The secrecy surrounding ghostwriting is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, confidentiality allows clients to achieve their writing dreams on their terms. On the other hand, that same confidentiality can be a playground for scammers or writers with little experience hoping to make a quick buck at the expense of your project. So how do you weed out the good from the bad in a profession where so much is kept under wraps? Keep an eye out for these red flags:
- Promising unrealistic turnaround
While not necessarily a scam, plenty of ghostwriting sites promise to deliver a 60,000-70,000-word manuscript in three months. This is wholly unrealistic unless you already have the majority of that manuscript written and you just need a little help getting to the finish line. Writing a novel-length narrative from scratch requires time to research, back-and-forth discussion with the client, intensive writing, and a meticulous revision process. If you’re hoping to write a 250-page book, be prepared for at least six months of work from a ghostwriter. Anyone promising less will likely be delivering subpar work with little collaboration with you.
- High-pressure sales
Before you agree to spend six months of your time working with a ghostwriter, you’ll want to make sure you’re confident in the writer’s ability to capture your voice. A good ghostwriter will take the time to answer your questions, offer suggestions for how the project will unfold, and provide samples. Trellis offers writing samples for new projects, such as a chapter or scene from your narrative, to show that we can, in fact, write the material. A ghostwriter who insists you sign onto a project without seeing any samples, references, or ideas is clearly only eager to make money, not craft your vision.
- No contract
Not all projects require a contract. For instance, it’s sometimes easier to simply compile a bill for blogs, web content, speeches, or other small projects. However, for long-term projects requiring confidentiality, extensive research, and close collaboration, a contract protects both parties. This legal document outlines how long the work will take, what the price will be and how and when it will be paid, who has rights to the completed work, whether the writer is bound to protect privileged information, and what each party is expected to do during the writing process. A ghostwriter who is unwilling to address these issues may try to steal your idea, charge you upfront and then not deliver the manuscript, or pop up later in your career and claim they still have rights to the project. Do not overlook this red flag!
- Insisting on payment up front
Similar to the previous warning, this red flag indicates your ghostwriter might take the money and bolt without providing you with any content. Reputable ghostwriters often split up payment for large projects into installments. For instance, a third of the payment may be required initially as an assurance that the ghostwriter will be paid, but the other two payments may then be dispersed at the halfway point and the end of the project. Trellis allows for flexible payment schedules, depending on the project and client, putting it all in writing in the contract.
The common thread here is to look for ghostwriters who listen to you, answer your questions, and create a healthy, productive work dynamic. As appealing as shortcuts may seem, they’re rarely worth it, often forcing clients to invest more time and money in the long run to correct mistakes. Do you want a ghostwriter who rushes through the beginning stages to also rush through your project? If they neglect the essentials in establishing a working relationship with you, they’re going to neglect the essentials in your project.
At Trellis, we want you to feel confident that your brainchild is in the right hands. We offer free, no-pressure consultations, writing samples and brainstorming, info packets, and tailor-made contracts. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us today.