4 Bad Fails and How to Avoid Them

In a poem from 1711, Alexander Pope wrote, “Too err is human; to forgive, divine.” I’ve recently been dealing with fails as the year draws to a close. I’ve made mistakes, I’ve learned from them, I’ve forgiven myself, and I’ve moved on wiser so the next time, I’ll do it right.

Example: I sent out a contract and asked the prospect to let me know if he has any questions or concerns. I offered that because I want to make sure everything is understood before we begin work. My business advisor pointed out that by mentioning “concerns,” I sent the message that the prospect should be concerned about something in the contract. It would have been better to just ask if the prospect had any questions.

This is a minor example of a ghostwriting fail. Since we’re humans, we will fall short from time to time. The best way forward is to learn from the mistakes.

With that in mind, here are four potential ghostwriting fails (some of which I know well) and some tips to avoid them.

1. Voice problems. One of the worst pieces of feedback a ghostwriter can get is the client saying, “That doesn’t sound anything like me. I would never say that.”

Maybe the manuscript is too formal, too casual, too sales-y, too intellectual, too devoid of personality. All that really matters is that the clients don’t recognize themselves, and that likely means the readers won’t, either.

Ghostwriters must always be aware of what a person sounds like. A current client of mine wants his story written for a specific audience, but he sent me a manuscript that was so formal and technical that it would put anyone in that audience to sleep. When talking to him, he doesn’t sound like that, so the challenge becomes putting the technical jargon into layman’s terms so the facts are still correct and everyone can understand.

How to avoid the fail: The easiest way is to use the client’s exact words, which might require recording all conversations to get a sense of the word choices. If a ghostwriter is early in the process, consider doing a voice profile, which is a digital representation of an individual’s unique speech patterns. Artificial intelligence tools can help with this.

Another way is to collect past samples of their writings, especially those to their target audience. Emails, social media posts, speeches, and articles are places to start.

2. An opinionated ghostwriter. If a ghostwriter does the job right, all opinions, viewpoints, and  perspectives belong to the client, not the ghostwriter. No ghostwriter wants to have a client say, “That’s not what I think.”

Having been voted “Most Opinionated” by my high school class, I must always be on my guard so I don’t inject my beliefs. Fortunately, as a former journalist, I have worked hard to keep me out of the story.

How to avoid the fail: Fact-check everything and assume nothing. Did the client really say this? Ask if this is really what the client believes? Clarify the author’s beliefs, boundaries, and no-go zones. 

Ask if there are any places the client wants to avoid, and realize that might change. For example, I once had a client who told me she didn’t want to discuss her sex life with her husband. Then she changed course and said it was important to include some details (but not get too graphic) because it served the story. While I agreed it served the story, I personally didn’t think it added anything.

Which brings me to…

3. No pushback. Early in my career, I was so eager to please that I wouldn’t challenge a bad idea if the client wanted it in and I figured out a way to include it. I had a client that insisted the story begin with her mother’s death. I knew there was a better place to open and made the suggestion. When the client refused, I rationalized that because the incident she wanted to open with sent the story on its way, we could start there.

The publisher rejected the opening.

Hot to avoid the fail: Now, I have the mindset that there are two experts in the ghostwriter-client relationship. The client is the story expert and the ghostwriter is the storytelling expert. That means the client is the expert when it comes to the story’s facts, events, characters, plot, emotions—everything that the client experienced. The ghostwriter, meanwhile, is the expert in how to take that information and present it—factually, of course—in the most compelling way possible.

The two are equal partners, and each must respect the other’s expertise. So, when a client tells me a story, I have to ask the hard questions: “Why would a reader care?” “What does this have to do with the story?” and “Is this really the story you want to tell?” Ghostwriters need to fearlessly step up and rein in a client, reminding the client that both are working toward the same goal: to tell the best story in the best way possible.

4. No communication. This could be seen as more of a client fail than a ghostwriting fail, but the ghostwriter plays a role.

I had a client who disappeared for long stretches. From the beginning, he never committed to a schedule because he preferred to live his life and pursue his hobbies and loves. That made him difficult to track down. When I spoke to him, it often was while he was in some faraway, exotic locale. Sometimes, that was outside the United States.

Granted, when we spoke, he was fully committed and never distracted, and he also was patient with me when I needed time to be reminded of facts we spoke about months earlier (that would have been days or weeks if we worked regularly). But our sessions were irregular.

Contrast that with a current client. He and I meet every Sunday for ninety minutes, and at one point months ago, he complained that we wouldn’t be done in one year. I gave him several opportunities to add a second session each week, but he again preferred to live his life and pursue his hobbies and interests. I told him, “The next time you feel impatient, that we’re not moving fast enough, look in the mirror.”

In late August, he finally started booking a second weekly appointment.

How to avoid the fail: First, don’t accept a prospect who wants to work irregularly (this is on me because I knew before we signed the contract). 

Second, include contract language that spells out 1) the priority both sides will bring to the project, 2) the production schedule, 3) the deadlines to submit drafts, 4) the deadlines to provide feedback and edits, and 5) how and when to communicate.

By having a better contract, it makes it easier to fire a client and avoid legal ramifications.

Next: More ghostwriting fails and how to avoid them.

Feel free to read and check out my other posts related to ghostwriting. Go to leebarnathan.com/blog.