Writers and Editors

"With the rise in self-publishing and the popularity of celebrity books, demand for ghostwriters has increased dramatically," writes Joni Rodgers, ghostwriter of bestsellers, in a story for Daily Finance: The Art and Economics of Ghostwriting (11-29-2010). "And with the downturn in the publishing industry, many talented, experienced writers are turning to ghostwriting to make ends meet. Truth is, there's risk and reward on both sides of a collaboration." Rodgers offers a primer on the ghostwriting gig:

She begins: "Obviously, baseline writing talent and solid knowledge of the craft are required for this job, but a good ghostwriter is also a good listener, meticulous researcher and all-purpose book nanny, with the ability to keep the client's secrets, build a bridge between the client and publisher, and completely set ego aside. Ghostwriting is a personality type as much as it is a skill set. Natural nurturers are in like Flynn; control freaks need not apply." This is a positive, enlightening story from a woman who makes ghostwriting celebrity memoirs and other books very appealing. It balances some of the more negative stories we hear in the hallways at writers conferences.

Learn more about Joni Rogers at Red Room ("where the writers are") and at Joni Rodgers blog. I like this excerpt from a guest blog Nancy Brinker talks about the writing of Promise Me and the power of stories: "Looking at my life and the breathtaking scope of the work done by Susan G. Komen for the Cure in this broader context, I’m humbled and elated. All around me every day, stories pour down like rain, bringing fresh life to everything we do. When I sit down with friends and strangers in all corners of the world, I still start by saying, 'Let me tell you about Suzy.'"

It works. I'm ordering a copy of Nancy Brinker's Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer.
See: Links to more stories on book ghostwriting and collaboration

The following links to online writers groups, critique groups, and communities appear on The Writing Life page of Writers and Editors. We may envy the days of literary salons, when writers hung out in cafes and bars and swapped drafts and lovers, but as C.J. West writes in A Writer in Paris (on the excellent  Read More 

Under a deal some writers are unhappy with, James Frey, author of the controversial bestselling fictional memoir A Million Little Pieces, has launched a fiction book-packaging company through which young creative-writing M.F.A. students are hired to write young adult novels; they are paid a token sum on signing and completion of a young adult novel but share in profits.  Read More 

Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, writes about the economics and practical realities of being published in print, in e-books, and through self-publishing (vs. traditional publishing) in How Authors Really Make Money: The Rebirth of Seth Godin and Death of Traditional Publishing. Read More 

"She is the great English novelist renowned for her polished prose, of whom it was once remarked: 'Everything came finished from her pen,' writes Anita Singh, arts correspondent for the Telegraph, in Jane Austen's famous prose may not be hers after all.  Read More