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Copywriters and Ghostwriters: What They Have in Common

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by Best Seller, Mar 20, 2017.

  1. #1
    Some people have asked me, "What is the difference between a copywriter and a ghostwriter What are their similarities?"

    Well, I'll start with the primary difference. It's a simple difference. A copywriter is mainly concerned with producing sales and marketing copy for a client whereas a ghostwriter is someone who writes a book for someone else (whether it be non-fiction or fiction). The term "ghostwriter" simply means that, although they've written the book, they remain anonymous (a "ghost") to that book's readers because they aren't listed as the author. The person/organization the book was written for is listed as the author ... which is very similar to copywriting, isn't it? The freelance copywriter rarely, if ever, receives public credit for the content they've written for someone else.

    Which brings me to even more similarities between these two terms. The list of similarities--what they have in common--comprises much more. Here's a short list:

    1. Both ghostwriters and copywriters produce content for their clients.
    2. As stated above, neither ghostwriters nor copywriters receive public credit for the content they produce for their clients.
    3. Both ghostwriting and copywriting are collaborative processes in that these writers need to gain a clear understanding of what their clients want ahead of time before they begin a project, and they may need to edit/correct it along with way once it has been proofread by the client.

    There are three points to get that list started. How about if someone else jumps in here and picks up where I left off? What else do these two roles have in common?
     
    Best Seller, Mar 20, 2017 IP
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  2. Spoiltdiva

    Spoiltdiva Acclaimed Member

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    #2
    The big difference is that ghostwriters wish to remain hidden for various reasons. Copywriters on the other hand want as much exposure as they can get.:)
     
    Spoiltdiva, Mar 20, 2017 IP
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  3. MaxGoodman

    MaxGoodman Greenhorn

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    #3
    I think there's something to that. Ghostwriters tend to remain hidden as the nature of the job; they're just here to help with someone's biography or whatever, they'll cash their check and go. Copywriters do a lot of the same work (lord knows I have) but I suppose I take a little more pride and ownership in it, and I imagine a lot of others do it too.

    Maybe the big difference is the nature of the job itself. Ghostwriters tend to write for something that really needs to have a big name attached to it; like an autobiography of a famous person or a popular businessman writing a book of advice. Copywriters, on the other hand, write for something that doesn't need to have a specific author attached. Not that the copywriter's work doesn't matter at all, but if you're reading product descriptions on a business' website the name of the author matters much less than it would if, say, George Lucas wrote a book about his life and used a ghostwriter. I don't know if I'm explaining myself too well here. :D
     
    MaxGoodman, Mar 29, 2017 IP
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  4. Anitasol

    Anitasol Active Member

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    #4
    This is somewhat true! :D But the similarity between both writing fields? I think they are a great stepping stone to learning the loops in writing, so that when they decide to establish their names as writers in the future, they know what to do and they can present a background. This is applicable to the ones who are really passionate about writing though. D
     
    Anitasol, Mar 29, 2017 IP
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  5. MaxGoodman

    MaxGoodman Greenhorn

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    #5
    This is super true. It's kind of a funny example, but I used to be a big-time comic book reader, and one of my favorite comic writers was a guy named Peter David. Before he got his start writing a bunch of different Spider-Man and Incredible Hulk comics, he was a big-time ghostwriter; he would do a lot of books from authors like Tom Clancy who would just get someone else to write their book and then slap their name on it to collect a paycheck. And after long enough doing that he finally got a chance to do what he loves, which is really all any of us could ask for, isn't it? He's kind of my hero for that reason.
     
    MaxGoodman, Mar 30, 2017 IP
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  6. Anitasol

    Anitasol Active Member

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    #6

    Wow, thanks for sharing! :D
     
    Anitasol, Mar 31, 2017 IP
  7. JoeSpirit

    JoeSpirit Well-Known Member

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    #7
    I agree somewhat - until the copywriter produces a big winner. When that happens other copywriters want to be the one who beats the control. A great way to approach that is to study the writer who created the control (his technique & writing style for instance) so they must find out who he is.

    Either way, the act of writing the control or being pursued for the purpose of getting the new win brings notoriety to the original writer. And of course, the writer who beats the control gets notoriety for doing so.

    This depends a lot on how famous the original control becomes.
     
    JoeSpirit, Mar 31, 2017 IP
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