Hens Lay Eggs
food for thought
What’s involved in ghostwriting?
The very nature of ghostwriting makes it a murky topic shrouded in a fog of mystery and concealment. This makes finding ghostwriters difficult, discerning what’s considered reasonable and appropriate rates difficult, and understanding the ghostwriting process difficult.
That’s a lot of difficulty.
Gotham Ghostwriters published an article that sheds light on the cost aspect of ghoswriting. If you’re considering having a ghostwriter do the heavy lifting for your project, then “for an objective dose of reality,” I urge you to read this article: “Straight Talk for New Authors: What to Expect About the Cost of Hiring a Ghostwriter.”
The article by Gotham Ghoswriters candidly explains what a ghostwriter does to earn those fees, but how do you determine whether you even want or need to hire a ghostwriter? That decision must come first.
Who would you hire a ghostwriter?
As my colleague Judy Lane-Boyer stated, “Tons of people want to write books. I had no idea what a huge percentage of the population does until I became a ghostwriter! But for the vast majority, the book dream stays in their heads . . . because they DON’T know where to start or what to do.”
Think of it in a less personal sense.
Consider business. Every company out there produces written content, from social media posts to technical manuals. Someone has to write all that content to convey information, instruct on procedures, impart insight, and market the business or products. From brochures to case studies to newsletters to catalog descriptions to annual reports: business generates a lot of content, and they hire people to write that content. Those writers don’t get bylines; they get paid.
Now let’s return to you, personally. Be honest with yourself because honesty is critical to making a smart decision.
- How good is your writing? Is it “good enough for a report” but not truly engaging?
- Do you even like to write? Doing something you dislike only makes the project more difficult.
- Have you already written a book-length manuscript, or even a short story? Writing 50,000 words or more is a big commitment.
- Do you have time and are you motivated? Or would you rather hand off the project to someone else with the skill and creativity to do your idea justice?
If you’ve ever tried writing a story and, upon reading what you wrote, noticed it felt flat, then you have learned that writing is craft. Craftsmanship is necessary to produce good quality work. Craftsmanship understands rules and conventions and follows them to ensure the product meets the standards of professionalism. It particularly applies to much business content, such as policy manuals and instruction booklets.
However, creating content that engages the reader requires that extra soupçon of artistry to elevate prose into something people want to read, something that will engage and hold their attention while imparting great advice, keen insight, or just entertaining them for a while. Attaining that level of skill requires more than craftsmanship; it requires talent. A ghostwriter brings talent, a love of writing, and the requisite artistry to elevate your story that acquires and holds the reader’s attention.
For more on how hiring a ghostwriter might be your best decision, read this article: “13 Ways a Ghostwriter Can Help Your Write Your Book.”
If hiring a ghostwriter makes sense for you, then consider hiring Hen House Publishing. I specialize in ghostwriting short form nonfiction (e.g., blogs, articles, LinkedIn posts, etc.) spanning diverse topics and both short- and long-form fiction across a wide spectrum of genres.
Except horror. I don’t do horror.
Another year closer to retirement
My son, Brian, is embarking upon the next phase of adulthood: fatherhood. That means I’m going to be a grandmother. Brian and the mother-to-be have already determined what my husband and I will be called: Nonna and Papa.
I prefer Nonna to Granny, so I’m not going to complain.
Having just celebrated (not really celebrated) my 58th birthday, I’m at the age when being a grandparent isn’t unusual and retirement looks better and better every day. However, I’m not quite ready for retirement.
A good bit of my weekdays is filled with hustling for work. Being freelance, I’m always hustling. I embody the hustle culture, even though I draw firm boundaries between work and personal life. I’m always on the lookout for new projects.
The desire, urge, or even need to continue working is imbued in my psyche. That strong, driving work ethic is part of my personality, even though I do idleness really well. (My husband can’t handle idleness.) Work fulfills a deep-seated need to contribute and be productive. It’s a need I don’t really see in younger generations; however, I suspect every generation before mine thought the same thing about my generation.
So, what type of work do I seek?
I primarily look for editing gigs. I enjoy working with authors to improve their writing. Editing a book manuscript is my happy place. That’s where I excel.
There’s a certain pleasure in helping an author improve his or her written content. The trick is to do so without overwriting the author’s distinctive and unique voice. That becomes extra tricky when an author dwells overmuch in passive voice or “telling” mode. I must fight the inclination to rewrite entire paragraphs to suit my idea of what should be there and restrict myself to margin comments and small refinements to guide the author’s own revision.
Editing and rewriting are not the same.
I do accept rewriting projects, something others call book doctoring. In this sort of project, the author provides drafted content and I rewrite it, expand upon it, and improve it so it’s fit for public consumption. This gets invoiced at a higher rate than editing.
I also seek out writing projects. I ghostwrite fiction and nonfiction, but not the same kind of documents. For nonfiction, I’ll write blogs and articles. I conduct fast, laser-focused research to write with authority and intelligence on diverse topics. For fiction, just about anything goes, but I don’t write scripts or screenplays. There’s a bourgeoning industry of online, somehow interactive stories that run as strings of text messages. They’re primarily geared toward teens and young adults and are filled with hyperbole and melodrama. They’re not my style and I don’t do those either; I’m probably just too old or old fashioned for them.
When ghostwriting fiction—these are difficult-to-get projects, and I excel at those, too—I expand my repertoire beyond my normal fiction writing tendencies (romance, fantasy, westerns). I’ve worked on a fictionalized biography, young adult fantasy, mystery, and historical drama. A few have been screenplay-to-novel adaptations. These projects are great fun, and I’d love to get more of them.
As I edge closer to retirement, I also become more choosy in the projects I bid on and accept. The past decade has been instructive in teaching me what I do best and what I prefer most—and I tend to do my very best work when I work on what I prefer most. I don’t apply for everything that comes my way; I don’t accept everything either.
That’s the advantage of age and experience: I know what I do best and I’m happy to do it. I’m no longer exploring different career avenues because I’ve found my groove. It doesn’t mean I’m complacent or averse to learning new things or refining my skill, but it does mean that I bring enormous experience and sharp, spot-on instincts to every project I tackle.
And, really, isn’t that the benefit every grandmother brings?
Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing
First, let’s settle one question: If you self-publish, then yes, you are published.
There’s a lot of confusion with regard to publishing. The information to clear that confusion is readily available, but for whatever reason, a lot of people don’t bother to do their own research. I’ll break it down and make it easy.
There are three basic options available to the author wanting to be published: traditional publishing, self-publishing, and vanity or hybrid publishing. When it comes to determining a publishing option, follow the money and decide how much of the work you will do yourself.
Understand there is no need to pay for publishing.
Traditional Publishing
When one thinks of publishing, this is what comes to mind for most people. In the last several decades, the process of becoming published through traditional publishing company (e.g., Random House, Penguin) hasn’t changed beyond the transition from analog to digital. The author must follow the rules set by the publisher with regard to approaching the publisher and the package being submitted. It’s safe to say that authors pursue traditional publishing.
Many traditional publishers do not accept unsolicited submissions. This forces an author to approach literary agencies in the hope an agent will agree to represent his or her interests and sell the manuscript to a publisher. Just like publishers, authors pursue representation.
There are a lot of predatory individuals and companies claiming to be literary agencies. To determine whether the agency is legitimate, follow the money.
An agency that charges for its services is predatory. An agency that directs you to pay for publishing is exploiting you. An agency that insists you pay their editors to have your manuscript edited makes its money from editing, not from selling manuscripts to publishers. Such predatory agencies have no incentive to represent your manscript to traditional publishers.
The hard lesson for many authors to learn is that no publisher or literary agent is obligated to accept the manuscript. Because a traditional publisher pays the author, the publisher decides what to accept and whether and whether to publish it. The publisher also hires all the necessary talent required to make the work marketable.
The publisher may provide some initial marketing to launch the book, but the author should not expect sustained marketing efforts. Marketing, as a rule, is the author’s responsibility.
Self-Publishing
There are only two ways to guarantee your book will be published. One is to publish it yourself. When you publish your own work, you are the publisher and therefore responsible for everything a traditional publisher does. This includes hiring the services to make your book marketable.
Many authors unfamiliar with the publishing industry don’t realize this and believe they must do everything themselves, regardless of whether they have any skill at any of the tasks needed. Other authors know they should hire those services, but choose not to do so for reasons ranging from hubris to financial hardship. Self-publishing authors who save their money and budget for the professional services they need support the gig economy by hiring freelance writers, editors, designers, artists, and marketers. In general, those authors also produce much higher quality books than the authors who don’t hire these services.
The issue comes down to you can do it all yourself, but you probably shouldn’t.
There’s subtle difference in self-publishing and vanity/hybrid publishing. If you self-publish, you pay of the services you need to produce a quality book, but you don’t pay to publish the book. If you hire a vanity/hybrid press, then you pay for the services you need and you pay for them to publish your book.
The lack of quality control in self-publishing means the world has been flooded with substandard books. It gives self-publishing a bad reputation, even though many self-published authors produce top quality books that rival anything produced by a traditional publisher.
To make sure you hire a reputable professional, check portfolios (here’s mine) and LinkedIn profiles (here’s mine). Review work samples and speak to previous clients. Referrals are great!
Vanity or Hybrid Publishing
This third option causes enormous confusion. One might rightly call self-publishing a vanity; however, vanity publishers cloak themselves in the mantle of traditional publishing but require authors to pay to be published. Hybrid publishers also require authors to pay for the services they need and to pay to publish.
There are two basic differences between vanity publishing and hybrid publishing. A vanity press will no disclose its predatory practices: it attempts to pass itself off as a traditional publisher. A hybrid press open discloses its service as a one-stop shop for publishing: get all the services you need in one place, and the company will also publish the book.
The vanity press preys on the hopes and ambitions of authors and provides low quality service. A hybrid press encourages the author’s ambitions and provides professional quality services: they care about the products they produce.
It’s a subtle but crucial difference that may be difficult to discern. To help confused authors determine whether a company offering to publish their work for a fee is truly a hybrid press or an exploitive vanity press, Writer Beware offers a valuable service alerting authors to predatory companies. Another service that may be helpful is Editors and Preditors.
Paying to publish is not necessarily “bad.” For instance, it’s a viable option for a business executive who wants to impart the lessons of his or her expertise and establish himself or herself as an authority in the field. A professionally produced book boosts credibility and may also serve as another income stream. Someone wanting to memorialize a family history is also another common scenario when it comes to paying to produce a book in a limited quality for distribution to family members. There are many other reasons why one would choose this option.
The Upshot
There’s no one right and true way to publish your book, just as there’s no one right and true way to write your story. There are, however, best practices that have been proven to reliably produce quality products. Those best practices involve a team of professionals: the writer, at least one editor, a graphic designer, and a book designer. When it comes to publishing, the many variables involved in producing a book influence the book’s quality.
But remember …
Regardless of whether you pursue traditional publishing and all the cachet that comes from being one of the chosen few, embark upon the adventure of self-publishing, or hire a publishing company to produce your book, sales and marketing are your responsibility.
CAVEAT EMPTOR!
Yes, there are companies that specialize in book marketing. Just as you’ll find when searching for a publisher or hiring professional services, many book marketing services are scammers. Do your due diligence to ensure you hire a reputatable professional.
Hen House Publishing provides author assistance with the following professional services: ghostwriting, editing, proofreading, and book design.
Every word counts.
#henhousepublishing #editingservices, #ghostwritingservices, #proofreadingservices, #bookdesign
Author
Hard boiled, scrambled, over easy, and sunny side up: eggs are the musings of Holly Bargo, the pseudonym for the author.
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Karen (Holly)
Blog Swaps
Looking for a place to swap blogs? Holly Bargo at Hen House Publishing is happy to reciprocate Blog Swaps in 2019.
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