Anyway, plenty of writers HATE the very idea of a person writing their entire book for them, whether they can afford it or not. It’s the whole “why pay something for someone to do the work you can do yourself?” and the lack of trusting individual with creating their story. Along with not being viewed as an authentic author in their eyes.
I don’t blame them for feeling that way. I don’t think I want a person to write my own work. I mean I once felt that way in spades.
And yet their are people who have a genuine nack for telling a story, but lack the ways to write it down. A ghostwriter can assist with that in many ways and more.
The overall gripe is that when people hire a ghostwriter, plenty of other people don’t consider them a TRUE writer because they aren’t putting in the work. There is misguided information on the ghostwriter position and what they do.
There is always something. Yet I see it as if it’s something to help you, does it truly matter in the end? It’s not gonna be the same for every writer.
Not gonna lie, I once thought about getting a ghostwriter if I could afford one, then gave up on the idea because I wasn’t properly educated on it well enough and cared about other people’s negative thoughts on it.
I don’t know I am still pondering the thought, but would that make me less of a writer if I had help in that sense?
Nope, I don’t think any less of someone who uses a ghostwriter, although I definitely DO think less of anyone who uses AI to write a book. Jane Austen and Carson McCullers never used AI, and they wrote pretty respectable books. But you don’t need to hear my annoying opinion on that yet again. ☜(ˆ▿ˆc)
Moving along…
On occasion I’ve wondered whether I should sign up as a ghostwriter on Reedsy myself. Many ghostwriters are making hundreds of thousands, or so they say, writing for others. And if you wrote a book for a celebrity like Prince Harry or Britney Spears, you could make millions! I could sure use the money. ヽ(^。^)丿
But the problem is the same as with my artwork. I can’t paint pictures for other people on commission because I hate having to draw or paint something I have no personal interest in. Writing would be even worse since it takes longer. There’s no way I can waste a whole year of my life writing something I have absolutely no interest in whatsoever. ¯\_(ﭢ)_/¯
I understand that there are those who do not have the scope or ability to portray what they craft in their mind… And for those I would condone a Ghost Writer to do them justice…
But again, I will allow for differing views upon this matter. And I will deem them as just…
But for me, it is too personal to have another assist in any input that may taint or do harm to what I devise in my mind.
I have never outsourced or had influence turn my tale in one direction or other… And don’t think I ever will…
That is a personal thing for me, and I feel for many others too… But go for it for those who struggle to put thought to paper…
The only reason why I made this thread and was looking into hiring a ghostwriter was because I HATE living on “borrowed time”. I am getting older, my autism/adhd will get worse, and I am freaking out because of it.
I really don’t want get a ghostwriter. I just hate looking back at years of my life wasted, because my mental health.
Honestly the whole ghostwriter thing doesn’t bother me. People can come up with great stories but absolutely suck at writing them so they need a ghostwriter. So long as the person who hired the ghostwriter doesn’t go around saying how “easy” writing a book is, they don’t bother me
What do you mean by borrowed time though? I’m fairly sure ADHD and autism can’t kill you or even make you ill or frail, as far as I know. (Though I’m not claiming to be an expert.) And one can debut at any age:
So don’t worry, you’ve got plenty of time! It’s just a matter of getting control over these conditions somehow. Is your doctor helping at all? The last thing I remember is that you were trying different medications for it. How’s that working? Did you find something that helps? If not, maybe your doctor could suggest a different prescription? Though I don’t know how many options there are for that. Maybe you should start a thread and ask everyone what they’re taking, since almost everyone here seems to have one condition or the other. Maybe that’s what makes great authors! Sure would help me to have hyperfocus like the rest of you. I’m kinda jealous, actually. __〆(．．)
This is my situation with EVERY medication I had taken. I have something that no medication can help with/won’t help with. Over the course of my life, I was a test subject for different medication that gave me a horrible side effect and/or that weird placebo effect, but in the end nothing happened.
The higher the dosages, the worst I got physically.
There are many reasons why people besides a rich celebrity would choose a ghostwriter that many people disregard.
Physically disabled but is able to get their vision across to a pro. Not everyone has a family or friend network who can help them write. And if they do, chances are they can’t capture your vision like someone who published fiction, unless you genuinely have a friend or family member who writes fiction in the first place. If nobody in your family or friend group can write, then don’t use them.
Mentally incapable. The idea and vision is there, but having a pro assist in anyway they can help you out, especially if you are dealing with a mental health problem is a major struggle for some people. Writing is hard enough so having any type of support to get you through can help. If you can have a pro do some helping out, than it’s fine.
Creative storyteller, but not a creative writer. A person is great at telling stories, but doesn’t grasp the concept of creating it by writing it out. A ghostwriter can help with and making your vision come to life.
Time. People don’t have that much time, but want to publish a story. Though they may have enough money, but not much time. People might get a few hours in their days to write, but if they are able then they share help, especially if writing isn’t their forte, but telling stories are.
Another thing is I rather choose a person to help me through my chaos of a mind, then to struggle with it alone. If one ghostwriter doesn’t work out, there are plenty more out there, but if not I can go back to writing myself. For me personally, my adhd/autism caused me to be an on and off writer.
I was never a TRUE writer, just a writer/person who enjoys writing.
I used to because I did see it as a cheat. Like, how could someone just say they’re a writer or that they wrote a book when… they didn’t? It’s like saying you cooked a meal but you actually got it from a restaurant.
And while a part of me still thinks that, I’m becoming a bit more loose on the idea because not everyone has the time or the ability to write a book. Especially if it’s non-fiction or you’re dealing with a specific series.
I mean, there’s a middle grade series called Warrior Cats (I’ve never read it, but have heard of it) and recently found out that it first came out in 2003 and there’s about 100 or so books, which includes actual novels, “Super Editions,” graphic novels, etc. all under a single name: Erin Hunter. A colleague and I were like, “How fast of a writer are they?” But nope, it’s a pseudonym for about nine different authors who collectively write the same series. And it makes sense for how many books there are.
Probably the same with James Patterson, too.
But I’ve also thought about going into ghostwriting because you can make a decent living off that if you have enough clients and could potentially write a lot. A lot. I saw Reedsy looking for some, anyway, but there’s apparently certain qualifications I’m not qualified for…
On the other hand, you do have to be incredibly talented if you could write just like someone else in order to pull it all off (series wise), unless each book is about a different character.
The thing with me is I am in no way a “true” writer. I am someone who’s motivation and passion for writing is like a light switch, thanks to my adhd/autism getting worse in many ways. I write but never finish what I started and when I do it once in awhile.
I build fictional worlds and create stories through said worlds, never have a concrete plot and characters.
My mind is an absolute void of chaos. A ghostwriter can assist me with that.
