Best Careers 2009: Ghostwriter

OMG - Ooops!

ADVICE!!

Char of SC @ Nov 08, 2009 20:42:07 PM

Response to MH of CA

I love your response MH of CA! Any more GOOD advise?

Knowing how hard it is to break into a new career, as you stated,

obviously one has to be highly committed. Take that either way.

When I first knew I HAD to write, I was in the 4th grade. I went

into sales and did quite well until I became disabled. Waiting for

surgeries could possibly be the best thing that ever happened for

my writing career. I now have the time and I'm grateful something

good came out of this nightmare!

Thanks for listening!

Char

Char of SC @ Nov 08, 2009 20:35:56 PM

THIS MAY BE A "GOOD START"

I THINK REGARDLESS OF WHAT CAREER CHOICE SOMEONE CHOOSES THAT PERSON STILL HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE. IT IS HARDER THAN ONE MAY THINK TO BREAK INTO A CAREER, REGARDLESS OF WHAT IT IS. I THINK IF SOMETHING IS WORTH TRYING THEN DO IT. WHAT CAN IT HURT? I THINK YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE THE COURAGE AND JUST DO IT. DON'T ALLOW ANYONE TO TELL YOU YOU CAN'T. I THINK NEGATIVE PEOPLE ARE OFTEN THE REASON WHY MANY PEOPLE DON'T FOLLOW THEIR DREAMS. PEOPLE OFTEN THINK 9 TO 5 SITUATIONS ARE BETTER. JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "PERMANENT JOB". SAFER MAYBE, BECAUSE OF THAT PAYCHECK AT THE END OF THE WEEK. BUT I THINK IT'S A SHAME TO LET GOD GIVEN TALENTS GO TO WASTE. I SAY GO FOR IT. HAVE FAITH. JUST DO IT. AND LET YOUR STAR SHINE.

EARLINE TAYLOR of WA @ Nov 02, 2009 14:16:51 PM

Pure BS

Maybe they really meant being a "ghostwriter" for the coming apocalypse.

Idon'tknowwhoiam of TX @ Oct 31, 2009 01:14:37 AM

Are you serious?

I agree with SR of PA. This article is ridiculous. $40K for a book that might not even get published? Yeah, in your wildest, most ludicrous dreams.

And then the author suggests you tell the person who just paid you $40,000 to try and self-publish. Nobody in the real publishing world takes self-publishing seriously and self-publishing can be very, very expensive. So this poor schmuck hires a ghostwriter, pays them $40K and then has to spend even more money to self-publish? Not to mention having to market the self-published work so that people will actually buy it. How many people buy books these days? In the end, the guy ends up losing around, oh, let's say $60K. Right. In this economy, people will totally be up for that.

The funniest part? The suggestion to call up a famous person in the area and ask if they want you to write their memoir. LMFAOOOOOOO I nearly fell out of my chair reading that. Yeah, because famous people are dying to get phone calls from civilians. They sit around their phone waiting for random people to call them.

People, please don't listen to a word of this article. Pretend you never read it. Erase it from your memory. This is the worst advice I've ever heard. Look for ghostwriting jobs on your own. Yes, they are advertised every once in a while. I've seen ads on Craigslist and a few other places. It's hard to break into, but it's possible if it's what you really want to do.

I can't believe this article was published. My God!

MH of CA @ Oct 30, 2009 19:38:51 PM

SR of PA

I can't believe US NEWS & WORLD REPORT would even PUBLISH an article like this!

In a terrible economy, where people are desperate for work, not only do you list "Ghostwriter" as a plausible line of work, but your advice on becoming one is to "contact a famous person"????

I have been a writer in film and television since 1990, and I can GUARANTEE you that you will NEVER get a job writing an autobiography by "contacting a famous person."

Also, negotiating a "flat fee" of 40,000 DOLLARS to help a first time author write a book???? Are you kidding me? I know published authors with books that were considered successful and didn't even take home HALF that amount.

Worthless information like this does only one thing -- it keeps people who prey on the dreams of others employed....I won't speak to the credentials of Marty Nemko, but this article is misleading at best, and knowingly false at worst.

And I have no idea where PayScale.com was able to establish the median salary for a Ghostwriter, but I'd love to see their sample.

The truth is that writing is an exceptionally difficult field to break into -- and that's assuming you have talent. Further, the idea that a "famous person" looks for help writing their autobiography from a stranger with no agent, no references, and no body of work is about as ludicrous a statement as I believe I've ever read -- and I HAVE worked as a Ghostwriter!

Some realistic advice to a first-timer (who isn't still in college) -- consider writing a hobby, not a means to make a living. If it someday becomes so, God bless you, but DO NOT count on it. Further, no one anywhere, ever is going to unconditionally give you 40K to write your first book for them. THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

Stick with what you know and love, and write about that. The idea that you can simply "research" something and then write authoritatively on that subject is both absurd -- and probably gives you some idea where this totally specious article came from.

Good luck.

SR of PA @ Oct 30, 2009 16:44:22 PM

LARRY

I have retired after 40-plus years in the newspaper field. I would like to begin a new career as a writer (ghost or not). Any ideas?

Larry of Knoxville, TN

Larry Hitchcock of TN @ Oct 23, 2009 21:03:06 PM

Private Writing Coaches

Yes, I would love to train under a private writing coach or samll writer's group. How can I find a good writer's group in my area of Memphis, Tennessee.

InfiniteLady of TN @ Oct 04, 2009 23:32:05 PM