at right the ghostwriter has -- if any -- to have his name on the cover or to even mention his association with the project.

The more you can put in writing, the safer you BOTH are, and the happier you both will be. A ghostwriting agreement, after all, shouldn't be developed because you're afraid the ghost is going to cheat you. If you feel that at all, you probably shouldn

The Need for a Ghostwriting Agreement

If you're in the market for a ghostwriter, beware. Because they're ghosts, they have the ability to vanish in the midst of a project or even hand you invisible words on a page!

Ok ... that might not be the norm. I'm a ghostwriter myself and I know plenty of others. Most are really good people, and some are excellent writers to boot. But there ARE the horror stories, some of which I've been told by clients (who tried other ghostwriters first), and some of which I've seen first hand.

A writer who charged by the hour, got $2000 up front, and handed in 15 pages of work for instance. Ouch!

But ghostwriting tricks aren't the only thing to be concerned about when entering into a ghostwriting arrangement. What happens if either client or ghost is unclear about his responsibilities? What happens if the client suddenly runs into financial difficulties? What happens if something happens to the ghost and he suddenly takes an actual trip to the underworld?

Who is left holding the bag?

So it's not just ill will that can lead to ghostwriting challenges. And that's precisely why a written ghostwriting agreement is essential any time you go to hire a ghost.

In an agreement, it's important to not just cover payments, writing matters, and manuscript timing. You also want to include options for getting out of the contract, details about what happens in the case of unforeseen events, and what right the ghostwriter has -- if any -- to have his name on the cover or to even mention his association with the project.

The more you can put in writing, the safer you BOTH are, and the happier you both will be. A ghostwriting agreement, after all, shouldn't be developed because you're afraid the ghost is going to cheat you. If you feel that at all, you probably shouldn'

really good people, and some are excellent writers to boot. But there ARE the horror stories, some of which I've been told by clients (who tried other ghostwriters first), and some of which I've seen first hand.

A writer who charged by the hour, got $2000 up front, and handed in 15 pages of work for instance. Ouch!

But ghostwriting tricks aren't the only thing to be concerned about when entering into a ghostwriting arrangement. What happens if either client or ghost is unclear about his responsibilities? What happens if the client suddenly runs into financial difficulties? What happens if something happens to the ghost and he suddenly takes an actual trip to the underworld?

Who is left holding the bag?

So it's not just ill will that can lead to ghostwriting challenges. And that's precisely why a written ghostwriting agreement is essential any time you go to hire a ghost.

In an agreement, it's important to not just cover payments, writing matters, and manuscript timing. You also want to include options for getting out of the contract, details about what happens in the case of unforeseen events, and what right the ghostwriter has -- if any -- to have his name on the cover or to even mention his association with the project.

The more you can put in writing, the safer you BOTH are, and the happier you both will be. A ghostwriting agreement, after all, shouldn't be developed because you're afraid the ghost is going to cheat you. If you feel that at all, you probably shouldn

oncerned about when entering into a ghostwriting arrangement. What happens if either client or ghost is unclear about his responsibilities? What happens if the client suddenly runs into financial difficulties? What happens if something happens to the ghost and he suddenly takes an actual trip to the underworld?

Who is left holding the bag?

So it's not just ill will that can lead to ghostwriting challenges. And that's precisely why a written ghostwriting agreement is essential any time you go to hire a ghost.

In an agreement, it's important to not just cover payments, writing matters, and manuscript timing. You also want to include options for getting out of the contract, details about what happens in the case of unforeseen events, and what right the ghostwriter has -- if any -- to have his name on the cover or to even mention his association with the project.

The more you can put in writing, the safer you BOTH are, and the happier you both will be. A ghostwriting agreement, after all, shouldn't be developed because you're afraid the ghost is going to cheat you. If you feel that at all, you probably shouldn

at can lead to ghostwriting challenges. And that's precisely why a written ghostwriting agreement is essential any time you go to hire a ghost.

In an agreement, it's important to not just cover payments, writing matters, and manuscript timing. You also want to include options for getting out of the contract, details about what happens in the case of unforeseen events, and what right the ghostwriter has -- if any -- to have his name on the cover or to even mention his association with the project.

The more you can put in writing, the safer you BOTH are, and the happier you both will be. A ghostwriting agreement, after all, shouldn't be developed because you're afraid the ghost is going to cheat you. If you feel that at all, you probably shouldn

at right the ghostwriter has -- if any -- to have his name on the cover or to even mention his association with the project.

The more you can put in writing, the safer you BOTH are, and the happier you both will be. A ghostwriting agreement, after all, shouldn't be developed because you're afraid the ghost is going to cheat you. If you feel that at all, you probably shouldn't be working with the ghost! Instead, that agreement is there to make sure you both know what's expected of you and what to do if anything goes wrong. And that makes the writing process more comfortable for all.