WHAT IS A GHOSTWRITER?
Ghostwriters are professional authors who develop articles, speeches, and other materials on behalf of others. The ghostwriter’s clients then publish those articles, speeches, and other materials under their own names. As their name implies, professional ghostwriters do this work for payment. More on that below.
WHO USES GHOSTWRITERS?
The ghostwriting Scott Flood does is for busy professionals and company leaders. Often, they’re smart people who write well. They have a lot they want to say – a lot people in their world need to hear. What they don’t have a lot of is time. The idea of finding a stretch of several hours to focus on writing? No matter how much they want to make it happen, it’s just not realistic. They’re the perfect clients for a professional ghostwriter. Scott Flood borrows just a little bit of their busy day and handles everything from there. That’s how be builds the trust that leads to long-term client relationships with:
- Business owners
- CEOs and executives
- University leaders
- Elected officials
- Internal communications
Scott Flood has handled ghostwriting projects in a broad range of industries, including electric power, financial services, regulatory compliance, digital technology, mental health, and professional services. He has also supported internal marketing teams by operating ghostwriting programs for them. For example, he worked with a large consulting firm serving four states to develop magazine articles for trade and regional publications. Each article was developed in versions for each state that used one of the firm’s local professionals as the “author” in that state.
WHAT KINDS OF PROJECTS DO GHOSTWRITERS HANDLE?
Ghostwriters can produce nearly every type of written work a professional or company leader needs. Like magazine articles. Blogging. Presentation scripts. Speeches. White papers. Video scripts. In every case, allowing you to present what you know in ways that will connect with and positively influence your audiences. Put another way: do you really want what people remember from your presentation to be that tired golf joke … or your key message?
HOW DO GHOSTWRITERS WORK?
Take a situation in which a corporate leader engages Scott Flood to develop a trade magazine article. Typically, he’ll start by interviewing the “author,” which helps him better understand the gist of the article, the facts, and the angle the “author” wants him to convey. Just as important, interviewing allows him to get a sense of the vocabulary the “author” uses, the cadence of their conversational style, and subtleties in how they share key messages. As Scott Flood writes the article, he hears their voices and word choices in his head. That allows him to capture the information his client wishes to convey in words that sound remarkably like they do.
WILL THE GHOSTWRITER UNDERSTAND MY FIELD?
Whether your expertise is in tax policy, microbiology, or logistics, a professional ghostwriter from Indianapolis or anywhere will never know as much about it as you do – and that’s one situation in which ignorance is highly beneficial. To capture your message accurately and convincingly, the ghostwriter needs to develop a solid understanding of the subject. That usually means asking a lot of questions to clarify points. Often, professionals and other leaders operate so deeply in their subject matter that they forget the outside world doesn’t use the same jargon or grasp elements as clearly. Part of the ghostwriter’s role is bringing it to your audience’s level of understanding.
WILL GHOSTWRITERS TELL ANYONE THEY’RE WORKING WITH ME?
Not if you don’t want them to. Professional ghostwriters are discreet, because successful relationships are rooted in trust. They work with you knowing the words they create for you is rooted in your knowledge and what you want your audience to understand. All the credit is yours. They’re not going to out you publicly. They’re not going to be bragging loudly over dinner that they really wrote that article everyone’s talking about. Successful ghostwriters get most of their work from repeat clients and referrals, and that kind of bragging doesn’t build trust.
CAN GHOSTWRITERS SUBMIT “MY” ARTICLES FOR ME?
It’s possible. Every situation is unique. In some cases, the “author” wants to handle things like submitting magazine articles directly, so nobody knows they’re using a ghostwriter. In others, the professional ghostwriter works closely with the publication’s editor. Trade magazines, industry e-newsletters, key blogs – with most channels, editors are comfortable working with ghostwriters. In fact, most prefer to work with a ghostwriter than with the “author.” Why? Professional ghostwriters understand exactly what editors want and need. So they develop content that’s nearly perfect in the editor’s eyes – interesting, well-organized, and ready for readers with just a few tweaks. An “author’s” submission could mean hours of editing and a so-so story. If you were a busy editor, which would you choose?
IS GHOSTWRITING ETHICAL?
Prospective clients sometimes wonder whether using a ghostwriter is ethical. In the vast majority of situations it is. Ghostwriters don’t make stuff up out of thin air or pose as experts. They take what true experts like you know, and then package and present it in the most compelling and effective way. Readers will assume you’ve written every word, because in essence, you have. The ghostwriter simply polished your messaging, (It’s worth noting that some professions and snootier professional journals frown on ghostwriting, and the ghostwriter isn’t likely to be familiar with their rules.)
CAN’T I JUST USE AI TO GHOSTWRITE?
Some people ask if they can just AI to generate their “ghostwritten” content. You can … if you don’t care about sounding just like everyone else. One thing that makes professional ghostwriters like Scott Flood valuable is the way they capture your unique voice. You have a unique way of speaking and explaining things, which AI can’t recognize (yet, anyway). Professional ghostwriters listen not only to your words, but also to the way you speak. What’s the typical cadence of your sentences? How long do you pause between them? What kind of vocabulary do you use in normal speech? Do you make your messages more memorable by sprinkling in gentle humor? Are there regionalisms that frequently find their way into what you say? A professional ghostwriter will use all that and more to create words that sound like you and nobody else.
WHY USE SCOTT FLOOD AS A GHOSTWRITER?
Scott Flood has been ghostwriting stories, speeches, and presentations for clients for more than four decades – most of whom have worked with him for many years. Why? He makes the process easy for them. New ghostwriting clients are often apprehensive. Even when eager to have someone else do the work, they’re not always completely comfortable with the idea. The first project takes care of all that. Seeing their words written as they’d say them is an amazing feeling.
Scott Flood has worked with business owners, CEOs, university leaders, strategists, elected officials, and people who dream of being in those roles. He’s helped them communicate in the most effective way for their specific audience. And while he’s based in Indianapolis, Scott Flood has ghostwritten projects for clients throughout the United States.
WHAT DOES GHOSTWRITING COST?
Because every ghostwriting project involves different levels of complexity, varied formats and lengths, approval processes, and how the writer works with the “author,” it’s impossible to set a standard rate that’s fair for both parties. However, here are some typical price ranges for non-scientific subject matter (Scott Flood rarely works with highly scientific material or writing for academic journals):
- 1200-word magazine article $700-850
- 20-minute speech $800-1000
- 5-minute video script $700-850
- 30-slide presentation script $900-1200
- 2500-word white paper $1000-$1300
This pricing reflects single, one-time projects. When Scott Flood handles ongoing projects or multiple projects at once, he adjusts the pricing to reflect economies of scale.