On Being a Ghostwriter…

Someday I will spend my days deep in new creation, writing theories that have never been thought from the minds of characters who only existed because of my pen, standing inside worlds built from the filaments of my imagination. One day my children will peruse my words from pages turned.

I am not there yet.

For now, I happily make my living as a ghostwriter. I have no ego when it comes to the byline so this choice of career is as comfy as faded cotton. There are already plenty of places online where my voice can carry an echo. It is at times relaxing to fade into the background of functional text and deliver copy to my clients that will help coax the best from their business.

I’ve been a ghostwriter now for six months. I suppose that’s just long to allow a legitimate list of those things I love about the gig and those things I wish were better.

What I love and what I don’t about being a ghostwriter.

What I love: I get to write every day. I may rinsing affection for all that’s on my plate, but believe me, I would rather write about lawnmowers than soak their handles with my sweat. Yes, I look forward to the day when the acronym SEO is a tossed off dinnertime remember when, but in the meantime I am grateful for work that keeps my writing sharp and clients happy. Finding the natural balance between math and language is what SEO is all about; an elegant Waltz I love to move to.

What I don’t: Non-disclosure is part of being a ghostwriter. The copy I write is a closed door between myself and my clients. I don’t mind the missing credit, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t sometimes feel the pang of a barren portfolio. I chose to be a ghostwriter, precisely so I could work in the shadows while balancing my public and private projects against my plate of paid work, but I sometimes wish I could share my writing samples or point prospective clients to Google placement my copy has earned. Sure, I have plenty of my own pieces to pass, but it would be nice to share the many shades of my writing style as well.

What I love: Helping make dreams come true. In the short time I’ve been a ghostwriter, I have been able to help more than a few people come closer to achieving their dreams. This is a beautiful thing; deeply rewarding on both a personal and professional level. Clients who have needed help with their landing pages or web copy; almost writers in search of help to flesh out their ideas or tighten their manuscripts; couples in turmoil who have used the power of words to reconcile their differences; families in need of assistance, where the right letter could make all the difference in the world… to name a few. These are my greatest successes.

What I don’t: Getting to the front page of Google for “ghostwriter” is a gold gilded invitation for an endless procession of tire kickers and people seeking to satisfy their curiosity. They are exhausting, but part of the job. What I have no tolerance for is theft, those people who have stolen my minutes and hours like a wolf with a chicken slipping under the shadows of a moonless night. When first starting, I was grateful for any jobs I could land, and naive enough to believe that a promise, even online, was something most people honored. I have been lied to and cheated, delivered quality work to dishonorable people who never harbored intentions of paying. I have been duped into reading manuscripts and delivering critiques at no cost to the author, only a loss of several hours to myself. I have had to chase money with endless emails, forcing me to alter my policy. I now expect a deposit up front before the first keystroke on a client’s behalf; heartbreaking for me as I prefer the old fashioned implied handshake of cash on delivery for a job well done.

What I love: Building a business from nothing has been an amazing experience. Ten dollars is an awfully inexpensive price tag to purchase a domain and plant a flag in an online dream. Six months ago, Ghostwriter Dad was theory. Now it firmly rests between the bottom of page one and the top of page two for the term ghostwriter and will likely stay at the top by the end of the year. I am proud of this accomplishment. Getting Ghostwriter Dad out of the sandbox and up through the pages has taught me a tremendous amount about SEO and I will be forever grateful for the experience.

What I don’t: SEO is exhausting and there is a wide chasm between truly writing and tweaking copy so it can best be found by searchers. During many of the moments across the endless span of hours spent solidifying the SEO of this site (as well as all my others) I have lamented the many manuscripts lying untouched on my hard drive, atrophied along with the many ideas I’ve yet to foster. But for now, SEO are the carbs and fat keeping me alive. I tweak my SEO with a smile on my face and a secret dream in my heart.

Though I guess it’s not so much of a secret anymore.

Ghostwriter Dad