After you've finished your work as ghostwriter, who then owns the rights?
It's actually quite simple. You do. It's your idea and I only help you to express your idea in English. You keep the proprietary rights to your work, and after payment in full you gain all the rights to my work (see Conditions). My name appears nowhere. Not even in the computer index. Your ideas belong to you. By law. And if you so wish, I'll transfer in writing all the rights to the work I did for you under contract.
What do
we do, if I've already written the article in English?
Again, quite simple - you write as much as you wish in German or English or even mix the two and I'll take care of the rest by using your detailed outline. The advantage for you is, aside from saving time, that your work will have one clear and single English style.
Do you accept urgent work?
A contract with a very short deadline is no problem as long as I have a realistic amount of time to complete it. As a matter of course, I require a very detailed outline as well as a summary of what you want. Since this type of work always has to be sandwiched in among other work, I limit it to less than 500 words per day. The price, calculated also according to the genre and length, will be somewhere between Euro 0.20 and Euro 0.35 per word in the finished product. And in these cases, the minimum charge is Euro 150 .
What's the difference between a translator and a ghostwriter?
Usually working alone, a translator paraphrases from one language to another. Emphasis is placed only on the exactness of the translation and the correct use of syntax rather than on the basis of the work, which is style. When translating for agencies, the translator probably doesn't even know who wrote the work, not to mention whether the author is targeting a certain group or not.
On the other hand as a ghostwriter, I work closely with my clients, gaining an understanding for the reasons behind the work. You fill me in on the intended target groups and point out any specific technical vocabulary. This is important when choosing the style and the dialect in which the work should appear. Particularly in the English-speaking world, there are considerable differences among the various nations and their specific socio-economic structures. These factors also determine the marketability of the final product.
Are there any other advantages aside from the question of style?
That you save time, is obvious. You don't first have to write a manuscript to translate into English, which then has to be corrected and sometimes even re-translated, because it didn't sufficiently make the intended point.
However, when collaborating with a ghostwriter, you only have the original English manuscript, which the ghostwriter can explain, then refine to suit your exact needs until the product is exactly the way you want it.
How do we market the final product?
After the actual writing is completed, I can assist you in publishing your work, either on the internet or in printed form. The Americans have a method of publishing, which is called 'print on demand'. It is them placed for sale in both traditional bookshops and in the largest internet sites. Your book will then be available here in Germany under the English Books Section of Amazon.de. The advantage of this type of publishing is that your work never goes out of print. The other obvious advantage of print on demand is that you don't have to store thousands of copies under your bed. So, let's get writing...
© dennis milholland, 2002