About the author: He co-founded Ghostwriters Central, Inc., in 2002 and his company has been providing exceptional ghostwriting services ever since. He has been its president since 2017. The company has many excellent professional writers under contract. The company is headquartered in Southern California.
Ghostwriting can be a legitimate profession, but unfortunately, the industry is also rife with scams. We know that because we often receive outraged calls and emails from victims who confuse Ghostwriters Central with the businesses that ripped them off. When that happens, we do a little research to put them in touch with the right people. We always try to be helpful. It’s good to be regarded as the helper, not the bad guy.
All right, let’s get serious. Here are some common ghostwriter scams to be aware of:
Contents
- 1 Promises of Too Much for Too Little
- 1.1 Plagiarism or Low-Quality Writing
- 1.2 A.I. Written Text
- 1.3 Upfront Payment with No Deliverables
- 1.4 Vague Contract Terms or No Contract
- 1.5 Hidden Fees or Extra Charges
- 1.6 Overly Eager to Take Credit
- 1.7 Unrealistic Guarantees
- 1.8 Using Fake Testimonials or Reviews
- 1.9 Lack of Communication or Transparency
- 1.10 How to Avoid Ghostwriting Scams
Promises of Too Much for Too Little
What happens: Some scammers may offer ghostwriting services at an unusually low rate, promising to write a high-quality book or large amount of content in a short amount of time.
Why it’s a scam: Professional ghostwriters charge for their expertise, research, and time. If someone offers an unrealistic price or timeline, it’s often a sign they lack the skills or resources to do the job properly.
Warning signs: Extremely low prices, especially for large projects like books, or promises of delivery within days.
Plagiarism or Low-Quality Writing
What happens: A scammer may promise original, high-quality writing but instead deliver plagiarized content or low-quality work. They may use software to slightly modify existing content and pass it off as original.
Why it’s a scam: Plagiarism is illegal, and even low-quality work is unacceptable for anyone looking for professional ghostwriting services.
Warning signs: Content that feels generic, repetitive, or doesn’t match your vision. You can check for plagiarism with tools like Copyscape.
A.I. Written Text
What happens: Instead of the “writer” generating their own, original text, they use artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, to do the writing. The scammer isn’t writing beyond entering prompts so software generates the text.
Why it’s a scam: You paid for original writing and didn’t receive it.
Warning signs: To begin with, AI often writes in a formal or unimaginative manner, unnecessarily repeats certain words, sentences often tend to be about the same length, it is known to present information confidently when it’s wrong. In one famous case, a lawyer submitted a brief to the court, which cited fake precedents. He got in trouble with the judge.
Upfront Payment with No Deliverables
What happens: Some scammers may require a large upfront payment, sometimes 50% or more, with the promise of delivering a finished product. After receiving the payment, they either provide subpar work or vanish entirely.
Why it’s a scam: Legitimate ghostwriters generally work with contracts that involve some upfront payment, but they don’t demand full payment until the work is complete or until specific milestones are met.
Warning signs: A request for a large upfront payment or an unusually high percentage before seeing any results.
Vague Contract Terms or No Contract
What happens: Scammers often avoid clear, written agreements or include ambiguous clauses in their contracts, which may not protect your interests. They may also deliver content that doesn’t meet expectations, and there’s no clear recourse for the client.
Why it’s a scam: A professional ghostwriter should have a detailed contract that outlines the project scope, timeline, payment terms, and rights to the work.
Warning signs: A lack of a formal contract, or contracts with unclear terms, especially related to ownership of the content and revisions.
Hidden Fees or Extra Charges
What happens: After you’ve paid and the project is underway, a scammer might introduce hidden fees for “revisions,” “research,” or other costs that were never disclosed upfront.
Why it’s a scam: A reputable ghostwriter will provide a clear breakdown of costs before work begins, including the number of revisions allowed in the fee.
Warning signs: Unexpected charges or constant requests for additional payment.
Overly Eager to Take Credit
What happens: Some individuals may pose as ghostwriters while secretly intending to publish the content under their own name or claim partial authorship. This can be a breach of the confidentiality and ownership agreement.
Why it’s a scam: Ghostwriters are paid to write for someone else, and the content remains the intellectual property of the client. Any attempt to take credit for the work is a breach of the agreement.
Warning signs: Ghostwriters who want to take credit for the content, push for co-authoring, or want to retain publishing rights.
Unrealistic Guarantees
What happens: Some scammers promise success with guarantees, like bestseller status or media attention. They may claim they have the “secret formula” to make a book a success.
Why it’s a scam: Writing a book that becomes a bestseller involves more than just the writing. It requires marketing, distribution, and often luck. There are no guarantees in the writing world.
Warning signs: Over-the-top promises about book sales or success in the media.
Using Fake Testimonials or Reviews
What happens: Scammers may use fake testimonials or fake portfolios to attract clients. They could hire someone to write glowing reviews or steal content from other writers to claim as their own work.
Why it’s a scam: Fake reviews or portfolios make it impossible to gauge the true ability of the writer.
Warning signs: Testimonials that seem too perfect, lack detailed information about the project, or look generic.
Lack of Communication or Transparency
What happens: Once you engage with a scammer, they may stop responding to emails or phone calls, giving vague or non-committal answers about project progress.
Why it’s a scam: Communication is key in any professional relationship, and ghostwriters should be transparent about the progress and challenges in a project.
Warning signs: Slow or no communication, vague updates, or unprofessional responses.
How to Avoid Ghostwriting Scams
Research the writer or company: Look for reviews, past client testimonials, and a clear portfolio of work. Do be aware that ghostwriters are often signed to non-disclosure agreements; there will be things they cannot reveal.
Use a contract: Make sure there’s a detailed contract that covers payment, deadlines, ownership, and expectations.
Check for plagiarism: Use plagiarism detection tools to ensure the work is original.
Check for AI–generated text: Use tools such as Grammarly or GPTZero.
Don’t pay everything upfront: Set up a payment schedule that aligns with milestones and deliverables.
Trust your instincts: If something feels off, ask questions and consider looking for another writer.
Before committing, do a Google search for the business name and the domain name (such as example.com), and then also the name of the writer. If you find nothing, that means the writer or the company is new. Any writer or company that has been in business for a while will be referenced in many places. If the references are negative, walk away.
We are Ghostwriters Central, Inc., and we’ve been building trust since 2002.
