Writers often refer to any piece with someone else’s byline as ghostwriting. But that isn’t accurate. There are two types of projects that are often referred to as ghostwriting. Both have someone else’s byline on them, but only one is actual ghostwriting. I’ll explain.

1. “Slap a name on the story” writing

For this type of project, you write the piece from a company’s perspective and in the brand’s tone, but not in a specific person’s voice. With these projects, the author whose name appears in the byline is not the primary driver for the project. But instead, there is likely a meeting or a conference call–I’ve been on many–when the content team discusses whose name to put on the story. Often, it’s a last-minute decision and sometimes happens after the post or article is finished. And in some cases, the bylined author doesn’t even review the piece before it’s published. 

This isn’t ghostwriting; it’s simply content marketing. 

2. Real ghostwriting

True ghostwriting happens when you write from a specific person’s point of view, and you write in their voice–not your own or the company’s. You (almost) always interview the person before writing and typically review many pieces of their writing to get a feel for their writing style and voice. And the person always reviews it. Real ghostwriting is a collaborative project with the bylined author. The goal is that the finished product reads exactly as if they wrote it themselves, both in their writing style and point of view. These are often thought leadership pieces or even pure opinion.

Why the Difference Matters

I would love it if writers and clients stopped referring to “slap a name” projects as ghostwriting since it’s not ghostwriting at all. Yes, I know my stance might be controversial. But I feel that calling these projects ghostwriting really lowers the value of true ghostwriting. 

But beyond that soapbox, it’s important as a writer to understand the difference before you start a project. The type of project dictates three key things:

1. The rate. You can charge more (a lot more) for true ghostwriting. The reason is that it requires a lot more skill to mimic someone’s voice and writing style. It’s also much more time-consuming. If you are not charging at least $1 per word (preferably a lot more but that’s the lowest acceptable rate in my opinion) on a project rate for ghostwriting, then you are being underpaid. 
2. Confidentiality. Clients also pay you more for ghostwriting because in almost all cases, you cannot publicly disclose that you wrote the piece. You also cannot typically share true ghostwritten pieces on your portfolio, but some clients will give you permission to share privately via email with potential clients. One of the reasons that you are paid more for this type of work is because you can’t use it in your portfolio. However, almost all of my clients let me share “slap a name on it” projects on my website. But I always ask if there will be someone else’s name on the story. However, unbylined pieces or those that say Blog Staff or something generic like that are totally fair game. 
3. Writing process. I mentioned this briefly above but it’s important enough to bring up again. In true ghostwriting projects, your process involves learning the bylined author’s writing style and then writing in their tone of voice. This means mimicking their word choices and writing patterns. I always spend a lot of time studying past articles that they have written as well as their social media profiles. And then I will be record and transcribe the interviews I conduct with them so I can study the transcript and really get a feel for their voice. It’s hard work. But it’s very rewarding to have someone love a piece that you wrote enough to put their own byline on it for the world to see. 

I know that everyone isn’t going to agree with me. And I’m okay with that. But I feel strongly that real ghostwriting is hard. And it should pay more. But when we lump everything that doesn’t have a byline into that category I think we diminish the skill and projects. 

What are your thoughts on real ghostwriting vs “slap a name on it” projects?