We landed on a discussion as to whether or not ghostwriters are still as much in demand as they were three years ago. I’ve also been having a similar discussion with writing colleagues as we discuss the rise of AI. Are we ghostwriters still a relevant profession? I believe that words are the foundation of our very existence and therefore they’ll remain solid through all the ups and downs of other life changes.

Ghostwriting, the act of writing for someone else without receiving credit, has existed for centuries. But how did ghostwriting even become a thing?

“How does ghostwriting even work?” That’s the question I get all the time. Here’s your answer to how the ghostwriting process works.

Book writing and public speaking fall into similar categories for me. The ultimate goal of each is to communicate a specific set of points. Effective communication happens when what the speaker is saying is clearly understood by the audience. There’s no room for disconnection. The best way to handle this is by knowing your audience. What do you need to say and what do they need and want to hear? How can you connect the two? That’s my job as a collaborator; to connect those dots between people and concepts.

I’ve been a ghostwriter since before I knew what it was called. I was the writer in the shadows shaping the voices of arts, nonprofit, and spiritual leaders. Newsletters. Speeches. Interviews. Op-eds. Books. Few things offered me the thrill of taking on someone’s voice or expanding their thoughts and stories.