Ghost Writers In Horror: What They Really Do In The Shadows?
It may have happened to you once. You read a book by a well-known person – be it a politician, a movie actor, or a football player – and you were impressed by his writing abilities, at least apparently. “Come on, he also knows how to write,” you said, impressed by the book’s wit, imagination, and careful editing. This is true in most cases, but as myth busters, it is vital that you know the work of shadow writers. In other words, with all due respect to the person whose name appears on the cover, another unknown person may be responsible for the words you see, no less.
Even if some people show cynicism about the field of Shadow Writing, it is one of the most common practices in literature and other areas. This service has been essential in recent years when everyone can create his own story. On the other side of the equation today, you can find a shadow writer easily and at reasonable prices – and this is also true in the horror genre.
What Is A Ghost Writer?
Ghost writers (ghostwriters), also known as Shadow Writers, are professionals behind the scenes who help different creators – sometimes famous and sometimes not – to write their work. The main issue here is that this writing happens in the shadows, at least metaphorically. The work of the writer usually remains anonymous. Even if you search carefully, you will need help finding the name of the person who wrote the book in some cases. One can criticize this concept, which has a certain degree of deception, but that’s how things work, and quite rightly so.
The scope of the work varies in each project, so it can be challenging to formulate an unequivocal definition of a shadow writer. Sometimes, a shadow writer writes the story almost from scratch for the person who will get the credit, usually because they need the talent, knowledge, or time to create a story themselves. Even people with skills, including full-fledged writers, can be helped by shadow people – this has happened for several centuries. According to estimations, almost 60% of the nonfiction literature involves ghost writers. It is said, for example, that certain parts of Alexandre Dumas’ classic “The Three Musketeers” were written by shadow writers. Other famous writers to use “Ghosts” are Ian Fleming, Tom Clancy, and Michael Crichton.
In other cases, the writer works with existing material – for example, an unpolished story of the “writer,” fragments of memoirs, diary, etc. – which adds to his work an aspect of literary editing (which, by the way, is an entirely different profession). The work on the story or the book can be done in full cooperation, for example, a situation in which the person ordering the service describes to the shadow writer precisely what he wants, describes some plot that will become one of the chapters, and so on.
What Does A Ghost Writer Do?
As we have already mentioned, each horror story or book project has its own rules, which affect the requirements of the shadow writer and the way to work with him. Sometimes, the writer accompanies a customer in the initial planning and research stages. In contrast, there are situations in which he enters the picture in later stages.
Ghost Writer meaning can be:
📖 Defining the project and initial planning, including discussing the general idea and genre (psychological or supernatural horror), setting schedules, budget, etc.
📖 Comprehensive research, whether regarding the person who will appear as the author (valid mainly in biographies or autobiographies) or on scary topics at the heart of the book, such as local folklore or a chilling historical case.
📖 The development of the idea, usually in cooperation between the person ordering the service and the shadow writer. Here, you can think about central scenes, the characters, the description of the world where the story takes place, and so on. A good writer will ask the right questions and “translate” his client’s desires into a story.
📖 Writing – usually, several drafts are needed, receiving feedback, corrections, further editing, etc. Sometimes, there is a gap between the desires of the person whose name appears on the cover, who has his vision and desires, and the professional knowledge and perception of the shadow writer. That is why having a regular working relationship, even chemistry, is imperative.
📖Feedback and Corrections – the writer should know how to accept criticism and understand that it usually takes several rounds until both sides broadcast on the same wave.
📖 Final Editing – Some shadow writers also offer these services, but there is quite a difference between literary writing, literary editing, linguistic editing, and proofreading. Therefore, dividing it among several professionals would be a more correct step.
Ghost Writers In Horror Literature
The name chosen to describe this critical work – whether Ghost Writer or Shadow – may evoke associations of horror. Unfortunately, as far as we know, Ghost Writers are not ghosts who write books, nor are they dark figures who are in the dark whispering the plot in a creepy voice.
They are also unrelated to the excellent but relatively slow movie “A Ghost Story,” with Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, in which a man dies in an accident but continues living in his house, trying to communicate with his wife and other ghosts. Or the 2010 movie “The Ghost Writer” by Roman Polanski, based on the book of the same name by Robert Harris, in which a ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) is hired to complete the writing of the autobiography of the former British Prime Minister after the previous writer died, and discovers all kinds of unpleasant pieces of information about the prime minister and the circumstances of the last writer’s murder.
In the world of horror reality – outside the cinema screens – a shadow writer can call upon our favorite realm in several ways:
✍️ Autobiographies of people related to the horror world, such as actors, directors, etc. Of course, we should distinguish this writing from biographies about horror people that were written in advance by other people or analyzed their works
✍️ Writing novels or romance about pure horror
✍️ Writing short horror stories, which we can put together into a book or published in other ways, digitally or in print
✍️ Writing scary songs
✍️ Professional articles and studies related to horror
✍️ scripts and podcasts
Writing a horror story is undoubtedly challenging because the writer has to know precisely how to write a scary plot, create an atmosphere, build tension, or characterize characters that look like they came out of a story or a horror movie: you will be surprised, but this does not only mean that they have to be hot, stupid or act in a lack of rationality so that they can get killed in a flash. Developing characters in a horror story should be complex because, most of the time, the reader has to identify with the hero or if you want the villain’s character to inspire terror.
The problem is that many want to know how to become a Ghost Writer and even try this without former knowledge or education, and it sometimes takes effort to tell who you are talking to.
Only some writers, even professional and experienced ones in their field, can complete the job. A fondness for the genre can be an advantage, whether for horror books or movies, so people with experience and a desire for the field can do a fantastic job. Sometimes, you should lower your expectations. Some horror writers do excellent work, in the shadows or not, but approaching a horror writer and expecting him to produce a work of the caliber of Stephen King or Edgar Allan Poe, for example, is probably overthinking.
The Advantages Of Using Ghost Writers
The simple answer is that through a skilled shadow writer, a person who doesn’t have the skills and time to write a horror story, novel, or autobiography can put a “V” on the craft.
We must remember that every book today has strict standards, especially in print, where it is impossible to correct quickly. So mistakes in constructing the story, proofreading, and such are perceived negatively. Suppose it is a biography or a person with a reputation behind the story. In that case, there is a potential for severe image damage because the average person does not necessarily know who exactly wrote the story or even if the same person contacted a Ghost Writer.
Using a Ghost Writer can save time and money. The person ordering the service can invest time promoting the book because sometimes people choose a book based on the person who appears on the cover, regardless of their specific writing abilities.
Shadow writers who specialize in horror can bring with them rich experience, in-depth knowledge, and, above all, talent, which will improve the book in every possible sense: from the credibility of the plot or story through the atmosphere (for example, a description of a scene that will scare the reader or an atmosphere of fear that develops as the book progresses) to the characters. It is not just a profession but a real art.
Turning to these service providers allows writers to increase their work rate (and, as a result, potential earnings), improve productivity, and meet deadlines more efficiently. Some writers turn to shadow people from time to time to get original ideas for writing, when they suffer from a creative block or when they are feeling too close to a subject.
Some writers use Ghost Writer, or at least ghost writers’ names (known as pan names) when writing their materials. Master of Horror Stephen King, for example, wrote many books under different names, primarily to reduce the pressure regarding them. His son Joseph Hillström King uses the pen name “Joe Hill” because he didn’t want to be seen just as the “son of.” He did this when writing “The Black Phone,” for example, as we wrote in our review.
How Much Does A Ghost Wroter Cost?
As you may have already understood, the field of shadow writing is wide and varied. You can also see evidence of this in the pricing, which varies from project to project or even according to different payment models. There is, for example, a pricing method per word or page, hourly pricing, or a global payment for the project.
The Price of the ghost writer can start from a few hundred or thousands of Dollars for a short story but reach tens of thousands of dollars and even more in the case of a novel or novella. Although I am not a shadow writer by profession, I have received several offers during my career for collaborations of a different kind, for example, a specific distribution of the profits on the book, usually in addition to a more basic payment in advance.
The pricing of shadow writer services in the field of horror stories can vary significantly depending on several factors, such as the type of project, its level of complexity (e.g., the scope of the story or research needed), the experience and talent of the shadow writer, the schedule and so on.
The bottom line is that the costs of using a shadow writer today are really not astronomical, and in some cases, they are even insulting; some would even say it is unfair and unethical. There is still a perception that writing a shadow story is “black” work. The fear is that the “real” writer responsible for most of the work will get Minimal reward, while the service orders the credit or most of the financial pie (to the extent that the field of literature can be profitable today). On the other side of the equation, a shadow writer can make a decent living from the craft, especially if he has talent. He is building his name or standing out among others who provide similar services, a point we’ll address immediately.
How To Hire A Ghost Writer?
The good news is that today it is much easier to find shadow writers compared to the past, although to find a skilled writer who is also well-versed in the world of horror, you will probably have to work (a little) harder.
Platforms of Service Providers
The first and most convenient option is to use diverse freelance platforms, which offer professionals worldwide and in all languages, including shadow writers specializing in horror. We, for example, found top-notch shadow writers through sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and others.
The main advantages are that these sites have a wide variety of professionals, along with filtering and rating systems that will allow you to understand more or less who is more recommended for your project: if you are specifically looking for writers who specialize in horror, check the ratings and reviews of previous customers, read examples or even do A small pilot (for a fee!) in front of the author, the chances of making the suitable choice increase. Prices are competitive, although you’ll pay more for a top-notch professional.
The disadvantage is that the service providers’ quality could be higher because professionals or service providers sometimes need more experience or talent, even in these fields. In addition, working with shadow writers is sometimes tight, and when you contact someone digitally, you may miss out. Zoom calls or meetings only sometimes replace face-to-face meetings and brainstorming sessions.
For example, here are some recommended shadow writers we found on Fiverr:
Social Media And Forums
Social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn have recently become a vast employment arena, with service providers and artists in all fields. You can try to locate profiles of professionals (make sure to insert relevant keywords such as “shadow writer” or “literary editing” in their profile or name) and also locate specific groups. Yes, including searching for relevant hashtags.
You can find online groups with ghost writers Jobs and offers. However, The number of groups dedicated explicitly to the field is reasonably limited regarding horror, as is the number of members. Still, in more general and massive groups of writing, literature, short stories, etc., you can find relevant posts or make such a request. You can write a simple ad stating that a shadow writer is needed – preferably one that explains as much as possible about the project – and receive quite a few inquiries you must choose between.
Professional Companies
Today, companies, business owners, and various service providers offer shadow writing, and you can also reach them with a quick Google search. Whether book publishers, content or digital companies, agencies, or anything else, that can serve those who declare they are looking for a shadow writer well.
The main advantage is that these big players sometimes have a pool of professionals, which means that there is a possibility of successfully matching a ghostwriter to a given project. The companies sometimes also provide additional professionals who integrate into the project or managers responsible for coordinating the various parties. The result can be very successful.
The main disadvantage is that working through large companies of this type can be more expensive. In addition, there are companies where the process is a little too “automatic,” some would say using the moving film method, and the author of the book (allegedly or not) feels that he is falling between the chairs.
Recommendations And Connections
In the field of literature, connections can be more helpful. You can contact “writers” or other factors in the field to see who they helped to write their story. This information may not be available; what is more, unlike other service providers, you usually won’t find it in the book’s credits list. And yet, with a little effort and positive “insolence,” you can find professionals you were impressed by in another project.
For obvious reasons, professional conferences and writing workshops are another place to find potential writers.
