California State University, Long Beach
 

Ghostwriting
Certificate Program

Ghostwriting is a recession-proof and lucrative career IF you have the specific skills, theory, and political know-how to do the job, get the job, and get referrals from the job. This one-of-a-kind program, fully online and offered over two semesters, is intense, hands-on, and serious fun. It will change the way you read and write for the rest of your life.

This Online Program is Designed For:

  • Career editorial-service professionals who wish to augment their expertise
  • Freelance editors, journalists, and writers interested in pursuing a ghostwriting career
  • Writers who wish to augment their skill sets
  • Those interested in the book industry

You Will Learn:

  • Advantages of ghostwriting as a career and as a service for authors
  • Ghosting vs. collaborating/co-authoring
  • Writer-to-ghostwriter perspective change
  • Manipulating MS Word
  • Establishing and maintaining authority
  • Acquiring and keeping clients
Instructors:
Claudia Suzanne, Professional ghostwriter and recognized book-industry authority. She has ghosted and edited over 115 titles in nonfiction subjects such as business, memoir, celebrity biography, bereavement, addiction, parenting, history, sports performance, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), child sexual abuse, marketing, past-life regression, fraud, single-parent adoption, women's studies, and many more. She has worked on mainstream romance novels, action/adventure novels, fantasy novels, slice-of-life novels, historical sagas, and children's books. Clients' titles have been published by major publishing houses including HarperCollins, Rodale Books, and Doubleday. She has authored four editions of the critically acclaimed This Business of Books: A Complete Overview of the Industry from Concept Through Sales, currently required or recommended by college and university instructors across the country.
Liv Haugland
Pam Sheppard

How Do I Complete the Certificate?

  • Complete all online modules over the two-semester course.
  • Complete all course assignments.
  • Complete the course project; a fiction or non-fiction shostwriting project with submission materials for traditional or e-publishing.

Introduction to Ghostwriting

The first module in this program will provide a comprehensive overview of ghostwriting; the differences between a career in the field and that of a traditional writer. This module also includes an overview of Microsoft Word and specific formats and functions that are invaluable to the ghostwriter.

Topics Include:

  • Editorial service definitions and scopes of responsibility
  • Concept initiators
  • Ghostwriting knowledge base and skill sets

Non-fiction

Far different from co-authoring or collaborating, the ghostwriter hones and develops skills to serve authors in a variety of genres, making the work seamless in the process.

Topics Include:

  • Creative process
  • Determining the market
  • Assessing manuscripts
  • Substantive/content editing

The Industry

Every industry has its own jargon, ways of doing business, and tricks of the trade. In the little-known industry of ghostwriting the resources you need to succeed are not simple to find. This module will provide you guidelines and expertise in finding them.

Topics Include:

  • Industry statistics
  • Myth vs. reality
  • Publishing options
  • Registrations
  • The process

Additional Information