1 Word to Explain Why Ghostwriters Aren’t Going Anywhere

I’ve read some online reports that say ghostwriters remain relevant and in demand. The main reason can be explained in one word: Content.

Everybody needs it. And it is seemingly everywhere all the time. It’s positively ubiquitous.

I entered “types of content” into my search engine. Twenty-four different types came up. Seventeen of them require writing. Here they are, alphabetized.

articles, audio, blogs, case studies, checklists, courses, ebooks, emails, guides, memes

newsletters, social media, stories, videos, visual content, webinars, white papers

If you add books, websites, and speeches, that’s twenty.

That’s a lot of content. Who’s going to write it? Are you?

Most people aren’t, for a variety of reasons.

They’re not writers, or writing intimidates/scares them. Writing isn’t an innate talent. It takes education, training, and at least 10,000 hours of practice.

They have other priorities. They don’t want to take the time to search for the content, let alone write it.

They’re overwhelmed. Information overload is real, and most people don’t enjoy the minutiae of research and finding the right words to tell the story they want.

These people need content but also need somebody else to write it for them. Enter ghostwriters.

According to LinkedIn, professional ghostwriters are in “high demand as more organizations, corporations, and startups are clamoring for more dominant space online.” And that doesn’t include the celebrities, CEOs, adjunct professors, professional speakers, and regular Joes who have compelling stories to tell who need somebody to organize and write their words for them.

I hear some people saying, “What about AI?” My response is, What about AI? If you want to be average, then use AI to create content. If you want to be cheap, then AI will serve your purpose. 

But if you want to be exceptional, and you realize you get what you pay for, use a ghostwriter because a ghostwriter, being a full-blooded human, can do emotion, subtlety, and nuance. AI can’t. Ghostwriters can check facts and ensure accuracy and truth. AI can’t. 

Ghostwriting might take more time than using AI, but a professional ghostwriter will take less time than if you try and do it yourself. Plus, ghostwriters (including me) are using AI to increase efficiency. Because AI swallows information by the terabytes, ghostwriters can use AI to research and find stuff much faster than just using Google.

I recently used ChatGPT to find 20 hybrid publishers that use ghostwriters. Then I had to act like a human and research them all. Some names on the list I already knew; some companies no longer existed, and some either didn’t hire male ghostwriters or published works I don’t write. But in about an hour, I had a list of about six I could query.

As that same LinkedIn article said, AI “lacks the creative and emotional intelligence that a human writer can bring.” 

There are reasons why…

● Only 3% of people this start writing a book actually finish it.

● A speech’s success is 90% determined before the speaker starts the remarks. It’s the preparation, which includes the writing.

● Having a blog can increase your online ranking by 434%.

According to Vocal, people and entities will continue to demand high quality content, and they’ll look to ghostwriters to provide it. Ghostwriters, in turn, must keep their skills sharp and continually work on their craft so they can provide the expertise and deliver the words that will help their clients’ stories stand out from the rest, or as I like to say, above the mindless drivel that permeates our everyday lives.

If you want to discuss this or any other post, feel free to leave a message. I am a ghostwriter in Boston and am looking forward to hearing from you. Just click on “contact.”