All about ghostwriting and its fringes, including book packagers – Ep 23 FREE podcast for writers

In the last episode, we discussed how to make a writing career out of your special expertise and knowledge. This time we turn to another kind of writing career – writing secretly as other people. Aka ghostwriting. Also, writing for book packagers, which is a junior form of ghostwriting.

You might already know I have a secret past as a ghostwriter. Some might call it murky. There are certain things I’ll admit to, certain things I won’t.

Asking the questions is independent bookseller Peter Snell. Answering them is me! Peter was dead-keen to get me spilling the beans. For years, he’s been looking around his shelves, stroking his beard and wondering which titles I wrote. This episode contains magnificent silences and the sound of tumbleweed. But a lot of info too. If you’re seriously interested in ghostwriting, I also have a professional course.

Stream from the widget below or go to our Mixcloud page and binge the whole lot.

PS If you’d like more concentrated writing advice, try my Nail Your Novel books. If you’re curious about my own creative writing, find novels here and my travel memoir here. And if you’re curious about what’s going on at my own writing desk, find my latest newsletter here and subscribe to future updates here.

The secret life of the book ghostwriter – podcast at The Bestseller Experiment

What’s it like writing books that other people put their names on? How do you get this kind of work? What makes a good ghostwriter?

I recently recorded this interview at The Bestseller Experiment, and I’m hugely flattered because their guest hotseat has held some pretty famous bottoms.  Bryan Cranston has sat there. Richard Morgan who writes Altered Carbon has sat there. Tad Williams and Michelle Paver have sat there (and Michelle and I share a liking for Everest so I made sure I listened to that one). Anyway, it’s my turn. You can find the others if you dig around their vaults.

And if my interview has made you seriously consider ghostwriting, don’t forget to check out my course.

All aboard the ghost(writing) train… and get an early bird deal for my course

For the next few days, this blog will have a ghost-writing flavour. The reason? I’m launching my online course.

It looks something like this:

Now, if ghost-writing is not your thing, rest assured that this focus is temporary. So if you’re new here, or you’re worrying that the blog has taken an unwanted diversion, sit back and the posts on writing, writing life and publishing will be restored in a few days. There’s an Undercover Soundtrack on Wednesday as well. But I’m hoping that you’ll find a few interesting snippets in the launch posts for my course, even if you’ve got your hands totally full with your own writing.

And if the idea of ghost-writing DOES tickle your fancy, let me also mention that the course is supported and hosted by publishing industry legend Jane Friedman, co-founder of The Hot Sheet newsletter for authors and former publisher of Writer’s Digest.

UPDATE January 2022 – the course has moved and can now be found here! Thanks to Jane for being its host all these years. We will do more together soon!