7 Great Skills Journalists and Ghostwriters Share

If a high school student came up to me today and said they were considering majoring in journalism in college and wanted my opinion on whether they should, I would say, “Don’t.”

If I met a hypothetical journalist who proceeded to complain about the state of his/her/their industry, I would say, “I understand. Woe is you.”

From an outdated business model to erosion of public trust to rising polarization and the spread of misinformation on social media, journalism as a noble profession is seen by many as failing. As a former journalist—I graduated from college with a journalism degree and spent sixteen and a half years working in newspapers—I feel very sad that the idea of telling truthful stories that spur action and hold powerful people accountable is going the way of the dodo.

Thank goodness, then, for ghostwriting.

Ghostwriting is a place I landed when my last newspaper closed and I was not making enough as a freelance copywriter. I had been introduced to ghostwriting by a networking contact whose friend, a Philadelphia-area  schoolteacher, wanted to tell his story about recovering from a mysterious heart ailment that put him in a coma for sixteen days near the end of the 2010 school year, only to recover fast enough to start again in September.

I am not alone in being a journalist-turned-ghostwriter. Shannon Kyle wrote an article on The Ghostwriters Agency blog entitled “How I left journalism and doubled my salary — by accidentally becoming a ghostwriter.”

In it, she detailed how journalism was her dream job, so she worked at a local newspaper, won some awards, and moved up the industry ladder to assistant editor. Then her magazine contracted, she turned to freelancing, was asked to ghostwriter a memoir, and now she’s at HarperCollins.

Kyle’s story is similar to mine, and it proves the point: Journalists can make a living, and it can be more lucrative than journalism. A 2024 compensation survey of 269 ghostwriters, co-sponsored by the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), found that one-third earned more than $100,000 in annual income from book collaborations.

Why do journalists make great ghostwriters? The skills are the same. Here are seven examples.

1. Knowing that a good story is. While no journalist can guarantee any single story will be widely read, they can increase the odds by crafting tales that are unique, original, relatable, and emotional. They include sympathetic, heroic, or tragic people that overcome or fail to overcome some kind of conflict. The plot flows naturally and is well structured, and it holds the reader’s attention and provides a clear purpose. I typically wrote in-depth stories of between 2,000- 5,000 words.

A ghostwriter must do the same thing, only on a much larger scale. The books I ghostwrite run between 35,000 and 100,000 words, but all the above-mentioned principles apply.

2. Research. Journalists have to research the subject matter. That could mean reading, watching, or listening to relevant material. I spent plenty of time in my newspaper’s morgue reading background and previously published related stories.

Ghostwriters also have to research because chances are they aren’t subject matter experts. I’ve read articles, notes, journal entries. I’ve watched movies, documentaries, and TV shows. I’ve listened to recordings, radio reports, and songs. Whatever I had to do to gain a basic understanding of the subject the client wanted me to know, I’ve done.

3. Interview. Journalists have to conduct interviews. The best interview questions are open-ended and begin with who, what, where, when, how, and why. These questions don’t allow somebody to answer with a simple yes or no. 

Many ghostwriting projects, especially memoirs and business books, require in-depth interviews with the client. As a ghostwriter, I have interviewed my clients many, many more times over several hours than anybody in my journalism days, but the type of open-ended questions remains the same.

4. Active listening. Journalists must actively listen and document ins one way the answers, which serve two purposes: It allows for follow-up questions, and it ensures the journalist is accurately quoting the person.

The same is true for ghostwriting. If a ghostwriter wants to write in the tone, style, voice, and manner of the client, the best way to start is to use the client’s own words.

5. Writing. Journalists write using what is called an inverted pyramid, which organizes the copy into having the most important information come first. The lead, then, is most critical.

In ghostwriting, it’s exactly the same. The chapter needs to begin with a fabulous hook that keeps the reader riveted.

6. Organization. As a journalist, I had to balance several stories at once, meaning I had to keep track of the various sources, meet deadlines, and manage revisions. I always checked with the editors to fix whatever problems they found, if any. Deadlines were critical, and journalists who failed to make deadlines would find themselves out of a job. 

As a ghostwriter in Agoura Hills, I have to do the same. I have a separate notebook for each client. I tell my clients when I will complete the next draft, and then I make the deadline. I elicit feedback from the client, who tells me when I’ve done good work, when I’m nowhere near what the client wanted or expected, and everything in between. Then I make the fixes as needed until the client is satisfied.

7. Confidentiality. Journalists often use sources they don’t identify for various reasons, including fear of reprisals or they’re not authorized to speak. A source will say something off the record, and the journalist has to respect that. Handling those matters appropriately builds trust.

Similarly, a ghostwriter might have to sign a non-disclosure agreement or agree to not let it be known that he/she/they is/are the ghostwriter. Handling those matters appropriately also leads to increased trust (and no lawsuits).

I’m thirty-five years out of college, and I’m still using my degree. Ghostwriting requires me to use a journalist’s skills. I’m grateful that I get to. Other journalists might consider ghostwriting, too.

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