Introductions

Welcome to Ghostwriters Anonymous, the podcast for those who give a literary voice to the world. I am your host Alaina Burnett. In this inaugural episode of the podcast I will be introducing myself and giving you a rundown of what to expect in future episodes. So, let’s get to it. I’m sure some of you are thinking, who is this person and why should I listen to what she has to say? Well, this is where things get a bit interesting because I cannot give you the same kind of resume that others can. This is for an obvious reason…I’m a ghostwriter! I lurk behind the scenes, toiling on book after book, while the people who pay me get the credit. I sign confidentiality agreements with all of my authors, so sadly the best I can do is tell you that I have 1 book that has been published, 1 that is about to go to press, 2 in production, and 4 in negotiation. That’s not bad for a relative newbie. After graduating from college in 2006 I immediately began to make plans for my first novel. You see, when I’m writing in my own voice I focus on historical fiction. However, things changed when I was approached by a friend of mine. He wanted to hear about my post-college plans so we went out for a cup of coffee. I explained how I intended to focus on my writing. When he heard this he excitedly started talking about a book that he had always wanted to write and he asked if I would be interested in writing it for him. The thought of being a ghostwriter had never crossed my mind before, but the idea was intriguing so I gave it a shot. I found that I loved the process and things went so well that projects kept coming in. While I still intend to get my historical fiction published one day, I gladly dedicate most of my time to my clients and their projects. I focus primarily on books, but I also ghostwrite smaller projects like personal biographies, newspaper and magazine articles, website content, and advertising materials. As a listener of this podcast you can expect to learn about the ins and outs of being a ghostwriter. This means that you’ll discover not only what a ghostwriter does, but also what to anticipate if you decide to become one yourself. Over the next few weeks I will be offering a series called “Ghostwriting 101” where we will cover topics such as what ghostwriters do, how much you should charge for your work, the things every ghostwriter should know before accepting clients, how to find clients, why having a contract with every client is important and what should be included in those contracts. In the future I will also be talking about the writing process, the publishing industry, and a myriad of other things related to ghostwriting. Feel free to contact me with your questions or comments at any time. I will answer your questions on air if I think the audience will benefit from hearing about the subject of your e-mail. You can reach me at [email protected]. That link will be included in the show notes at the official page for the Ghostwriters Anonymous podcast, http://www.ghostwriters-anonymous.com/. Click on the pretty little tab that says “Ghostwriters Anonymous podcast.” Pretty self-explanatory, hey? Thank you for listening and make sure to tune in next week for the first episode of the Ghostwriting101 series.