard of Interflora?!

I have been looking for a ghostwriter and my search led me to this thread and I love how you write your words. Is there any chance we can chat? Via your agent, I guess?

Another ghost here, waving hello. I write lengthy web content on a range of dull topics that appear under the byline of well known international experts in a slightly niche field. It pays well but is like wading through wet cement much of the time. My creative writing and other work have all nosedived since I started so half hoping the contract won’t be renewed.