.png)
Romance ghostwriting is a weird industry. Not only because at least half the time when I tell someone I'm a romance ghostwriter, they assume I literally write about romance novels about ghosts—which honestly isn't totally false. I have ghostwritten a lot of paranormal romance.
But beyond the confusing terminology, romance ghostwriting is strange because most people treat it like it's taboo.
I can't count the number of people who have, after hearing what I do, stared at me, horrified, because they're now contemplating the idea that their favorite author didn't actually write the romances they love so much—though, for the record, I never violate the NDAs I sign and actually divulge who I'm ghosting for; people just hear I ghostwrite romance, and then suddenly, they think that ALL romance authors use ghostwriters.
When I ask these people why they're so upset, they usually say it's because they feel lied to.
But is using a romance ghostwriter really lying to readers?
No.
Because working with a ghostwriter is a collaborative process, just like working with an editor or beta reader.
Most beloved romance novels—heck, most novels full stop—look wildly different when first presented to an agent, editor, publisher, or friend. The stories go through multiple rounds of revision, sometimes even a total restructuring, before they find their way onto readers' shelves.
And those rounds of revision are very much collaborations, between author and editor, author and agent, author and beta reader—you get the drift. The agent suggests the author change the ending to something a little more happily-ever-after than happy-for-now, in keeping with the author's sub-genre. The editor points out an area where the pace gets choppy and suggests a way of smoothing it out with specific lines or plot points. The beta reader points out that the hero swerves into alphahole territory in chapter 26, and the editor agrees and shows the author how to reign him in. This happens over and over, for weeks or month.
The same thing happens with ghostwriters. We're another type of collaborator, albeit a silent one that may not get mentioned in the acknowledgements like the ones listed above. And for most of us, that's the way we like it. We don't want the credit. We like writing, we like helping people tell their stories, and, most importantly, we like making sure that the stories we work on match with an author's voice and style.
Because that's the other thing about romance authors who use ghostwriters—usually, they still edit the books so they're in their voice, style, and tone, just like readers expect.
The reader isn't really looking for that author's work—usually. They're looking for their stories. And that's what ghostwriters help authors deliver.
Out of the 50+ ghostwriting clients I've had in my career, I think I can count on one hand the number of them who didn't spend serious time and effort telling me exactly what their readers expect from their books, including tropes, spice, plot structure, themes, even how they phrase specific scenes and beats.
Most authors who use ghostwriters are committed to serving their readers what they love. They just want help doing it, and the reasons are disparate, but usually boil down to a combination of visibility—they know that to please the Amazon overlords and keep their sales up, they need to release quickly, and that's tough to do, especially when you write longer books; and plotting—they love writing but don't like plotting, and want someone to provide the structure for their story so they can focus on the fun part (actually writing it).
Romance authors who use ghostwriters aren't lying. They're working with another publishing professional to do what they love: put out good romance novels. And that's what we all want, right?
Until next post, happy reading and writing!