Today I had the honor of interview author, Jenna Glatzer. Jenna is the former founder and editor of AbsoluteWrite.com and several writing-related books. She's also the author of a children's book, and ghostwriter for Celine Dion! (Yes! We're all jealous.) Once she got a taste of ghostwriting celebrity books, she was hooked. So of course, I just had to ask...

How did you get started ghost writing for celebrities?

My first ghostwriting gig was for Jamie Blyth, who was on the original Bachelorette TV series. He e-mailed me to ask if I'd be interested in working on his book because he had read a book I edited, Conquering Panic and Anxiety Disorders. He wanted to find a writer who understood what he'd been through (panic disorder and social anxiety disorder)... I sure understood that! I worked with him on the proposal and sent it to an agent I knew, who sold it to the first editor he sent it to. I really enjoyed working with Jamie, so I decided to make ghostwriting my focus.

Do celebrities come to you, do you use an agent to do your bidding, or do you seek them out?

I haven't yet sought out anyone. What normally happens is that either an agent or editor refers me to the ghostwriting client. So, for example, Celebrity X gets a book deal with Simon & Schuster based on a brief proposal, an in-person meeting, whatever. The acquiring editor then tells Celebrity X (or the celebrity's agent) that he'll need a ghostwriter, and suggests me. Then I get a call or e-mail from the celebrity's agent to work out the details. And, with any luck, that agent will remember me the next time she has a client who wants to write a book.

What makes a good ghost writer?

Two things, I think, in addition to the usual things that make a writer successful (discipline, adherence to deadlines, general writing talent, etc.): being a very good listener, and knowing how to write in someone else's voice. They're related. The "good listener" thing means realizing that this is not your story-- it's the other person's-- so your job is really just to act as a conduit. You help the client figure out what she wants to say. You don't try to direct too much. You ask questions based on what you think the client actually wants to talk about, not just the typical questions every journalist has already asked. Then... you follow the answers as closely as possible.

The trick is to clean up the grammar, cut back on wordiness, and organize the thoughts into a compelling structure without losing the person's natural speech patterns. I've read celebrity bios that are so far from the person's voice that the ghostwriter is way too visible. You probably know these sorts of books, too-- celebrities who are not exactly known for their high IQs suddenly spouting words like "opulence" and "inclement." (Which is when I turn into Mike Meyer's Wayne's World character... "Cha! And monkeys might fly out of my butt!") If you've done your job right, the celebrity's fans will believe she wrote every word. Oh, right, and that leads to the third quality good ghostwriters need to have: a total lack of ego. You can't want to die when a client swears to everyone who'll listen that she DID write every word herself.

Visit her at http://www.jennaglatzer.com/

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Jenna shared some great advice on what makes a good ghostwriter. Can you think of any other things that would make ghostwriting fun, lucrative, and interesting?

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