I don’t mind a good cliche once in a while, so this Thanksgiving, I’m going to take a moment to share some of the reasons I’m grateful to be a ghostwriter. While I’m thankful in so many ways, I’ll focus on a few that might be valuable to others considering breaking into the writing world.
I also want to use this as an opportunity to express gratitude to my network. Part of the reason being a ghostwriter is so fulfilling is because I have the opportunity to connect with so many awesome people. Even if we don’t work together, the connections feel endless and lead to win-win scenarios.
I’ll keep it brief today. It is a holiday, and one where we all want to think about areas of gratitude in our own lives. Hopefully, this can help give you a kickstart.
Awesome Clients
As a ghostwriter, you get to know your clients incredibly well. No matter what the nature of the book is, you spend a lot of time together, and the author shares a lot with you. You learn about what makes them who they are and what’s informed their views and perspectives. You hear stories of triumph and challenge.
Because of the nature of the book, you also learn more detailed information about their lives. Maybe a certain word choice triggers them for some reason. Maybe there’s a funny anecdote that they remember when getting into the details of the book.
I know it’s truly an honor and a privilege for an author to choose me as their ghostwriter because of the trust they need to place in me. I’m always grateful for the incredible clients I get to work with. I learn so much from them, and they are so good to me. It’s truly a win-win.
Helping Make a Positive Impact
I passionately believe that books have the power to make a huge impact in the world. Some may argue that books are oversaturated right now. I don’t think we can ever have enough books. I look at it this way. If a book deeply and positively impacts just one person, it has created a change we’d all like to see in the world. When a person is moved to action after reading a book, they take steps, make changes, or open up in a way that creates good in the lives around them, whether it’s family, employees, teammates, etc. A book has the power to create a ripple effect beyond what we can even fathom.
Beyond the readers, writing a book is often a dream of many. By partnering with authors, I get to help them turn a dream into reality. It’s not just that they get to see a physical manifestation of the book. They transform during the process, too. They get really clear on what drives them, how they formed their perspectives, who helped them along the way, and usually gain clarity on new insights because of this.
Books are incredibly powerful tools.
Constant Learning
My coach always says that if you want ot learn more about a subject, find someone who wants to write a book about it.
As a ghostwriter, I feel as if I get paid to learn. The authors I work with get to teach me about a topic they’re passionate about, share stories to really help it land, and then I get to ask questions that help fill in the blanks. For anyone passionate about learning, it’s a super cool experience to learn directly from an expert in the field and then translate the knowledge into words on a page.
Some of the learning is tangible in nature… different leadership styles, business concepts, etc. But some of the learning goes deeper than that. It comes from life lessons and shifted perspectives from authors who go deep into their different experiences and how they’ve navigated those. I’m truly blessed to get to take in the wisdom of the authors I work with.
As an added bonus, I’m always reading for work. It’s part of the creative process. It helps me see different structures, techniques, styles, which helps me to better serve my authors. Getting to read other books helps me to gain knowledge and perspectives I wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
Connections Galore
As I mentioned earlier, being a ghostwriter means I constantly get to connect with interesting people. This starts within the industry itself. Books are a highly involved process. To best support my clients, I connect with publishers, editors, designers, etc. Talking to these folks often leads to other introductions in the field.
I also love to connect with other ghostwriters. It’s important to have a great fit for both the author and the ghostwriter. If I feel I’m not a great fit for a potential client, I like to be able to send them to someone who will be.
And in general, I’m always looking for people who have awesome stories and outlooks that I’d love to help share. Even if they aren’t ready to write a book or never intend on writing one, I find myself in conversations where I learn so much and often get introduced to others.
Connecting with others begins to happen with such ease, which is just one of the best feelings. It helps me to serve others by connecting them to those who can help support them.
Basically, what I’m grateful for this Thanksgiving are the awesome people I get to work with and connect with to help create good in the world around me.
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Disclaimer: This blog should not be construed as providing, or intending to provide professional financial, legal, psychological, or other professional advice. It is simply meant to share my experiences with those who may find them relatable and helpful