Why I Quit My Romance Ghostwriting Gig

Back in May, I gave up what should be every writer’s dream: the chance to write for a living. Instead, I chose to become a contract editor of audits at a med legal company. What could have possibly motivated me to make such a decision, to change course so drastically in my career? Certainly, money was a big factor. But it was about more than just the money.

This particular writing gig—a gig ghostwriting romance novels—was not the right fit for me. Not monetarily, not time-wise, and not in my heart. This gig drained me of every ounce of energy and creativity that I had. It got to the point that I could do little else, even my own creative writing—and I could have none of that.

You’re probably wondering how that could possibly be. How could it be that a job that involved me being creative and writing actually drained me of my creativity, to the point that I did not want to write any more?

Well, it all had to do with the subject of the books and how the writing process was handled. I cannot go into much detail due to a nondisclosure agreement that was included in the contract that I signed when I agreed to work for the company that produced the novels. However, I will say that the subjects of the novels were cookie-cutter and made me want to tear my hair out the more that I attempted to work with them. Don’t get me wrong; I have no problems with the romance genre. If done well, it has its own merits. Nevertheless, these novels were so close to being interchangeable in their plots that I had to put my own special flair in it in order to keep my sanity while working on them. (Of course, I could only do that to a degree because writers could not stray far from the outlines provided.)

I can also say that the writing process felt both too guided and unguided at the same time. The company wanted us writers to write what they wanted but did not always explain what they wanted fully. They expected us to be mind-readers, of sorts. We had to be “creative” with it without drifting too far from the outline we had been given. I would ask questions, and their answers would either be almost too vague to follow up on. I soon started falling behind on my deadlines simply because I started to dread the entire process and the subjects that I had to write on. It simply was not worth the money (which, in hindsight, was not enough compensation in the first place).

There is one good thing that came out of my time with this gig. Well, three:

1. I learned to never ghostwrite romance again. It is simply not for me. I have also come to question the ethics of the romance ghostwriting industry after doing some online research, but I suppose that is just a lesson learned.

2. I stayed afloat financially for the few months that I did the job. That’s always a win for a writer.

3. It served as inspiration for my Top Story, “The Ghostwriter”. It was one of the few stories that I had true passion for that entire time that I was ghostwriting.

I’m not trying to discourage anyone from ghostwriting entirely. It can be a lucrative business if you know how to go about it. The key to success, though, is that you must be smart about it. Research people and places before you agree to ghostwrite for them; don’t just dive on in like I did. Make sure that it’s a subject which you’re passionate about in the first place. And always make sure that you’re being properly compensated according to the market, genre, and amount of work that you’re having to put in. It’s your time, effort, and creativity; don’t let it go to waste.

I have to say that even though I am not writing in my current profession, I am relatively happy where I am. I am keeping afloat with my day job and with the side work that I get as a freelance beta reader, writer, and editor. More importantly, I have the energy and creativity to write again. To me, that’s worth more than all the money in the world.