The author, who publishes several dozens of books every year, causes the envy of colleagues and doubts among readers. Is it really possible for one person to produce such an impressive amount of text without outside help? Perhaps in literary activity he is helped by the so-called literary Negro. Or even a group of ghost writers. Who is a literary Negro? Who needs such a specialist? And how highly valued is the work of an anonymous author?
Who is a ghost writer?
A literary Negro is a hired author whose books are widely known, his last name is by no means. He creates fiction and journalistic work or its individual chapters and receives monetary compensation for such work. He does not even dream of fame in the literary field, since his creations are published exclusively under the pseudonym of a famous person or a promoted author.
Literary Negro is often part of a creative team. That is, the team of authors works within the framework of a specific project, the result of which is the publication of a book. Such specialists are called differently. The word "Negro" has long been unethical even in Russian society. And therefore, in the domestic literary world, one can hear equivalents and borrowings from the English language: “ghost pen”, “bookman”, “literary ghost” and so on.
Remuneration of an anonymous author
There is no exact data on how much a literary slave earns. Not one of the most prolific authors ever admits that several book-makers are “hired” by him. In fact, this activity violates the copyright law and does not cause respect in society.
In the West, the creation of an artistic or journalistic work according to this scheme has been little practiced in recent years. Abroad, the tax system is more stringent. Publishing your own book to a resident of Germany, France or Sweden is not as difficult as a Russian. And the mentality of the inhabitants of Europe and America is somewhat different from the Russian.
Specialists from the field of book publishing and literature argue that if people write books under a pseudonym for which they do not have a patent, then they do not have to hope for big earnings. In addition, in the publishing world there is an opinion that it is not worth paying a lot to the "ghosts of a pen". Indeed, in this case, they will write less. The fee from each book, which is created according to a similar scheme, is divided between the publisher, the official author and the so-called ghost writer. The latter is the smallest part of the profit. It should be said that a significant factor that negatively affects the earnings of both the author and the “literary ghost” is network piracy. In recent years, there has been a general decline in interest in the book.
Publishing Laws
In order to understand what literary ghosts do, you should delve into the book publishing system. The publication of any book is aimed at making a profit. And so, in this area there are laws that are the same for any type of business. A publisher is a specialist who invests in a literary work. But he does this solely for selfish reasons.
Authors from all over the country send their creations to small and large publishers. Among them are talented writers, people who dream of huge fees, and just graphomaniacs. It is not so easy for the editor to extract from a large number of manuscripts the very one that can generate revenue for the publisher.
It’s easy to publish a book to an author whose surname is heard by potential readers. Publishing your work to a novice writer is almost impossible. At least, so say those who published or attempted to publish their literary work.
Promoted nickname
The name of the author of large editions is a kind of brand. The book, on the cover of which his last name shows off, will certainly be bought. Consequently, the more he writes such works, the more impressive will be both his fee and the income of the publisher. But to create every month for a product few people can do. A famous person sometimes does not have enough time, effort, often talent. The nameless author is a specialist who helps solve such problems. He receives a clear assignment and performs it taking into account the time frame.
The specifics of the "literary ghost"
Work as a literary black implies the presence of writing abilities. And therefore, among the ghost writers are often found students of the Literary Institute . Gorky. Such a specialist creates a work taking into account a number of requirements: adherence to style, storyline, necessary volume. But this work has little in common with real creativity.
Often, a "literary slave" writes low quality fiction books, solely in order to increase his material well-being. And in his free time he indulges in his favorite pastime. That is, it creates works that have literary value. At least he thinks so. But for a number of reasons, not one publisher accepts these creations. Some writers believe that the work of the "ghost writer" has a plethora of positive qualities. And most important of them is the opportunity to gain creative experience.
Who uses the services of "literary blacks"?
Who is the author of books that tell about the life of the famous ballerina, a bright politician, a legendary music performer? Today, memoir prose is very popular. In such works, speech is in the first person. But this does not mean anything. Desire to tell the world about their achievements is not enough to write a book. And the dream of making money on publishing facts from personal life will not come true in the absence of literary abilities.
Who is the author of the celebrity’s autobiography, the reader may not know. The name "literary ghost" he will not find on the cover of the publication. And this is the main difference in the meaning of such concepts as “anonymous author” and “co-author”. Nor should the “ghost writer” be confused with the “literary editor”. The name of the first, as has already been said, is unknown. The second receives his fee on the basis of a contract. The surname of the literary editor can be seen on the back cover.
How to become a “ghost writer”?
The opportunity to earn and gain invaluable experience in literary work is a good motivation to search for such a vacancy. How to become a "literary black"? Jobs for this position on the Internet you will not find. The reasons for this are clear. But if you set a goal, you can still find offers for cooperation, which begin with the words "A writer is required." Representatives of this mysterious profession sometimes find an employer through the publication of their creations on the Internet.
Literature or Fiction?
Art books have always been in high demand in our country. But the time has come for consumer goods. Modern readers often pronounce a phrase that begins with the words: “my favorite writer” and ends with the name of the author, whose work has little to do with literature. Perhaps the whole thing is in the modern rhythm of life. Man has no time to think about the eternal. Reading serious literature requires mental and mental stress. And the phrase "My favorite writer is Dostoevsky" you can hear less and less.
Shelves of shops are bursting with books with bright covers. Their authors amaze with the level of productivity. From ten books a year. These people often combine the conveyor work with the secular way of life and participation in various television shows. And therefore, readers and critics have suspicions about the honesty of such authors.
How do experienced contemporary writers relate to the work of an anonymous author? Some of them claim that they have never met representatives of this profession. Others believe in their existence, but in every possible way reject cooperation with those. But ghost writers were, are, and will be. Their work will lose relevance when people stop reading. And that is unlikely to ever come. Because the publication of books is nothing but a profitable business. But, unfortunately, the anonymous author earns a little. Most of the profit from the book comes from the one whose name is on the cover.
Linguistic expertise
It is theoretically easy to prove authorship. For this, there is a so-called linguistic examination. This event allows you to analyze the style of the author. But clandestine workers easily mimic the peculiarities of constructing sentences and the characteristic speech turns of a writer. And the untwisted authors, not fearing exposure, continue to “create”, stamping twenty to thirty works each year.
Questionable authors
Professional writers assure that no more than two novels can be created per year. Those who write more, either use the work of low-paying authors, or issue low-quality text. But tabloid prose continues to be popular, despite all sorts of criticism. Books Daria Dontsova, Tatyana Polyakova and Marina Serova bought and continue to buy.
The plots of modern popular books, which are published, as a rule, in softcover, do not have uniqueness. Heroes in such works speak the same language. There is no need to talk about the presence of artistic images in the work of promoted authors. Their creations are the result of an advertising campaign. And therefore, the truthfulness of the words of a writer who writes at an incredible speed base detectives about the fact that he does this on his own, can not be questioned. Creating ten novels during the year is impossible. To write a dozen mediocre books is real.
Darya Dontsova
One of the colleagues of this author once said that only one person can write so mediocre. But not a collective of "ghost writers." Dontsova's literary blacks are a topic that has been covered in the press more than once. This writer has the largest print runs.
Ninety-five percent of Russian authors receive no more than one hundred thousand rubles for publishing a book. Dontsova’s fee reaches one hundred and fifty thousand dollars a month. This author is the most prolific in the modern literary world. Both the quality of her works and the speed with which she writes them are subject to fierce discussion.
But Daria Dontsova does not pay attention to criticism, but continues to create. The author of books in the genre of “ironic detective” not only writes, but also receives literary prizes for his creations. In addition, he finds time for frequent appearances on television. But if we put aside the questions of the artistic quality of the works, we can conclude that the project “Daria Dontsova” brings pleasure to millions of readers, profit to the publishing house, and an impressive fee to Agrippina Arkadievna Dontsova (real name of the writer). And if we allow the version about the use of the labor of hired literary workers, then unknown authors have the opportunity to earn and gain experience.
Marina Serova
The name of this writer is a pseudonym under which a group of authors works. Collective work under a certain brand is widespread in the literary world today. The project brings income to each of its participants. Books are popular. And it should be said that today many "ghost writers" migrated to television, where they also have the opportunity to apply their talents. And under the name of a famous scriptwriter can work "literary blacks." And so, they are representatives of a separate demanded profession.