Freelance Ghostwriter (U.S. English)

LifeBook Memoirs; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 34,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible schedule

Remote collaboration with editors

Regular freelance workflow

Job summary

Private Autobiography Service, Inc. is seeking experienced ghostwriters to work on memoirs and biographies for clients, on a freelance basis. Start dates are set by project schedules and projects typically last four to six months.

Writers will draw on recorded interviews to tell each author's story with their voice and writing style, while collaborating with editors as part of a geographically dispersed team. Confidentiality is required for all work.

Qualifications

• Significant experience writing memoirs, biographies, or corporate histories.
• Excellent writing and developmental editing skills.
• Strong voice and tone with ability to structure life stories.
• Able to adapt writing style per author and follow feedback.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong communication and ability to work autonomously in dispersed teams.
• Deliver high-quality drafts within 48 hours after each 90-minute interview.

Responsibilities

• Draw on recorded interviews to tell the author's story while preserving personality and writing style.
• Match writers to projects based on author interests when possible.
• Manage a regular stream of freelance projects and multiple simultaneous assignments.
• Collaborate with editors and maintain confidentiality and discretion.

Skills

Memoir writing

Biographies writing

Editing and developmental editing

Voice and tone control

Adaptability to feedback

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Autonomous work

Fast turnaround (48h)

Tools

Microsoft Word

Web-based platforms

Job description

• Start dates are determined by project schedules

Private Autobiography Service, Inc. is a producer of private autobiographies and memoirs for clients who wish to share their life stories with families and friends in a book that depicts their legacy. We are looking to expand our network of freelance colleagues with writers who are able to work on a regular stream of projects, each typically lasting from four to six months.

Each of our authors offers his or her own unique story. The role of the ghostwriter is to draw upon a series of recorded interviews to tell the author's story whilst accurately representing his or her personality and chosen style of writing in a memoir or autobiography. Our goal is for anyone who reads the book to feel as if the author is telling their stories to them through the pages.

Our ghostwriters have excellent literary talents, experience of writing memoirs, biographies, and/or corporate histories, and a passion for their craft. This is a freelance writing role that would be ideal for experienced writers seeking meaningful projects and a regular stream of unique writing opportunities. We try, wherever possible, to match writers to projects based on any knowledge or interests they may share with the author.

Role Requirements:

• Significant experience and a proven track record of writing memoirs, biographies, and/or corporate histories to an exceptional standard.
• Demonstrable and first-rate writing and developmental editing skills.
• A strong command of voice and tone, with the ability to structure and organize a life story effectively.
• Being a published author would be an advantage but is not essential.
• The ability and willingness to adapt the writing style if required by the author and to act upon feedback supplied by both the author and the editor.
• An enthusiastic attitude and a desire to write well and to take pride in what is produced.
• A keen eye and close attention to detail. (We have a duty of care to our authors to accurately capture their stories in full.)
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work both autonomously and as a key member of a geographically dispersed project team.
• The ability to deliver high-quality drafts within a 48-hour turnaround following each 90-minute interview- a standard that reflects the professional nature of our projects and a key part of maintaining an efficient workflow for you and the author.
• Experience of using web-based platforms and Microsoft Word.
• Your agreement to maintain complete confidentiality and discretion.

In addition to remuneration, the role offers the following benefits:

• Open, constructive feedback from your assigned editor to help you develop as a writer.
• A regular stream of freelance work based on your capacity and availability. (Our writers typically work on one to three projects at any given time, and we would expect each interview to take approximately six hours to write up.)
• The satisfaction of capturing each author's unique story. You will play a key part in capturing this in their book.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to complete a writing test based on a 40-minute audio recording, to demonstrate their writing skills. This test will represent the kind of work you will be asked to perform on live projects.