Ray Bradbury's ZEN IN THE ART OF WRITING

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury is the best book on writing I have ever read.

The advice Bradbury gives? Sit down and start typing. If you don't have an idea, just tap the keys at random. Sooner or later, you will form words, sentences, and paragraphs.

Get in the flow, the zone. Eventually, you will have written a short story or a novel. It's simple, but it works.

Writer's block doesn't have to happen. Engage the gears in your brain, and good things will happen.

All the time. Really.

How to Hire a Ghostwriter

Download a free copy of my book HOW TO HIRE A GHOSTWRITER from my website at William Hammett -- Independent Ghostwriter. This book is a "must read" for anyone looking for a professional ghostwriter since the profession has no oversight or regulation. Don't trust your book to amateurs, moonlighters, or the inexperienced ghosts on the marketplaces where people post brief resumes filled with grammatical errors.

Also beware of ghostwriting companies, which subcontract their work to inexperienced writers across the country (contrary to their claims that their writers are on-staff or work in-house). I personally know most of the writers working for companies, and they're not centrally located or employees of these corporate entities.

You should also be aware that most ghostwriting companies recruit writers and categorize them as "student or apprentice" ghostwriters. Some companies are even establishing ghostwriting schools and academies in order to get more subcontractors to do their work. These rookies have no writing credits and have never written a full-length book or engaged in ghostwriting for money.

Companies show glowing testimonials for bestselling authors, but this is a case of bait and switch. A few  clients who can pay $75K to $150K may get a top writer, but the other 95% of their customers get a writer with few if any credits and no publications under his or her own name. Also, companies now advertise that they are known and respected by agents, editors, and publishers, but this simply isn't the case.

In HOW TO HIRE A GHOSTWRITER, you'll learn who the ghostwriters and companies really are--the ones advertising online. You'll learn the marketing strategies of ghostwriters and companies, their business models, and their POD and promotional package deals that are ineffective and designed to take your money while capitalizing on your ignorance of ghostwriting and publishing.

You'll also learn about my own background, how to more intelligently target your ghost, write a query email, how the ghostwriting process works, what you need to know before emailing prospective ghostwriters, and learn what your publishing options are. Do your due diligence. Don't spend thousands of dollars on a bad writer. Educate yourself and learn how to select a writer who is the right fit for your book. You'll only get one chance, so learn how to hire a ghostwriter.

I've been one of the country's leading ghostwriters for the past twenty years, and I know the profession from the inside. Thanks for stopping by.

~William Hammett

Looking for a Ghostwriter on Google? You're Wasting Your Money

If you're searching for a ghostwriter and are looking on Google, you're looking at paid ads put up by ghostwriting companies, freelancers, or ghostwriting marketplaces like fiverr, Upwork, and Odesk.

Ghostwriting has no oversight or regulation, and only 4% of people claiming to be ghostwriters are qualified to write a book. The websites you see in a Google search are filled with grammatical errors, even those with slick sites like the ghostwriting companies. Ghostwriting companies all call themselves "industry leaders." It's a lie. They subcontract work to freelancers all over the country, and these, according to one sales rep from a company I talked with recently, are "student and apprentice ghostwriters." Some companies have as many as 200-300 inexperienced writers who will write for low wages because they are moonlighters or unemployed and are desperate for money. They can's write.

How do I know this? Because I know who the ghostwriters are and have spoken with them. I have called the companies as a "mystery shopper" and discovered their secret, dishonest business models. I know the business from the inside.

Some companies claim that their writers are "on staff" and "in house." This is a lie. Again, I know their writers, and they are spread across all fifty states and other countries. And their writers produce some of the worst prose ever written.

As for the marketplaces, I've read thousands of resumes posted on these sites for years. I have never read a single one that was free of a major grammatical error and didn't have awkward phrasing in the one-paragraph pitch. These are the worst ghostwriters in the world.

As for most independent ghostwriters, their writing is pretty awful and filled with basic errors committed by grammar and high school students. And they know almost nothing about publishing. The reason that all of these people advertise is because the internet allows them to do so, and when people see their websites, they assume that they are legitimate or that Google somehow screens the sites for honesty and fair business practices. Google has no interest in anything except making money. Only 2% of those on Google are professionally trained writers who are qualified to be ghostwriters. But if you can't spot grammatical errors and know nothing of the publishing industry, you're not going to be able to select a competent writer.

I talk with people every week who tell me that they are interviewing several online ghostwriters. The problem is that everybody they interview is unqualified as a writer and ignorant of the publishing industry. No one they interview is remotely qualified to write a book. Millions of dollars are wasted every year since online ghostwriting is a scam industry except for the extremely small number of ghosts who are actually trained to write and edit, who know publishing, and who have a stellar track record.

But here is where the problem lies: people searching for a ghostwriter are always looking for a bestseller for the cheapest price they can find. But great ghostwriters don't work for low or "affordable" rates. People ignorant of writing and publishing invariably end up with bad work, and the irony is that they may not even know just how bad of a manuscript they've received because they can't spot the errors. The bottom line is "Gimme something cheap."

Most people want traditional publishing, but they don't understand how to get an agent or that getting an agent is next to imposible. They know nothing of small, regional, and independent presses, and they know little about Print-On-Demand. I have always tried to educate people on my website about the above issues, but people have been taken in by ghostwriting companies, thinking that a corporate image, as well as the hype and lies on company websites, means that they're about to become part of mainstream New York City publishing. This is as ridiculous as it is sad. Ghostwriting companies are nothing more than glorified POD companies.

And if you see glowing testimonials on company websites, it's because the companies use bait and switch techniques. They will give a very small number of celebrities or CEOs a good writer for a price of $75,000 to $150,000. This is to lure people into thinking that they are major players in the publishing industry. But the truth is that most clients pay small fees to inexperienced writers--subcontractors--all over the country.

If you don't educate yourself about ghostwriting and publishing, you're going to choose a bad writer. And almost everyone is bad because online ghostwriting is a business model, not a craft or an art. I am amazed at how few pages people read on my website, pages that alert people to these hard facts. They want a cheap book, and that's what they get: cheap.

Caveat emptor. Buyer beware.

My Cousin Dashiell Hammett

After many years of researching my family tree, I have learned definitively that legendary mystery writer Dashiell Hammett (The Maltese Falcon, The Thin Man, The Dain Curse, Red Harvest, and others) is my cousin.  Hammett, or "Dash" as he was known, is the fourth generation grandson of my fifth generation paternal grandfather.  That makes him my fifth cousin once removed.  While I can't therefore say that we were ever drinking buddies, I'm proud to share a little DNA with a man whose books are still in print and whose novels were made into very successful films.

Samuel Dashiell Hammett was born in 1894 and died in 1961.  The New York Times said that he was "The dean of the . . . hard-boiled school of detective fiction."  Later, Time magazine said that his novel Red Harvest was one of the top 100 novels published in America between 1923 and 2005.  Famed mystery writer Raymond Chandler said that "Hammett was the ace performer.  He was spare, frugal, hard-boiled, but he did over and over again what only the best writers can ever do at all.  He wrote scenes that seemed to have never been written before."

Hammett was a detective for The Pinkerton Detective Agency, which spurred him to write in the mystery genre.  In addition to writing bestselling novels and numerous short stories, he also worked in Hollywood as a screenwriter.

I look back over my life and have to smile when I recall that the first novel I read was a Perry Mason mystery when I was seven years old.  I was so taken with the genre that I wrote a three-page Perry Mason mystery and sent it to the author of the Mason series, Erle Stanley Gardner.  Gardner was kind enough to write back, encouraging me to keep writing.

I won't make the claim that I love to write because Dashiell Hammett is a cousin, although it's a nice thought during one of my Walter Mitty moments.  It does make me reflect, however, on how people are connected and what those connections mean.  It's said that everyone is seven steps from Kevin Bacon.  Turns out that I'm five steps from Dashiell Hammett on the Hammett family tree.  I'll take it!

~William Hammett

Contact wmhammett@aol.com 

Index of Articles

Hiring a Qualified Ghostwriter

There are many individuals who have sites on the internet, sites advertising their services as a ghostwriter.  Additionally, there are thousands of resumes posted on the sites of ghostwriting clearinghouses, such as elance, odesk, and upwork.  The problem is that many people who are seeking a ghostwriter because they don't have the necessary writing skills to write a book are blind to the poor phrasing and grammatical errors on these sites and in the clearinghouse resumes.

Also, many people don't know a great deal about the publishing industry or what qualifications a competent, professional ghostwriter should possess.  I invite people searching for a qualified ghostwriter to click the following link and read the many articles on William Hammett's How to Hire a Ghostwriter.  The site contains an index of all articles on the subject.  The index may be found at the bottom of each post and also in the right sidebar.

The articles cover a wide range of topics, such as how to query a ghostwriter, what credentials one should look for, how to spot unqualified writers, the pitfalls of hiring a ghostwriting company, and much more.  Always due your due diligence, but before you begin, learn the issues involved and what questions need to be asked.

William Hammett's How to Hire a Ghostwriter

Good luck!

~William Hammett

Contact: wmhammett@aol.com

Getting the Words Right

I have to shake my head sometimes at the advertising done by some ghostwriters.  I recently stumbled upon the website of a pricey ghostwriter who will write your book for $65,000 to $75,000.  Okay, but she also says that she will write your "fictional novel" with professionalism.  Here's the rub: all novels are fiction.  Editors and agents usually don't take a second look at a query when an aspiring author pitches a "fictional novel."  Only someone totally unfamiliar with writing and publishing would pay such high prices to someone who doesn't know that "fictional novel" is a redundancy.  If a ghostwriter can't get the words right on his or her website, what's going to happen during the composition of a book.

And then there is the ghostwriting website I saw a few moments ago.  The ghostwriter said, "I'll write your novel, fiction or non-fiction, for $50,000."  First, non-fiction isn't hyphenated.  Second, and more importantly, a nonfiction book isn't a novel.  As mentioned above, a novel is a work of fiction.  I'm not going to pay someone $50,000 if he can't handle advertising copy and doesn't know the difference between fiction and nonfiction.

Both of the above ghostwriters omit hyphens dozens of times on their sites.  They talk about "full length books" and "book length manuscripts."  The words should be "full-length" and "book-length."

One ghostwriter wrote a sentence that read, "My vast writing experiences covers a wide range of topics, from travel to how-to."  The phrase "experiences covers" is a subject-verb agreement error worthy of a high school student."

The same ghostwriter says, "Always be careful when selecting a ghostwriter, if you choose the wrong one, you might regret the finished product."  "If you choose" begins a new sentence.  The ghostwriter has therefore produced another high school error: a comma splice.  Also, how does one "regret a product."  That's awkward phrasing.  One might regret "reading the finished product," but not the product itself.

And then there are the hundreds of ghostwriters who call themselves ghost writers.  "Ghostwriter" is one word, ladies and gentlemen.  "Ghost writer" as two words implies that the writer authors books on ghosts.

Always examine ghostwriting websites carefully, remembering that if you need or want a ghostwriter, you may not notice the kinds of errors I have listed above.  You need to get as much information as possible about the profession of ghostwriting and then do your due diligence for any ghostwriter you're considering.

It always pains me to say this, but online ghostwriting is, for the most part, a scam industry with unqualified people trying to get your money.  This is not to say that every ghostwriter has criminal intent, however.  Sad to say, some people don't know enough to know what they don't know.

~William Hammett

Finding a Ghostwriter Capable of Writing Your Bestseller

The ads on the Internet for ghostwriters and ghostwriting companies claiming "Clients have become bestsellers" just go on and on, don't they?  Unfortunately, this is a hollow claim.  A potential client last week told me that he'd contacted one of the big ghostwriting firms and been handed over to a young girl, an English major, who had just graduated from college.  She'd never written a book in her life let alone a bestseller.

I have written for fiction writers and businessmen and businesswomen who are tops in their fields.  One client has been affiliated with Doubleday, Random House, Oxford University Press, and Rizzoli.  Another recent client has sold books in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

So how can you find a ghostwriter who can make your novel or nonfiction book a contender?

First, don't believe everything on the Internet about ghostwriters.  In fact, believe almost none of it.  Most ghostwriting websites are filled with glitzy ads that don't hold up under scrutiny.  Choose an independent ghostwriter since almost all ghostwriting firms deal in volume and are really POD companies attempting to get customers who will pay to have a book printed after a rookie has produced a poorly-written manuscript.  These companies couldn't care less about your dreams, goals, or the quality of the writing.  They just want your money. 

Contact a ghostwriter with a query email that summarizes your proposed book.  You own the copyright to your material, so be professional and don't merely write an email that says "I want to know about your service.  Call me at 555-5555."  Agents and editors in New York City delete these kinds of queries or throw them in the trash.

Talk with the ghostwriter on the phone and/or exchange emails to see if the ghostwriter handles your kind of book or story, but beware.  Most low-level ghostwriters will handle any job even if they have no expertise in a given area.

Next, check to see if the ghostwriter has a publishing record, both for his clients and under his own name.

Finally, select a ghostwriter who shares your passion and interest.  Make sure you're not just another job or number.  The ghostwriter should be able to connect with you and your ideas at a deep level.  Remember that online ghostwriting is becoming both a scam industry and a place for amateurs and moonlighters to earn some extra money.  In the end, you get what you pay for.  You don't pay a doctor five dollars to take out your tonsils.

~William Hammett

Contact: wmhammett@aol.com

The Latest Ghostwriting Scams: January 7, 2015

Always perform your due diligence when searching for a ghostwriter. 

I've already described in detail how most ghostwriting companies are really vanity publishers attempting to get POD clients by offering to ghostwrite books for prospective customers.  And then there are clearinghouses such as odesk and elance, claiming to have thousands of professional ghostwriters and editors to choose from, writers and editors who are moonlighters and can't write a single sentence without a grammatical mistake.

Now, however, there is a new scam.  Individuals advertise themselves as independent ghostwriters--accomplished men and women who will work for you personally--but when one examines their websites carefully, it becomes evident that these individuals are just "front men."  Scroll down far enough or click on enough pages, and the site visitor is suddenly reading about "our staff of talented writers" or "our creative team."

One site now up on Google for "ghost writing services" ("ghostwriter" and "ghostwriting" are one word, folks) has a picture of a handsome man on its home page, and the text beneath talks of published books and how "I can help you turn your ideas into books, novels, and plays."  There is no name associated with the picture.  Read further, and the "I" suddenly becomes "We can also help you publish your book and give it the marketing muscle it deserves."  We?  Publish?  Market?  No wonder the man in the pic has no name.

The individual who is really a company--that's the newest scam.  Ironically, these sites warn against the unethical and deceptive practices of companies, such as subcontracting books to writers across the country.

I was the first ghostwriter to alert people to the fact that ghostwriting (online) was becoming a scam industry.  Each time I place a new warning on my site or blogs, my competition (which studies me carefully) finds a new business model to try to get around their misleading advertising, poor writing, and unethical business practices.  Or they echo my own warnings to mask that they themselves are the offenders.  It appears they've done it again.

~William Hammett

Index of Articles

Contact: wmhammett@aol.com 

New Website Content

My ghostwriting website now has new content.  It may be viewed at William Hammett: Independent Ghostwriter. 

The text on most pages has been replaced, with a new bio (About William Hammett), a testimonials page, editing page, a slideshow featuring a few of the books I've edited, and a new home page with info on publishers and agents.

Thanks to past and present clients, those who follow this blog, and all newcomers.

~ William Hammett

Contact wmhammett@aol.com

Index of Articles

Ghostwriters: Who Are They?

There are tens of thousands of people online advertising their services as "ghostwriter."  But who are they and what qualifies them to be ghostwriters?

Regrettably, most people who ghostwrite have no formal training in writing or editing and know very little about the publishing industry.  Internet ads, however, make ghostwriting seem like a glamorous and lucrative field.  It isn't.  It can pay the bills only if one has a great deal of experience in writing and publishing and has used a sound business model built on solid credentials.

Internet ads at yahoo.com, ask.com, about.com and other sites make breaking into ghostwriting sound easy.  "Get a website, decide what you want to write about, and determine what you want to charge.  Then you're ready to go!  Work from home!"  This is naïve in the extreme.

In order to be a successful ghostwriter, one needs to be skilled in advertising and marketing, web design (even if you hire others to build your site), social media, blogging, fee structures, contract law, copyright law, negotiation, time management, and bookkeeping.  A writer also needs to know how to assess high and low risk clients, must be aware of what the competition is doing, and have an extensive knowledge of the current climate in publishing.

What is most needed, however, is writing and editing expertise, preferably as a result of formal training in editing, writing, textual criticism, and any specialty areas that one wishes to write about.  Ideally, a seasoned ghostwriter should network with agents, editors, and publishers and should belong to one or more professional associations for ghostwriters and editors.

With the advent of the Internet, thousands of people decided to become ghostwriters because they "did well in writing school term papers" or because they helped a friend pen a novel or nonfiction book.  If one goes to odesk.com, elance.com and other ghostwriting "clearinghouses," where people advertise their services, it is easy to see that something is amiss.  Grammatical mistakes and awkward phrasing are abundant in the first lines of far too many posted resumes.  I recently read twenty-five such resumes and found grammatical mistakes in twenty.  Three others had awkward phrasing.

Writing a book is labor intensive and calls for skills that are honed over many years.  Unfortunately, people who are seeking to have books written don't have the slightest clue that the ghostwriters they speak with are not qualified to write books let alone charge fees for doing so.

~ William Hammett

Contact wmhammett@aol.com

Index of Articles

Smashwords

While Kindle Publishing is perhaps the most popular format for those who want to reach a wide market with their eBooks, Smashwords is one of the largest and most effective eBook distributors in the world.  Smashwords' biggest selling point (and one that is very valid) is that it does not make money by selling services to authors, but rather makes a profit on selling books to readers.  Remember that POD companies make money on formatting and cover design, not book sales.  Anytime an author approaches a print-on-demand or eBook publisher, he or she should also be aware of endless package deals that attempt to upsell the customer on extra services, usually promotional in nature, that are generally worthless.  Smashwords has a straightforward and successful business model that is a viable option to Kindle (although one can format for both).  The company is also utilized by literary agents and conventional publishers as a distribution tool.

The eBooks found on Smashwords are compatible with platforms such as Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Barnes and Noble Nook, iPhones, iPod Touch, and more.  Smashword distributes titles to major retailers, including Apple, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo, Diesel eBook Store, and others.

Authors receive 85% of net proceeds and 70% through affiliate sales.  This is a lucrative arrangement for authors and rivals Kindle Direct, which gives authors 30% to 70% royalties.  Smashwords' percentages allow authors to charge less for their titles, which ostensibly results in greater sales.  Authors also receive free marketing tools, such as author pages, bios, and headshots.  Smashwords makes serious attempts to market titles since, as stated above, its profits are generated from sales, although the company expects authors to take the lead in promoting their books, which is standard in today's world of self-publishing.

As with most self-publishing operations, Smashwords authors are free to sell their works to mainstream publishers.  With more and more literary agents reading self-published books and taking their authors on as clients, what have you got to lose?  It's a brave new world in publishing.  Write a great book, have it properly edited, and get it into the literary marketplace.  You can't catch a fish unless you throw your line into the water.

~ William Hammett

Contact wmhammett@aol.com

Index of Articles

Writing Celebrity Memoirs

Writing memoirs for celebrities, politicians, and CEOs is interesting an enjoyable work.  It can also be extremely challenging.  Celebrity autobiographies are usually very long, and those who have gained fame or some level of notoriety or accomplishment in their lives usually want a full accounting of their lives and how they "made it."  Who can blame them?  To become an actor, senator, or CEO is not easy, and the climb to the top usually comprises the first hundred pages of the book.

It takes a great deal of interview time to sort through the anecdotes, relationships, and accomplishments of celebrities and then organize them.  Even more important is the need to give the autobiography the genuine narrative voice of the celebrity.  This requires consummate writing and interviewing skills.  One has to "nail" the expressions and linguistic flow of the client.

Is it always fun?  No.  Sometimes celebrities have a bit too much attitude and attempt to micromanage the writing.  But it's always interesting.  And a ghostwriter or collaborator learns quickly that these famous men and women are humans like the rest of us.

~ William Hammett

Index of Articles

Writing a Novel

Almost everyone says at some point in their lives, "I want to write a book," or "I have a novel in me."  Because of time constraints and the demands of everyday life, few people ever realize this dream.

Writing a book of any type is hard work.  Writing a novel is especially challenging since it goes beyond "how to build a widget."  The novelist must create a compelling premise, realistic characters, and a believable world for them to inhabit.  It's hard work.

So how does one go about writing a novel?  There's no single way, and perhaps the muse guides us all differently.  One can always jump headlong into the process by accepting the challenge of NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month.  Participants are expected to produce a full-length novel, usually 90,000 words in length, in 30 days.  (November is when the challenge takes place each year.)  It's great practice, but can one learn to write a compelling work of fiction in thirty days?  Maybe.  Ray Bradbury said that he wrote the first draft for Fahrenheit 451 in seven days.  But not everyone is Ray Bradbury.

To produce a quality work of fiction--book-length--usually tales several months.  Sometimes, it takes years.  My ghostwriting clients give me outlines or synopses, which can be executed in about four to five months, give or take depending on the length of the novel.  And that's fine.  Some of these novels have done well.

Personally, I think that novels must, in a real sense, write themselves.  An author can have a distant guiding star to direct the plot, but it is dangerous to tell the characters what they're going to do.  They must tell the writer what they should be doing.  One can over-outline a novel, leaving the work without much life or energy.  Novels need to grow organically.

But perhaps this applies to literary fiction as opposed to genre fiction.  Genre fiction is easier to execute (this is a gross generalization) and might lend itself to outlines.

When writing under my own name, I allow a story to take me where it wants to go.  That's when the magic happens.

~ William Hammett  

Index of Articles

Ghostwriting

Ghostwriting is an unusual occupation.  At parties, people ask me if I write about ghosts.  Ghostwriting, of course, has been around as long as publishing has existed.  It is estimated that one third of all books purchased have been ghostwritten or developmentally edited by ghostwriters.  Ghostwriters are used quite frequently by politicians and celebrities who do not possess the writing skills to produce their own publishable manuscripts.

Ghostwriters also are used more frequently in this age of genre fiction, in which writers of thrillers, science fiction, romance, and horror are expected to produce several novels a year or create a franchise for their fiction.  Detective series are a perfect example.  Some collaborations are "open," and one need only look at the number of novels written by James Patterson to see that he uses a stable of writers to execute his outlines and ideas even though his name will always be written in large letters on the cover of the book.

Finally, many published authors eventually discover that mainstream publication is not the royal road to riches.  They frequently turn to ghostwriting in order to supplement their income or write in other genres under a pseudonym.

~ William Hammett 

Index of Articles

Believe in Your Work
Children's Nonfiction: It's Now More Popular
The Craft of Writing
Daily Transit Public Ridership
The eBook Revolution
Fifty Shades of Boring
George Clayton Johnson: Fictioneer by Vivien Kooper
Ghostwriting: The Decline of Professionalism
How Long Does It Take to Write a Novel?
Is Journal Writing Worth the Effort?
Literary Agents
Kindle Direct Publishing (Select)
The Novella is Back and Thriving
Print-on-Demand
Promoting Your Book
The Quest for Literary Representation
The Rewards of Being a Writer
Short Fiction
Smashwords
What Is Developmental Editing
Why Do People Write?
Writing Celebrity Memoirs
Writing a Novel
Writing as a Full-time Job
Writing as a Mystical Process
You Own the Copyright to Your Literary Property
Zen in the Art of Writing

The Novella is Back and Thriving

For many years, novellas were second-class citizens in literature.  They appeared in literary journals or anthologies, but literary fiction longer than a short story but shorter than a novel had a hard time finding a home.  Stephen King wrote several novellas and published them in collections such as Four Past Midnight, but then he was Stephen King, right?

Novellas continue to be published by literary journals, but they now have a second chance at life--and at mass distribution.  With the eBook revolution, short fiction is popular.  People are reading short stories and novellas on digital platforms in record numbers. People want a quick read, and sales indicate that they like short fiction on their Kindles, Nooks, or cell phones.  They don't want to read War and Peace on a small electronic device.   Short fiction for sale in the Amazon Kindle Store ranges from ten pages to one hundred pages.

Traditionally, novellas were longer than fifteen thousand words but shorter than sixty-five thousand words, the latter word count being the benchmark among editors for what they would entertain as a novel.

Novellas have an important place in the history of letters.  It's good to see they are once again being read in larger numbers.

~ William Hammett

Index of Articles

Believe in Your Work
Children's Nonfiction: It's Now More Popular
The Craft of Writing
Daily Transit Public Ridership
The eBook Revolution
Fifty Shades of Boring
George Clayton Johnson: Fictioneer by Vivien Kooper
Ghostwriting: The Decline of Professionalism
How Long Does It Take to Write a Novel?
Is Journal Writing Worth the Effort?
Literary Agents
Kindle Direct Publishing (Select)
The Novella is Back and Thriving
Print-on-Demand
Promoting Your Book
The Quest for Literary Representation
The Rewards of Being a Writer
Short Fiction
Smashwords
What Is Developmental Editing
Why Do People Write?
Writing Celebrity Memoirs
Writing a Novel
Writing as a Full-time Job
Writing as a Mystical Process
You Own the Copyright to Your Literary Property
Zen in the Art of Writing

Ghostwriting: The Decline of Professionalism

Anyone can declare himself to be a ghostwriter in the age of the Internet.  Adds abound on About.com and eHow.com, declaring, "You can work at home!  Become a ghostwriter or editor!  Here are the seven easy steps!"

Unfortunately, a majority of the thousands of ghostwriters and editors advertising on the web do not have the credentials to be professional ghostwriters or editors.  I studied writing, editing, research, and textual criticism in graduate school.  Later I paid my dues as an editor, wrote promotional material for Tulane University, published newspaper articles, and published poetry and short fiction in respected literary journals.  I wrote novels under my own name, worked with literary agents, and only then did I hang out my shingle and begin writing for clients.

Most people looking for a ghostwriter are ignorant of the publishing industry and the literary marketplace.  They therefore are in a position of weakness when looking for someone to write their book or memoir.  Ghostwriting companies, with very few exceptions, use many unethical practices in securing clients.  Independent ghostwriters produce poor quality work and have little experience.  Most people contact writers with little experience and little or no knowledge of publishing. 

I invite you to read my blog Ghostwriting and Editing: An Exposé by William Hammett to learn more about the online ghostwriting industry.  You may also learn about the profession and ethics of ghostwriting by clicking on my official ghostwriting website in the sidebar, as well as reading other blogs on writing and ghostwriting.

Don't get ripped off.  Do your homework before hiring a ghostwriter or editor.

~ William Hammett

Index of Articles

Believe in Your Work
Children's Nonfiction: It's Now More Popular
The Craft of Writing
Daily Transit Public Ridership
The eBook Revolution
Fifty Shades of Boring
George Clayton Johnson: Fictioneer by Vivien Kooper
Ghostwriting: The Decline of Professionalism
How Long Does It Take to Write a Novel?
Is Journal Writing Worth the Effort?
Literary Agents
Kindle Direct Publishing (Select)
The Novella is Back and Thriving
Print-on-Demand
Promoting Your Book
The Quest for Literary Representation
The Rewards of Being a Writer
Short Fiction
Smashwords
What Is Developmental Editing
Why Do People Write?
Writing Celebrity Memoirs
Writing a Novel
Writing as a Full-time Job
Writing as a Mystical Process
You Own the Copyright to Your Literary Property
Zen in the Art of Writing