Is Ghostwriting Cheating?

Did you know, in ancient times we used to hire people to debate ideas on our behalf? These people were called Rhetoricians in the Roman Empire.

This is reminiscent of the practice of hiring lawyers to fight for us in court, and may even have had a direct influence over court cases and political campaigns today. These lawyers are experts at telling the story a way that the jury will understand. Without them, many innocent people might be in jail today.

Plus, almost every president has hired a speech writer to ensure their words stir the masses. Often they understand the gist of what they want to say, but leave it to a professional to make sure their words resonate.

In both of these scenarios, a professional ensures the client’s story is heard.

The client knows their ideas and thoughts have power, but they may not have the skill (or time!) to articulate their words. So, they hire someone. This someone possesses skill in articulating novel concepts in a way the audience will understand.

Ghostwriting is the same.

AUTHENTICITY IS A PRIORITY

During a discovery meeting, someone once told me, “I don’t want my copy to be inauthentic.”

My response? “Neither do I.”

The copy a ghostwriter creates for you should include your stories, your ideas, your thoughts, and your voice. Just because they are shaping the words into an enjoyable medium, using skills they have developed to engage an audience, doesn’t mean the words aren’t yours. The ideas and thoughts came from you, not your ghostwriter. They are not inserting any strategies or opinions of their own. They are only shaping your words.

Much like a contractor.

When you build a house, you tell your contractor your specifications for what you want the house to look like. They bring tools they know how to use with great skill and follow those specifications exactly. They don’t pick the color of your cabinets, or the size and shapes of your different rooms; they follow your instructions to the “T.” And if you don’t like something, they change it for you.

But hiring a contractor ensures everything is up to code. Your foundation is strong, and the bones of the house will hold up through the seasons. Plus, they give you a wealth of knowledge for maintaining and improving your home after their work is finished.

When they are done, it is still your home. Just because a master at their craft helped you create it doesn’t mean you cheated the system, or that the house isn’t really yours.

TIME = MONEY

The biggest benefit for hiring a ghostwriter?

Buying back your time.

You have big ideas and a monumental vision for the future. As that vision grows, your time is going to be worth more and more until eventually, you need every aspect of time you can get.

If you already have a consulting agency to run, a business to grow, or several speaking engagements to prepare for, you might not find the time to finish your book. Which sadly leaves money, and missed opportunities on the table.

Even if you have the skill to write, you still need the time to do it.

A ghostwriter can work with you in an interview format to capture the information needed to write the book. Then they take the hours it takes to write the content in a concise and compelling manner while you get back to business.

Your business doesn’t suffer, and your ideas still get a spotlight. Sounds like a win, win to me.

LEVERAGE EXPERTISE

Let’s examine our contracting scenario.

Would you want someone to build your home who had never built one before? Or would you want someone who had built twenty, thirty, or a thousand homes to build one for you?

My guess is the latter.

It’s the same when you try to tackle writing your own book.

Ghostwriters and copywriters have written more content combined then most people will ever write. They have learned from their mistakes and developed their craft. And they know exactly what will make a piece of writing glow.

When you buy their services, you also buy their expertise.

Remember, the goal of a ghostwriter is to help you get your ideas out into the world. You aren’t cheating the system by engaging with them. Especially because 60% of most non-fiction books are ghostwritten, likely including some of the books that you love!