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Ghostwriting White Papers - Good or Bad Idea?

By Michael Stelzner

Should a freelance writer pass up a job if the client wants his or her name on the white paper?

This is the essence of a question asked recently by Len.

Here is his question:

Mike, I am embarking on my first assignment as a freelance writer and the company I am working with would like to put the name of one of their directors as the author of the white paper. Is that a reasonable request?

My gut response is to decline. I do not expect to have a byline but neither do I want my work to be passed off as someone else’s, even though they are briefing me thoroughly and providing support material.

This opens the age-old question about getting credit for your work. Should a freelance writer work hard on a project only to pass the credit to someone who never wrote the work?

I would like to hear your thoughts on this matter. What might you suggest to Len?

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 at 6:24 pm and is filed under Freelance Writing, Writing White Papers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

  • As long as they are paying me good money I could care less if they put their name on it, and as you said if someone wants my resume, I would just tell them what I wrote regardless if my name is on it or not.
  • Jill - Just say you wrote it. It's pretty much that simple. - Mike
  • Jill
    What is the proper way for a ghostwriter to claim credit on his/her resume for the writing? Other than having a prospect call the client to confirm authorship, how can you prove you wrote something?
  • Great. This topic is a great debate for the freelance writers and their clients.

    I think the client could demand to the writer to put his name on the write-up.
    But it is on the writer's discretion if he will agree on that. Of course, it is his work. He have the right if he will going to agree on it. Another option can be using of the brand or company name rather than placing the client's name on it.
  • Interesting thread. My opinion is different than those above. I provide writing services online and have six writers who work for me as independent contractors. They all sign an agreement to "work for hire" for me, but for the finished articles, I require the client to use this byline: Editorial services provided by McCord Web Services.

    I have always branded my websites, e-newsletters and any graphic elements that I have been paid to do and have it in my client contract. I feel that for Internet "link bait" articles my firm should be given credit for the article in some way. We do not provide a link to our firm but do want our name listed. It will bring our writers more business.

    For print publications, unless it is a big one, where we will want our writer AND firm to get credit, we typically let the client take the full credit as they have found the publication to print the article on their own.
  • Great info, i appreciate your way of knowledge sharing
  • I agree with Maria, just see things as outsourcing and you will be fine. I did it a few times as just needed the money...
  • Thanks for the great discussion everyone!
  • Work for hire is work for hire. Unless your a highprofile screenwriter or epic novelist then your taking the pay over the credit. Its not a ethical standoff. If you would like to take credit for a portfolio then yes, save the documentation and make sure you do not sign your write to catalog it.

    Tommy
  • In 10 years of freelance marketing writing, I've rarely had my name go on anything. And not once has a prospect questioned whether a work sample I provided was actually authored by me. You can always have prospects call references if they're skeptical.

    If you have a journalism background, you do miss the byline at first. But the better pay helps you get over it quickly!
  • Mel
    Work-for-hire means you lose all rights to the material itself. However, unless you have signed an incredibly strict contract, you should be able to claim "Ghostwrote white papers for X Company" without getting into any trouble.
  • Pam
    One clue to whether you should or shouldn't is in your own question, "my first assignment as a freelance writer." You do what you have to do to get your business started. If you want to be able to use the piece in your portfolio to get other jobs, just save the documentation that says they are paying you for that piece and keep it with the copy. As long as you don't sign anything that says you'll never use the article or represent that you wrote it, it should be okay.

    And I agree with the other posts that this type of thing happens all the time. I have written whole procedural manuals that my boss has passed off as his. That -- unfortunately -- is life.

    But a big congratulations on your first assignment! Way to go!
  • Maria
    Get over it... This is called outsourcing.
    They have the ideas in their heads, they are hiring you because you have the writing expertise to put it down on paper.
  • I'm with Graham on this. Ghostwriters provide valuable services to people who have the expertise but simply can't write well or effectively. You can be an arTEESTE or you can be a tradesman offering your craft to those who don't have the talent or ability. Nothing wrong with passing up on the fame and glory.

    Think of it this way: Do plumbers require homeowners to post a sign in the window that says, "All Pipes installed by Johnny Joe Plumbing Service?"
  • Just about all corporate copywriting is "ghost writing" -- rarely does your name appear anywhere. If you are in this business for the glory, become a novelist. If you are in it for the money, who cares what name is on the cover?

    That's my two cents anyway.

    ~Graham
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