Earn a Great Living as a Ghostwriter of Books
Based on a chapter in the book, Portable Writing by Kay Kennedy

Back in the ‘80s, I met someone who had turned her talent for writing into a successful career writing books for people who were willing to pay $25,000-$30,000 to have their story written. That’s in addition to the thousands they would then pay to have the book printed and bound. I’m not talking about celebrities, here. These would be books about ordinary people, like your neighbors and friends. And this is a field that is wide open for willing writers.

First of all, everyone has a life story to tell, and for every story there is a waiting and willing audience—which might only be a spouse, children, grandchildren, relatives and friends. No story is as treasured as the one passed down from generation to generation, yet most people leave very little behind except snapshots and perhaps a handful of letters and yellowed, brittle news clippings, and some material objects as evidence of their time spent on earth. Their joyful times, lessons learned, difficulties encountered and overcome, and a lifetime of wisdom are lost forever when they pass on. Everyone’s memories are priceless to someone, and as a writer, you can help preserve their stories for future generations.

One of those people wanting their life story told could be your neighbor who is nearing the end of his or her life and wants to produce a record of family history, successes, triumphs and tragedies, and all the changes that have taken place over the years. Your client might be a couple down the street or in your church about to celebrate a milestone anniversary. It could be that favorite teacher or college professor, or your minister who had an influence on thousands of people, but who doesn’t feel equipped to write a book. Or it might be the successful head of a company who wants to memorialize his business and its influence in his community. Maybe he wants to pass on knowledge of starting and operating a business venture like his.

And it could be the executive director of a non-profit organization who succeeded in spite of overcoming great odds, and wants her family, friends, and others to know about her struggles to achieve her career goals. It could also be someone who has great technical experience and wants to produce a how-to book, but doesn’t know how to organize thoughts or put words to paper.

The ghostwriter I met in the ‘80s earned $50,000-60,000 per year from the two books, on average, that she produced. Most ghostwriters could expect to make much more today depending on the size of book projects tackled. The most difficult task is in finding those who want their story told and have the money to pay, but believe me, they’re out there and ready and willing to use your services.

Ordinary people who want their stories told

Here’s how to find those people you might know who would want to have a book written about their lives.

1. First of all, writers must market their services. To start with, produce a simple but eloquent brochure that spells out why clients would want their story told, then explains how you would turn their memories into an interesting and intelligent story.

A simple typed brochure printed on both sides of 8-1/2” by 13” paper and folded in half, like a booklet, would be sufficient. It doesn’t have to include photos or graphics, unless you want to include a photo of yourself on the back side with a compilation of your writing experience. Then make sure you distribute copies at your church, or at any non-profit organization where you volunteer. You might reach some interested clients by teaching classes at retirement homes to help retirees write their own stories. Some will probably want to turn that chore over to you, the expert. And I’ll bet that if they don’t want or can’t afford your services, many of them will know someone who will. Tell people what you do, and be prepared to answer questions.

2. When you get your first project, draw up a contract that specifies when you are to be paid and how much. Ask for at least one-third retainer fee, with one-third due upon completion of interviewing and research, then the final one-third due on completion of the manuscript. Set a time limit in your contract with your clients so that you and they have clear expectations of when the job will be completed.

You may or may not be involved in finding a printer and handling the submission of the manuscript to the printer, or you might only want to produce the manuscript and let your client take care of the printing details. If so, it would be helpful to learn how to format the book on your computer and give a printed copy plus a copy on disk to your client so all they have to do is send it to their printer. Or if a client only wants a few copies (say under 10), then you might want to have the copies printed by a local printer as wire-bound soft cover copies. Be sure to charge for those copies.

3. Outline of the types of information they might want included. Include memory joggers like school memories; birthdays and other celebrations; young adult and adult memories such as role models, going away to college, first job, first car, marriage, children, first home, holiday memories and traditions, and any other ideas that would make wonderful stories for family and friends.

Expand the list to include everything that might help your client provide you with more information, including what they’ve learned that they wish to pass on to their heirs. Have your client pull out old photographs and go through them, recalling memories of the people and events pictured. Ask your clients to tell how things have changed in their lifetimes. Suggest that they include a family tree to help descendants picture their place in the family.

Business clients

For business clients, obviously your questionnaire would include different questions such as when they started their business, how they came up with the idea, how the start-up was financed, etc. It might or might not include the personal information mentioned above.

Another type of book you might ghostwrite would be a technical or how-to book for someone who has knowledge and skills, but doesn’t know how to organize and write a book. If this is the type of client you prefer to attract, your brochure should appear more professional and focus on information that would appeal to a business-oriented person. You would still spell out what you do, but focus on how your skills would benefit your client (i.e., promote business, build credibility, etc.). This type of client might want to self-publish a book or look for a publisher, so that would be a consideration that might affect whether you want to pursue the job or not since it might involve having you find the publisher for your client.

Freelance rewards

Ghostwriting is only one type of freelance writing that might appeal to you. It offers its rewards, such as getting to know people with interesting stories to tell. As you can see, it helps if the writer knows a little bit about a lot of things, such as marketing, outlining, formatting a book, and printing, but these are topics that are easily learned from books. Ghostwriting is a profitable avenue that you might pursue while you are also writing your own great novel.

Remember, this is your livelihood, and you’re providing a great service for your clients. Don’t undersell yourself, even in the beginning. Realize that it might take longer than six months for you to produce your first book project, so you won’t be making the high hourly rates that you’ll receive once you have some experience under your belt. Once you have some experience, your name will become known and clients will start seeking you out to write their life stories.

Enjoy the process. While you’re writing about someone else’s life remember: your life is also being invested into the project. Make it into a wonderful, memorable experience and make it pay!

Lower Gas Prices Mean More People RVing this Winter

Gas prices have finally returned to a level that puts more people in the mood to travel. Canadians are especially finding RVing more enticing this year, and we are meeting lots of them in the park this winter. Many have not been here before.

For awhile, some RVers were hanging up their keys and trying to unload their gas-guzzling rigs, and while many are still wary of taking long trips, other are breathing a big sigh of relief and making plans to hit the road for an extensive vacation.

I can remember the early seventies, when gas suddenly spiked from an average 30 cents per gallon to around 65 cents per gallon. Sixty-five cents sounds cheap now, doesn’t it? But back then, we watched gas prices double in a very short period of time, and that was scary. What was even worse back then was that many gas stations closed, and those that didn’t had long lines because of gas rationing. We could only buy gas (according to numbers on our license plates) on certain days of the week. At that time, I drove hundreds of miles every week for my job, and in many unfamiliar neighborhoods, which often left me wondering if I would make it back to the studio, or home each day.

Then in the late seventies, early eighties, the same thing happened again. Gas was in short supply and expensive. I was still traveling hundreds of miles a week, and again everyone, including me, freaked out. I even changed hairdressers to cut down on miles.

The main thing I remember during both of those crises, though, was that RVs were practically being given away because owners thought they could no longer afford to travel!

Lesson learned: gas prices will go up, and sometimes they’ll go back down. Drivers, and especially RVers, will always react with alarm when they see their lifestyle threatened. None of us knows how long lower gas prices will hold this time, but it’s certain that they’ll go back up.

RVers learn to adapt. We either cut back on driving when prices get high, or we adjust our budgets to accommodate higher prices and keep going. The economy looks really bleak right now, and no one knows how soon it will right itself. None of us knows what will happen next. But I’m certain that no matter what, some RVers will continue hitting the road as long as they can get fuel, and as long as their budgets will allow.