How to Become a Ghostwriter: Complete Career Guide

• Aug 18, 2025
• 5 min read

• Tags: Book Writing, Fiction Writing, Writers, Writing Tips

Do you want to become a ghostwriter, but find yourself a novice who needs to learn the ropes? 

You’re in the right place—our complete guide on how to become a ghostwriter will teach you about getting clients, building your portfolio, navigating rates and payments, and much more.

What is a ghostwriter?

Let us begin by defining the term ‘ghostwriter’ and what it entails.

A ghostwriter is essentially a paid employee hired by a publishing firm or an individual to write books that will not be published under their own name. The books would either be published under the name of a fictional author (eg. Carolyn Keene of the Nancy Drew series, or Franklin W. Dixon of The Hardy Boys), or under the name of a famous celebrity or CEO who may not have the time to sit down and write themselves (eg. Spare by Prince Harry, or Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown), or simply for an individual who wants to get published, but does not have the necessary writing acumen.

Learn more about its meaning and types in our ‘What Is Ghostwriting?’ article. 

Essential skills for ghostwriters

In order to become a ghostwriter, here are a few essential skills you need to have in your arsenal:

1. Adaptability: First and foremost, a ghostwriter should not get stuck in one genre. As a ghostwriter, you must be able to adapt to different genres (romance, mystery, biography, etc.) to suit your client’s requirements. The more flexible you are, the more work you will generate. You should also be able to change the tone of your writing to fit the genre you are currently working on.

2. Voice mimicry: Each client has a unique ‘voice’. As a ghostwriter, it is your duty to listen carefully to the way they speak, observe the way they type their text messages and emails, analyse the jargon they frequently use, and try to mimic that voice as closely as possible in your work so that it looks believable as the client’s work.

3. Patience and practice: Ghostwriting projects can be spread over months, as clients may require you to write entire books that span tens of thousands of words. It is important to be patient and also frequently practice your writing skills by giving yourself short writing assignments to fit into different genres to keep your skills polished.

4. Interview skills: The ghostwriter and client usually have long conversations in the interview format that help the former understand the tone and content of the latter’s work. As a ghostwriter, it is important to ask your client pertinent and thoughtful questions that will unlock memories that could be key to your project.

5. Discretion: Finally, not all clients would want to admit to the fact that they have hired a ghostwriter. While some may credit their ghostwriter, others may not (the legalities of this can be worked out in your contract with your client), so it is important for you, especially if you’re working with a famous personality, to maintain discretion about the project if they do not want it known that they have hired a ghostwriter’s services.

How to become a ghostwriter

Building your foundation

Once you have your basic skillset in place, here’s how to build a strong foundation in the ghostwriting business:

1. Develop your writing portfolio: Create sample pieces across genres in different styles (eg, business, memoir, self-help), and also write imaginary client pieces (eg, one chapter of a romance novel, biography, business book, etc.) to show future clients who may ask to see samples of your work before signing you on. This saves you the time and effort of creating new samples for every client who comes your way.

2. Build an online presence: Next, build a blog, social media page, or website where you showcase samples of your writing, share basic rates, and display your professional contact details so clients can get in touch. 

3. Choose a niche (or start broad): You could either choose a specific niche (eg, biographies, blog posts, speeches) to get started, or choose to be open to writing in all categories—whichever you are comfortable with, and will help you target clients in the beginning.

Setting up your ghostwriting business

Like any other business, setting up a ghostwriting business involves a certain amount of paperwork and legal hoop-jumping. Let us make it easy for you:

1. Decide your business structure: Whether as a sole proprietorship or LLC, study different business structures and choose the one that best suits your needs.

2. Contracts and NDA templates: Draft some sample templates of contracts outlining the scope of your work and what you would like your clients to sign before beginning the project, and look into framing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to protect your client’s privacy.

3. Copyright and royalties: Choose your business model—would you want to work for hire and get paid per word, or receive a cut of the client’s royalties once the work is published? While the former is suitable for shorter projects or when working with lesser-known clients, the latter helps when working with a client (eg, a celebrity) whose book is going to do big business. 

4. Pricing your services: Take stock of your skills and price your services right—they should not be prohibitively expensive, nor should they cut you short. 

How to get your first clients

Like any other business, ghostwriting services need a combination of online marketing, good word-of-mouth publicity, and visibility to take off. Here are some tips on how to get your first clients:

1. Starting small to build credibility 

Offer your services to local business owners, small businesses, and individuals, and collect testimonials from them in exchange for a discount on your work. You can also reach out to professionals on LinkedIn with a sizeable number of followers and offer to help them write LinkedIn posts to connect better with their followers. If your clients are satisfied with your work, word-of-mouth publicity will generate more work.

2. Online marketing

Create a social media page, blog, or LinkedIn account where you create an appealing profile for yourself and advertise your services using appropriate keywords to grab eyeballs. 

3. Using freelance platforms for beginner ghostwriters

Join online platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and Contently to put yourself out there and be aware of new ghostwriting opportunities. You can create online profiles for yourself that highlight your versatility, thereby helping you bag diverse projects.

4. Networking to find ghostwriting opportunities

Reach out to publishing houses and literary agents, join professional writing organisations, and attend business events where you are likely to meet potential clients.

The client process

Working with a client can be a methodical, organised process if you follow the following steps: 

1. Consultation

This is the initial conversation between the client and the ghostwriter where the client outlines the brief of the project and shares preliminary information, while the ghostwriter shares their portfolio with the client and determines if they are a good fit for the project.

2. Contract

Once the client and ghostwriter are both on board, the ghostwriter prepares a proposal that outlines the details of the project, and the two parties sign a contract that clearly outlines the scope of the work, deliverables, deadlines, confidentiality clauses (if any), and payments.

3. Interview

The ghostwriter and client sit down for multiple interviews where the latter shares detailed information that would constitute the bulk of the project, while the former takes notes, identifying the topic, tone, expectations, etc.

4. Writing

Once the material has been collected, the ghostwriter begins writing, sharing the draft chapters with the client at agreed-upon intervals. There may be a little fine-tuning required, and once the complete manuscript is ready, the client makes either the complete or final installment of the payment, and the ghostwriter submits the manuscript.

5. Follow-up

The client may have questions, feedback, or requests for revisions, which must adhere to the terms regarding the number of permissible revisions that are mentioned in the contract to ensure the project is completed smoothly, avoiding too much back-and-forth, and ensuring client satisfaction.

Marketing yourself as a ghostwriter without breaking confidentiality

Marketing yourself as a ghostwriter can be tricky—how do you showcase your skills without betraying client confidentiality? Here are some essential tips:

1. Online presence: Building your online presence goes a long way in establishing your career and helping you find more clients. In addition to social media sites, consider marketing yourself on a website or blog, and optimizing your LinkedIn with posts and keywords related to ghostwriting.

2. Client testimonials: Ask your clients if they are open to providing testimonials with previously agreed-upon wording that you can display on your online platforms.

3. Permission to mention client types: Ask your clients for permission to cite your client base without taking names, eg, ‘Worked with Fortune 500 CEOS’, as this will help potential clients get an idea of your standards and will build credibility.

4. Guest posts: Write guest posts for newspapers, websites, blogs, and other professional ghostwriting forums to establish yourself as someone with experience and knowledge in the field.

Scaling your ghostwriting business

In the field of ghostwriting, there are certain signs that you have become successful—you are a regular on the roster of publishing houses and literary agents, you receive back-to-back projects from the same clients, and people are willing to pay more than basic rates for your services. Here’s how to ride the wave and scale up your business:

1. Increase your rates: While a dramatic change in your rates might lose you clients, gradually scaling up will show that your services are of high quality and in demand.

2. Retainer contract: Draft a retainer contract to lay down the terms of work for back-to-back projects from the same client, either standalone projects or a series.

3. Target your industry: Now, you can afford to focus on crafting projects for the industry you are truly passionate about, and sharpen your services in that direction.

4. Premium clients: Once you have a certain degree of success and stability, you will be in a position to cherry-pick your clients and projects, giving you the opportunity to work with high-profile names that will pay better.

Common challenges in ghostwriting and solutions

Here are some common challenges faced by ghostwriters and how to overcome them:

1. Difficult clients

Often, you come across difficult clients who are unable to articulate their vision for the project. In these situations, it is best to be prepared with an extensive list of questions—both general and specific—that would help you get them talking and give you the answers you need.

2. Maintaining multiple voices

If you’re ever working on multiple projects simultaneously, it might be difficult to switch voices as you turn from one project to the other. This can be handled by maintaining separate stylesheets for each client that you can read and use to get yourself in the zone.

3. Scope creep and endless revisions

Some clients are difficult to please or tend to change their minds, leading to endless rounds of revisions and the danger of the project exceeding the agreed-upon scope of work. To prevent this, make sure the number and scope of revisions you will allow are clearly nailed down in your contract.

Tools and resources for ghostwriters

Once you have set up your business and started drawing clients, here are some tools and resources to invest in that would help you run your ghostwriting business smoothly:

1. Software

Investing in software like transcription tools, grammar checkers, and project management would help you convert your client’s interviews from speech to text, help quickly identify grammatical errors, and manage your workflow smoothly. Some examples are TurboScribe, Grammarly, and Pega.

2. Recording equipment

Client interviews can typically be long, going into hours, and take up a lot of space on your phone. It would be wise to invest in good-quality recording equipment to streamline the process and help you work efficiently.

3. Reference materials

Purchasing style guides, checking our industry publications, or simply reading other ghostwritten work will help you stay abreast of the latest industry norms and standards and can work as a quick guide for similar projects.

4. Professional development

Finally, there is nothing wrong with investing in yourself. Signing up for courses and workshops or joining a ghostwriting association will help you connect with fellow professionals and upskill your professional capabilities, thereby helping you grow your business.

Ghostwriting is a highly lucrative and sought-after field where you can work with important people, make important contacts, and use and develop your writing skills. We wish you the very best with your journey!

PaperTrue offers expert, hassle-free book self-publishing services that allow you to get your ghostwritten manuscript edited and published by professionals. Check them out!

Here are some more resources that may help you:

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Tanvi

With a foundation in Life Sciences, Tanvi enjoys curating technical writing tips tailored for ESL students. When she's not translating complex concepts into bite-sized nuggets, she can be found playing with dogs or painting landscapes.