6 of the Most Commonly Asked FAQs About Ghostwriting: What if Your Ghostwritten Work is Rejected by Publishers?
Ghostwriting is not easy. I get that.
That's why I have created an entire series of posts for both new and experienced ghostwriters. Each one is dedicated to answering a FAQ on ghostwriting. So far, I have answered 3 FAQs.
Time for the fourth one.
Without further ado, let's get onto today's question:
All ghostwriters may have a different say on this one.
For me, while I do my best to ensure the quality of the work is publishable, I take no responsibility for getting my client published. And I state that clearly in the contract.
In my opinion, a client should engage with a publisher or agent before hiring a ghostwriter and they can all work in conjunction then.
With the increase in the demand for self publishing, getting your work rejected by the publisher is, of course, not a concern at all.
However, if your client prefers going the traditional route for publishing his or her book, it can be a problem for you, as the ghostwriter, if the publisher rejects it.
Only once has it happened with me, in the last decade, that my client got back to me with the publisher's feedback on her book. The client herself had approved the material that I had ghostwritten for her firsthand. She had even cleared all my dues. Our contract had officially come to an end. But, she reverted with the publisher's feedback on her book after nearly three weeks of the delivery of the final draft.
It was nothing major though.
The book's content was something the publisher was very keen on publishing. There was, however, a specific formatting style that, that particular publisher wanted my client to follow.
Since my client and I had not agreed, at the time of signing a contract, to follow a particular format while writing, it clearly meant additional work for me.
What did I do?
Panicked?
Had a row with my client?
Sunk under the sheets to hide myself?
No! I thought about it for a moment and came up with the idea to talk to my client about it.
Instead of panicking and spoiling terms with my client, I arranged a virtual meeting with that client over Skype (since I was back in the UK then and my client was in the States) and we discussed the issue.
I said to my client I would be happy to help her but also made it clear that this would be regarded as was additional work and would cost extra.
Thankfully for me, my client agreed immediately and I worked on the format of her book soon after.
Phew....problem solved!
Wasn't that difficult. Was it?
The end result was something that the publisher gladly accepted and published.
In fact, her book is one of the best sellers out there, but I cannot brag about writing it since I worked on it behind the scenes.
You, may not be as lucky as I was.
Your clients may ask for additional work if for some reason your work gets rejected by his/her publisher.
What do you do then?
You take a deep breath communicate with your client calmly. You clearly state what has been asked for by the publisher is beyond the scope of your signed contract. It is something you both did not mutually discuss or agree upon before or at the time of signing your contact.
Usually, sensible clients will listen and understand. They might either do the additional work themselves or pay you extra to do it for you.
If they don't, you show them the contract and ask them to point to the clause that states you had any responsibility to get their work published. They won't have a reason to argue if there was no such clause included in there.
After the above episode, I now make sure that I include in my contract a clause that states that I, as the ghostwriter, take no responsibility for a client's work to be formatted as per the requirements of a particular publisher. I hold no responsibility, whatsoever, to get my clients' work published.
If it's a writing job that my client has already done him/herself, I can, as a ghostwriter, provide your opinion on it. But, I have no qualification or experience as a publisher or agent. Hence, I cannot guarantee if it will work for any publication in particular.
If, unlike me, you are qualified in the area, by all means, you may take the responsibility to get your client published too. You may charge your client extra for that.
In either case, make sure your contract says it all loudly and clearly.
That's why I have created an entire series of posts for both new and experienced ghostwriters. Each one is dedicated to answering a FAQ on ghostwriting. So far, I have answered 3 FAQs.
Time for the fourth one.
Without further ado, let's get onto today's question:
Question #4:
What if Your Ghostwritten Work is Rejected by Publishers?
All ghostwriters may have a different say on this one.
For me, while I do my best to ensure the quality of the work is publishable, I take no responsibility for getting my client published. And I state that clearly in the contract.
In my opinion, a client should engage with a publisher or agent before hiring a ghostwriter and they can all work in conjunction then.
With the increase in the demand for self publishing, getting your work rejected by the publisher is, of course, not a concern at all.
However, if your client prefers going the traditional route for publishing his or her book, it can be a problem for you, as the ghostwriter, if the publisher rejects it.
Only once has it happened with me, in the last decade, that my client got back to me with the publisher's feedback on her book. The client herself had approved the material that I had ghostwritten for her firsthand. She had even cleared all my dues. Our contract had officially come to an end. But, she reverted with the publisher's feedback on her book after nearly three weeks of the delivery of the final draft.
It was nothing major though.
The book's content was something the publisher was very keen on publishing. There was, however, a specific formatting style that, that particular publisher wanted my client to follow.
Since my client and I had not agreed, at the time of signing a contract, to follow a particular format while writing, it clearly meant additional work for me.
What did I do?
Panicked?
Had a row with my client?
Sunk under the sheets to hide myself?
No! I thought about it for a moment and came up with the idea to talk to my client about it.
Instead of panicking and spoiling terms with my client, I arranged a virtual meeting with that client over Skype (since I was back in the UK then and my client was in the States) and we discussed the issue.
I said to my client I would be happy to help her but also made it clear that this would be regarded as was additional work and would cost extra.
Thankfully for me, my client agreed immediately and I worked on the format of her book soon after.
Phew....problem solved!
Wasn't that difficult. Was it?
The end result was something that the publisher gladly accepted and published.
In fact, her book is one of the best sellers out there, but I cannot brag about writing it since I worked on it behind the scenes.
You, may not be as lucky as I was.
Your clients may ask for additional work if for some reason your work gets rejected by his/her publisher.
What do you do then?
You take a deep breath communicate with your client calmly. You clearly state what has been asked for by the publisher is beyond the scope of your signed contract. It is something you both did not mutually discuss or agree upon before or at the time of signing your contact.
Usually, sensible clients will listen and understand. They might either do the additional work themselves or pay you extra to do it for you.
If they don't, you show them the contract and ask them to point to the clause that states you had any responsibility to get their work published. They won't have a reason to argue if there was no such clause included in there.
After the above episode, I now make sure that I include in my contract a clause that states that I, as the ghostwriter, take no responsibility for a client's work to be formatted as per the requirements of a particular publisher. I hold no responsibility, whatsoever, to get my clients' work published.
If it's a writing job that my client has already done him/herself, I can, as a ghostwriter, provide your opinion on it. But, I have no qualification or experience as a publisher or agent. Hence, I cannot guarantee if it will work for any publication in particular.
If, unlike me, you are qualified in the area, by all means, you may take the responsibility to get your client published too. You may charge your client extra for that.
In either case, make sure your contract says it all loudly and clearly.
These were quite a few good questions about ghostwriting and if you ask someone willing to take the services of a ghostwriter for hire then we at GetBestWriters are the most trusted ghostwriting agency in India where you can hire ghostwriters for all your content needs such as script ghostwriting etc.
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