Commissioning ghostwritten work can help businesses and independent creators to achieve efficiency. In this day and age, companies have a lot to do and think about. With that in mind, they search for compelling ghostwriters who can emulate their content creator’s tone and produce on-brand output.
At times, though, arrangements like these do not work as intended. Contractors and clients might disagree on creative direction, deadlines, and even compensation, especially if they don’t collaborate extensively.
But there is a way to prevent this from happening: having an agreement with your clients as a ghostwriter. Here are a few things to note about ghostwriting agreements.
1. Clients and Writers Need Regular Meetings
As part of the process, ghostwriters must share chapters, outlines, or other preliminary work with the client. When they do so, they allow the client to be part of the entire process. It’s also convenient for sharing thoughts and creating in conjunction. And it permits both parties to achieve the expected results.
This way, the client can check the tone and content and adjust or cut sections as necessary. And when the writer is open with the work in progress, he puts the client at ease, and the relationship between both will improve, which also helps to get fantastic outcomes.
2. There Better Be a Ghostwriting Agreement That Lists All the Details
To achieve common goals and set things straight, both sides must also understand what to do if things go wrong. Though no one wants to renege on an agreement, business plans sometimes go in unexpected directions. In cases like this, preparation can make or mar the entire project. And then is when a ghostwriter agreement comes in handy.
As such, people entering agreements like these need legally binding contracts to hold people accountable for their responsibilities. Before the writer gets to work, both parties must have signed the contract. It also will be beneficial to clear the ghostwriter’s and the client’s minds and soothe their interactions.
3. An Agreement on Compensation and Fees is Everything
As expected, the ghostwriter agreement must contain the expected payment for the ghostwriter’s services. It also ought to state whether they will receive a share of the royalties, as well as payment schedules.
Generally, anywhere from 10% to 50% of the total fee must be paid upfront, and the ghostwriter receives the rest in agreed-upon installments until the date of delivery. Both parties will agree on the percentage according to their needs.
Furthermore, the agreement must also state who pays for expenses incidental to completing the project. For example, the contract has to state who will shoulder transportation expenses in case the writer must travel or be away from home to do some legwork.
4. The Ghostwriting Agreements Got to Have Approval Timelines
Contracts for content creators must have limitations on the approvals process. Ghostwriters can ask for at least 30 days to submit revisions after receiving the clients’ comments. In such a manner, this time will give them time for rewriting, editing, and proofreading. They might also include a provision that outlines the criteria for ‘satisfactory’ manuscripts or drafts.
One of the biggest concerns of ghostwriters is ‘scope creep,’ or additional requirements that the original book proposal or article pitch does not cover. Cover yourself up by adding a clause in your written agreement that will solve this in advance.
5. Well-written Contracts Agree on Credit and Rights
In terms of relationships between a ghostwriter and their client, it pays off to include how much credit this ghostwriter will obtain on the final output. As with the rest of the clauses of the written agreement, it’s clever to define this subject from the very beginning and avoid future misunderstandings.
Even though ghostwriters are commonly anonymous, the writer and the client may decide to go on a different path. That said, there is no standard practice for this since people can have various types of outputs ghostwritten. However, agreeing as early as possible is the best way to proceed.
6. The Client Must Be Involved in Pre-Writing
The ghostwriter will deliver on-brand outputs if the client commits to a specific number of hours of interviews. The amount varies among writers, but an upfront agreement will let them prepare questions and group topics to cover.
Besides, the writer and client can also have a confidentiality clause. This clause indicates that the ghostwriter will not disclose anything about the project, as he will work on it for a stipulated number of months or years after the release.
7. A Ghostwriter Agreement Address the Procedures for Resolving Disputes
Finally, it’s decisive to outline in the contract the steps that both parties can take if they are dissatisfied with the project’s progress. If things go wrong, this section will help them walk away from the agreement without an extremely negative experience.
The Wrap
Finding a ghostwriter who can write to a company or brand’s voice can be challenging. As such, when you do find one for your business, you should ensure that you both get a fair deal out of your partnership. Ghostwriter Agreements stipulating the things we discussed above will keep both parties happy and allow the ghostwriter to produce the best output possible.
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