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Have you ever wondered if that book was really written by the author on the cover?
Or maybe you just love writing and wish it was more collaborative.
Ghost-writing is the answer to both of these conundrums and can sometimes be seen as mysterious in the writing world. Take a peak into non-fiction ghost-writing with Creative Director and Storyteller, Arestia Rosenberg.
Have a story to tell? Want to help others? Or just a curious mind? These are your questions answered!
Hi Arestia, thanks so much for taking the time to explore the world of ghost-writing with us! Fill us in on you and your background.
Hey, I’m Arestia! I say I’m a storyteller and I swear I was saying that before it was so ubiquitous because it’s true! My background is in major motion pictures and television production where I did everything from work at Happy Madison Productions producing behind-the-scenes content to working as a producer and in development on Animal Planet shows.
Then I accidentally fell into content strategy when I was hired to produce films for brands at an ad agency. I made some award-winning short films I’m really proud of during my time there AND I got to learn content strategy—win win! From there, I went to work as the Creative Director of Brand Strategy at The Daily Beast. I now consult as a content strategist and work as a ghostwriter for thought leaders.
So while I’ve spanned traditional production, advertising, media, and marketing, I’ve always been a storyteller.
You’ve gone down a lot of creative paths! Do you have any go-to tricks or habits to get into a creative mindset at the start of the work day?
I really just try to “batch” my work. Meaning, I schedule calls back to back in the morning so I can then have uninterrupted writing time in the afternoon. I like to have a writing session be 2-3 hours ideally. I don’t like to “multitask” when I am writing and have to keep coming back and getting into the flow.
I love hearing how other people get into the creative zone! So, how did you discover ghost-writing?
I actually kind of fell into ghostwriting. While I was working on content strategy for thought leaders, a book just became another piece of content strategy. I was consulting for an agency that had me write book proposals, which is really just a marketing document to sell the book to a publisher.
I remember when my first book proposal client got a book deal and asked me to help them write the book. I hadn’t ever written a book, but I had been writing my whole career and knew how to shape a story.
So while it didn’t seem like a natural evolution given my background, it actually was a great fit. I love digging into my client’s stories and working with them to craft a narrative.
I experience writing in a client’s voice more as an art than as a science.
And briefly, for those who don’t quite know—what is ghost-writing?
Well, I’m sure it’s different in the fiction world and I can’t speak to that, but in nonfiction, I like to think of it as the person who helps form the story and the words. My clients are experts in what they do. They have an incredible amount of knowledge in any given field. But they aren’t necessarily an expert writer.
Just like you’d hire any other consultant with expertise to help you grow your business, it makes sense that you would hire a ghostwriter to help you write your book. And in fact, many people do. It’s estimated that 60% of nonfiction books are written by ghostwriters1.
That makes total sense, it shouldn’t be excepted everyone has to master writing as well as their craft. In your case then, who is the typical client?
My clients are typically people who have done well with their thought leadership and are ready for a book. Maybe they’ve done some courses and found success or they have a podcast that’s doing well or they have a lot of speaking gigs. For them, a book makes sense as the next part of their brand or business's evolution.
What should someone interested in hiring a ghostwriter expect from the process?
Hiring a ghostwriter doesn’t mean you just sit back and wait for your book. It’s a collaborative process. I need the information out of your brain. Typically, that means we outline the book first, so we think through the ideas first. Then we can work on the words. I basically just have the client go through each chapter, thinking as if the title of the chapter is the title of a talk they might give, and the bullet points are just the speaking points. They speak through it and I make that a transcript. Now I have the knowledge (and the voice/tone) and I can write the chapter.
You mentioned shaping your clients’ voices and narratives—what’s your favorite part of finding their voice while balancing your own as a writer?
Well, client work and my own writing are two totally different things to me. I don’t really know how to explain it because I experience writing in a client’s voice more as an art than as a science. I just start to feel it and hear it when I work with them. But I’m not them so I’m not always going to get it 100% right.
They will sometimes edit things how they might prefer to say something and that’s fine. But a lot of the times the feedback I get is that I take their “jumbled up thoughts” and make them sound like them, but a more polished up version (that’s the best when I get that feedback!).
It’s a very stark balance between non-fiction and fiction writing for sure! Are there any current projects you want to share a bit about?
Alas, part of being a ghostwriter is you can’t share the books you’re working on. But I will say I am currently working on two book proposals, one for a doctor and one for an AI expert. And I just wrapped up working on a book with a marketing expert.
Awesome! And we always ask, what are you currently reading?
My friend Haley Cohen Gilliland wrote a beautiful book called A Flower Traveled in My Blood that I am currently working through. (I did NOT ghostwrite this, it was all Haley who is a wonderful journalist).
Learn more about Arestia on her website.
About the Author: Arestia Rosenberg is a writer, filmmaker, and content strategist with a track record of shaping stories that resonate across books, brands, and media. Her ghostwriting has helped authors secure major publishing deals and bestseller status, while her brand strategy and video production work have earned film-festival and media recognition. Her work has been featured on the BBC, Creative Mornings, The Modern Work Podcast, and VoyageLA. Whether collaborating with executives, entrepreneurs, or creative teams, Arestia brings a sharp editorial eye, a knack for distilling complex ideas and realizing them, and a belief that the right story creates lasting resonance.
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