The websites for ghostwriting companies just keep getting more and more complex, especially if you are not familiar with publishing. Claims are made about books that have been successfully self-published but in actuality have no affiliation with the ghostwriting company. The company is just using an example to try to lure people into self-publishing with them. You have to put on your reading glasses and look at the fine print. It should be criminal--and probably is--to use a title in advertisements when the advertiser had nothing to do with the writing, printing, or publication of a book. Ghostwriting companies get away with this practice because the books are mentioned as examples of what has happened in the published industry.
Do published authors ghostwrite? Sure, but what about bestselling authors and other prize winners? Just think for a minute. You're a wealthy, world-famous author, but you're going to work for a few thousand dollars as a subcontractor for a ghostwriting company that is really a Print-on-Demand company. Does this sound plausible?
Some companies claim that their books have become blockbuster movies. Look up the movie title, however, and you won't find it. And then there are the claims that books written or published by the company have sold thousands of copies in Barnes and Noble or on Amazon. Why aren't the titles available, however, when you walk into the store? On Amazon, how come no one has reviewed the book?
One company consistently talks about how mega-famous their clients have become. How come the company's website has so many grammatical errors? How come clients have brought me the company's work and asked me to correct all of the problems? How come the company can't produce a manuscript that correctly punctuates dialogue? How can people become mega-famous with poorly written work?
You might get a writer with some decent credentials, of course, if you want to pay $100,000, but otherwise you will be assigned a writer who probably isn't some bestselling literary guru. As I've said in other posts on this site, I personally know many of the writers who these self-proclaimed "leading companies" contact, and they are not bestselling, prize winning writers. Let me repeat that: I know many of the ghostwriters who companies contact, and they DO NOT have the credentials of these alleged bestselling authors who have put people on TV shows or into movies. They have NOT secured million dollar contracts with mainstream publishers.
And as I frequently like to ask: How come major literary agents, editors, and publishers never heard of a majority of these ghostwriting companies?
As always, do your homework and let the buyer beware. Don't just take my word for it. Go to Absolute Write Watercooler Forums and start checking these companies out. Also consult the top literary watchdog site at Preditors and Editors You'll find out the truth.
~ William Hammett
Contact wmhammett@aol.com
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