Writers on Writing is our regular conversation with a writer or industry professional about the writing craft, industry insights, and their own practice. This week, we spoke to Erin O’Dwyer about the misconceptions surrounding ghostwriting, similarities between journalism and ghostwriting, and the intimate relationship between ghost and client.
What are some key questions you ask a potential client to decide if you’re the right ghostwriter for them?
I always ask the basics like budget, timeline, their availability to work with me, and what they are hoping to achieve by publishing a book. Beyond that, the most important questions I ask are of myself. I want to assess the vibe between me and the client. Do I believe in their mission? Are our values aligned? Is there respect on both sides? Ghostwriting a book requires a very intimate relationship between ghost and client, and it usually takes around a year of working very closely together. Trust and respect is essential on both sides.
There are quite a few misconceptions surrounding ghostwriting, one being that it’s ‘dishonest’ since the ghostwriter works behind the scenes. How would you respond to that idea?
It’s a tricky one, and I’ve given that question a lot of thought. Sometimes ghostwriters are a surrogate mother, other times a midwife. We all seek out professionals who are experts in their fields to help us accomplish things we don’t have the skills to do. Some writers are very comfortable working as ‘surrogate’ ghostwriters. Others prefer to be more of a coach – helping the client put words on the page themselves. I’ve done both and it really depends on the client and on the job. The most important thing is that the boundaries are clear, respected and negotiated in advance.
You’ve worked both as a journalist (even interviewing Taylor Swift!) and a ghostwriter. In what ways do these two practices overlap and inform each other?
Ghostwriting is very similar to writing a long-form magazine profile story – except that you are working in the client’s ‘first person’ voice. You still gather all the same facts and background information, you interview as many interconnected sources as you can, and ideally you spend time with and observe the subject in their daily life. ‘Spending time with’ is not usually possible with celebrity interviews but it is essential with ghostwriting. You have to be able to get inside the client’s head, and see the world the way they do. In journalism, you do all this prelim work and then you write in an objective third person voice. With ghostwriting, it’s the same except you use the subjective first person. I found it a very easy transition.
Do you have any advice for writers looking to break into the world of ghostwriting?
Seek out clients you think have a good story to tell and whose world you know. The first book I ghostwrote was about a woman who had been convicted of drug dealing. I had covered court and crime as a journalist for many years, and so I knew the world she came from. It gave me a particular sympathy to her story and her lens.
Dr Erin O’Dwyer is an award-winning journalist, author, editor, and writing coach whose work spans print, digital, broadcast, and publishing. She has been a regular contributor to The Sydney Morning Herald for more than two decades, including its flagship Good Weekend magazine. Erin is a winner and two-time finalist in the Australian UN Media Peace Awards, and a Walkley Awards finalist. She has lectured at the University of Sydney for two decades. In her consultancy Good Prose Studios, she advises social enterprises on narrative strategy. As a ghostwriter, she is co-author of Accessory with Felicia Djamirze and Swellbeing with Blake Johnston.
Join Erin O’Dwyer for The Ghostwriter’s Toolkit, Saturday 21 March 2026, 10am-4pm at Writing NSW.
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