I am frequently asked about the journey I took to become a ghostwriter, and I wanted to share it here for you today to satisfy some of your curiosity. Of course, I am always open to discussing my career and achievements when we chat on an introductory call, but this servers as a quick reference should you ever want to check up on something!
My story is perhaps not unremarkable, in that I don’t believe most ghostwriters start off wanting to be ghostwriters. Given the nature of our work, which is conducted behind the scenes and often under strict NDA contracts, not many people even really think about ghostwriters until they need one themselves. For that reason, the idea of ghostwriting books was never on my radar until the very first time a client asked me to do it!
I was working as a copywriter, first for an SEO company and then later on a freelance basis, while also working on my own books in the background. I had actually published a few novellas under a pseudonym – this was my training ground, where I learned everything not to do as an indie author by failing over and over again. It was all taking place in my spare time, so it didn’t seem too big of a deal – particularly since I had been writing novels since I was a young child, and this was just a continuation of what I had always done in my spare time.
At this point, however, a client asked for the first time if I had ever written a novel and whether I would be interested in doing it for them. I hesitated for only the barest second before saying yes and jumping in with both feet. This was what I had always dreamed of doing – could I really get paid for it, too?
The answer, of course, was yes. I started to take on more and more novel-writing projects, at first just for the same client and then branching out. I began to work with publishers and this allowed me to bring in a steady and reliable source of income, signing up to write three- to ten-book series. In turn, this allowed me to quit copywriting for good, and once I’d finished up working with my last client in that sphere, I was all-in on writing books.
I also wrote and published books under my own name as I grew in confidence, leading to a number of bestsellers under my belt and a portfolio that now numbers upwards of twenty-five books I can share easily. It’s not so easy to share client titles – though I’ve now worked on over a hundred published books, only a handful of these did not come with an NDA attached. Having my own back catalogue makes it easier to demonstrate that I know what I’m doing when it comes to writing fiction, although ironically, I am often hired for non-fiction projects!
Today, you will find me sitting in my home office, typing away full-time, working alternately on client projects and my own books. I love my work and I live it, too – I’m always surrounded by books, constantly reading to help fuel my research into this genre or that genre to inform my choices while writing the next book. I wouldn’t have it any other way, and I’m also working hard to instil a life-long love of reading in my son as I believe it has enriched my life in so many ways.
What’s next? Who knows! Every year brings new exciting challenges, every year I believe I’ve written my best book yet, and I make sure to constantly study to improve my craft as well – from taking Masterclass courses with famous authors to earning a Masters degree in Literature and Culture. I love the varied pace and nature of the work, the way I might be working on a memoir at one moment and at the next, diving into a romcom or a sci-fi fantasy.
If you’d like to be my next client, let’s chat about it! I’m available for no-strings-attached calls to discuss your project and to find out if we’d be a good fit for one another. You can find out more about my ghostwriting process here, read testimonials here, or book a call here.
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