Showing posts with label humanities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humanities. Show all posts

Saturday, 29 June 2019

Why Should I Use a Ghostwriter?

People often don't understand exactly why you should use the services of a professional ghostwriter. I'll try to answer this question within this article, at least somewhat. These ideas come from my freelance writing experience, which I've had since before 1980. And my online affordable ghostwriting services business experience, as of 2003 and further, involving over 300 books, films and other projects.

For one thing, in order to become a proper ghostwriter, you must start out as a professional freelance writer. Or you must begin as some type of professional writer, working for pay for other people. If not, you'll require an English (or other language or languages) degree(s) at an established university. Unless you've got "mad skills" at writing by yourself. Even then, you really must work as a writer and be published several times, in many different places.

Then, it becomes a matter of setting up your shingle. Online, this is done by setting up a ghostwriting services website. Also by being on social networks, joining writer's groups... endless finding ways to promote your ghostwriting business. There is a lot on and offline. Join lots of writing, editing, marketing, publishing and other groups, activities and organizations.

You might start out as a book manuscript editor - pretty good work. Charging much less, until you get your feet in the doors you seek. You might be able to churn out great copy that follows guidelines. Or otherwise write well enough. But your work usually needs editing as you go.

Also, that you can make pretty decent money. As a freelance writer, working as a ghostwriter. Anywhere from $24,000 to $500,000 USD or more per year. People gripe about it all the time, as though it's such an arduous chore. It's just a way for your author clients who don't really write. Or who don't have the time. Or the skills. And they hire a professional freelance writer, the ghostwriter. To work on their book, screenplay, music, business documents or other ghostwriting services project. Our agency does that all the time.

Then, the author usually takes the credit for the work. But the ghostwriter gets upfront pay. For turning out hopefully excellent written copy. The author gets the credit, the ghost gets the money. Sometimes, if marketing goes well, the author also gets payment for the work published or otherwise sold under their own name. Instead of under the ghostwriter's name. This is not plagiarism, poor man's work, or anything else so awful. Ghostwriters can make decent money. Helping author clients take ideas out into full fruition.

A lot of these authors are celebrities. There are also memoirs written by ordinary people, who need professional assistance. Sometimes, partial credit is shared, with an "As told to So and So" the ghostwriter. You can run a whole ghostwriting services agency this way. With shared credit instead of only upfront pay. But nowadays, most ghosts accept just payment(s) in advance. Check it out carefully before you hire a ghost or do any work as a ghost. You don't want to get in over your head. Writing for someone and not getting paid for it.

The idea in general is the ghost gets paid upfront. Then the author gets professional, polished work. When the author doesn't have time to write it themselves. Nor the skills. Or the established knowledge in their fields. At least, not enough of it for a great job of work. A lot of business people hire ghosts to write their copy. Because they simply are not writers themselves. Or they can write, but something precludes it. Time is of the essence, you know? Business people and memoir clients especially seek out our help.

There's always something that makes their own work sound amateur. Inadequate. Confusing. Stilted, lazy, boring, not the work of a pro writer in other words. Sometimes clients even have major learning disabilities. There are plenty of people who can read, but not really write! At least, not in American English. I've had a lot of English as a second language clients. You can see the problems right away. However, it takes a while to understand the client, too. Often. Communication and trust are essential. You have to establish a rapport. If you don't, money, faith and time become serious issues.

I've noticed my clients tend to repeat their wording too frequently. Or write abysmally. They don't have lots of time to spare editing their own work, is usually what it is. But they need to supply you with plenty of background material. In order for the ghost to not be truly writing their project for them. There are ghosts who do this; the author gets all the credit, and all the work was done by the ghost completely.

I've never quite worked this way myself. Although I have done over half of the entire book or project. There's a reverse case: some of the author clients eventually learn how to write from their ghosts. It's a lot of different case scenarios. I've been doing this since 2003, so I know a lot. About what most people don't understand about working as or with a ghost. But I'm forever learning something new. Over time, I've learned to send work out to experts in various specialties. Instead of taking it all on myself. I have ghosts now working for this ghost, so I can spare time for other things.

Other than that, author clients certifiably need to have a professional writer go over things. Or they simply won't be properly published or reasonable read by their audiences. A once over before publication, or a complete job done by the ghost on nothing but scratch material. An online freelance ghostwriter or book editor will do these things for you! But in most cases, the author client must pay the writer. In installments upfront, or through other upfront methods. Unpaid writers do not do very good work, you see?

Book coach, book guidance, book proposals to land 50% advances, and many other types of ghostwriting services done. The music field is especially overflowing with new ghostwriters. Rap and hip hop artists are usually using ghosts nowadays. The camaraderie, communication and rapport through ghost partnerships are genuine and fulfilling. You get moral support for all (or at least most of) your projects this way. If they are original ideas, yours, and somehow something that might sell.

Or a beloved family memoir, or other life story, to be finally gotten out to the world. Supportive abuse victims are great clients. For overcoming huge obstacles and being success stories. A great life makes a great history for your family, friends and others. You keep the copyrights, the ghost gets paid. That is the most important thing to a ghostwriter - earning a living, making the bills on time. Landing paying, important and wonderful clients. In a manner that works, that's on schedule roughly at least. Where it all works out for both parties.

Why Were Bibles So Scarce in Middle Age Europe?

How could the Holy Bible - the most revered book, recognized the world over as the Word of God by devout Jews and Christians, have taken over 1000 years to reach the European people? Today, especially in the United States, Bibles are available in many places - from churches, libraries, and bookstores. But what were the main reasons the Bible took centuries to change the hearts and minds of people?

Constantine became the first Roman Emperor in 306 AD to recognize Christianity as an official religion. But before and after 325 AD the scrolls that became the "books" that compose our modern bible were still in the process of being compiled. By 382 AD all of the books were compiled and St. Jerome was chosen to translate the Greek Septuagint of the Old Testament and of the New Testament into Latin. In 405, he finished translating the Bible, and it became known as the "Vulgate" Bible, used commonly throughout the Roman Empire.

Obtaining a personal copy was nearly impossible, unlike now, when you can go to the local bookshop and buy one, or read it free online. But, between 400 - 1450 AD, the only way to duplicate a Bible was by monks who took a lot of time to copy them by hand. Even as time continued, Bibles proliferated but were not allowed to be taken out of monasteries and churches. They were literally "chained" to them so they wouldn't be stolen because it took a great deal of money and time to create even one.
Even if they were stolen, almost nobody could read them because the majority of Europeans were illiterate. Only the Roman Catholic clergy had been instructed in reading and writing Latin. However, in 1436 AD the printing press was invented and the first Bible was manufactured using movable metal type. The Gutenberg Bible was born and more Latin bibles could be replicated.

A century before the printing press was invented, there were certain people in England and France who disagreed with the interpretation of the Bible by the Roman Catholic Church. These groups called "Lollards" or, later, called Protestants owned manuscript copies of Bibles and used them to argue against many false conceptions by the church. To counteract these deceptive practices by the church, a Lollard named John Wycliffe wanted every person in England to own a copy of the Bible. Wycliffe translated the Latin Vulgate into English, so the people of England could read it for themselves.

Between 1229 and 1234, after Wycliffe translated the Vulgate into English without the expressed approval of the church, laws were enacted by the church forbidding the translation of the Vulgate Bible into any other languages. It seemed the church wanted to be the only institution to interpret the bible, so they didn't want a lot of people reading it. Ultimately, after Wycliffe died, a group of Roman Catholic clergy burned his bones to put a curse on him.

The laws forbidding translations didn't stop reformers from their work to give people the Word of God. Another well-known Englishman, William Tyndale translated part of the Old and all of the New Testament. Although he was burned at the stake in 1536, many English Bibles continued to be translated, although agents of the Catholic Church burned most of them. By 1611, the King James Bible rolled off the printing press and, today is the most popular English Bible. In Germany, Martin Luther translated the Bible into German. Beginning in 1450, many Bibles could be copied when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press which replaced the tedious process of copying by hand, using the movable type of letters and numbers.

In addition, according to a book by columnist Bernard Starr - Jesus Uncensored: Restoring the Authentic Jew, another reason to keep the Bible out of the hands of Christians was to hide the fact that Jesus was Jewish and that Christianity was founded on the practice of Judaism. Many European Christians were anti-Semitic in the Middle Ages, and false tales of Jews killing Christians were rampant.

Wednesday, 22 May 2019

Why Were Bibles So Scarce in Middle Age Europe?

How could the Holy Bible - the most revered book, recognized the world over as the Word of God by devout Jews and Christians, have taken over 1000 years to reach the European people? Today, especially in the United States, Bibles are available in many places - from churches, libraries, and bookstores. But what were the main reasons the Bible took centuries to change the hearts and minds of people?

Constantine became the first Roman Emperor in 306 AD to recognize Christianity as an official religion. But before and after 325 AD the scrolls that became the "books" that compose our modern bible were still in the process of being compiled. By 382 AD all of the books were compiled and St. Jerome was chosen to translate the Greek Septuagint of the Old Testament and of the New Testament into Latin. In 405, he finished translating the Bible, and it became known as the "Vulgate" Bible, used commonly throughout the Roman Empire.

Obtaining a personal copy was nearly impossible, unlike now, when you can go to the local bookshop and buy one, or read it free online. But, between 400 - 1450 AD, the only way to duplicate a Bible was by monks who took a lot of time to copy them by hand. Even as time continued, Bibles proliferated but were not allowed to be taken out of monasteries and churches. They were literally "chained" to them so they wouldn't be stolen because it took a great deal of money and time to create even one.
Even if they were stolen, almost nobody could read them because the majority of Europeans were illiterate. Only the Roman Catholic clergy had been instructed in reading and writing Latin. However, in 1436 AD the printing press was invented and the first Bible was manufactured using movable metal type. The Gutenberg Bible was born and more Latin bibles could be replicated.

A century before the printing press was invented, there were certain people in England and France who disagreed with the interpretation of the Bible by the Roman Catholic Church. These groups called "Lollards" or, later, called Protestants owned manuscript copies of Bibles and used them to argue against many false conceptions by the church. To counteract these deceptive practices by the church, a Lollard named John Wycliffe wanted every person in England to own a copy of the Bible. Wycliffe translated the Latin Vulgate into English, so the people of England could read it for themselves.

Between 1229 and 1234, after Wycliffe translated the Vulgate into English without the expressed approval of the church, laws were enacted by the church forbidding the translation of the Vulgate Bible into any other languages. It seemed the church wanted to be the only institution to interpret the bible, so they didn't want a lot of people reading it. Ultimately, after Wycliffe died, a group of Roman Catholic clergy burned his bones to put a curse on him.

The laws forbidding translations didn't stop reformers from their work to give people the Word of God. Another well-known Englishman, William Tyndale translated part of the Old and all of the New Testament. Although he was burned at the stake in 1536, many English Bibles continued to be translated, although agents of the Catholic Church burned most of them. By 1611, the King James Bible rolled off the printing press and, today is the most popular English Bible. In Germany, Martin Luther translated the Bible into German. Beginning in 1450, many Bibles could be copied when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press which replaced the tedious process of copying by hand, using the movable type of letters and numbers.

In addition, according to a book by columnist Bernard Starr - Jesus Uncensored: Restoring the Authentic Jew, another reason to keep the Bible out of the hands of Christians was to hide the fact that Jesus was Jewish and that Christianity was founded on the practice of Judaism. Many European Christians were anti-Semitic in the Middle Ages, and false tales of Jews killing Christians were rampant.

Today, the Bible has been translated into every conceivable language and copies have distributed and read throughout the world. If it weren't for reforming Christians such as Wycliffe, Tyndale and Luther, the Bible might still belong to the Catholic Church and read only in Latin.

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