Ghost writers are professionals who write texts and books, but who, because of the type of contract they sign to do this work, keep their name secret. In most cases, works produced by ghost writers are signed by people or companies that have hired the writers’ services. This type of work is often commissioned by people and companies that want to produce books, articles, or other written material, but do not have the time or expertise to do so. For this reason, they hire a professional. To learn more about this type of work, 11-year-old junior reporter Daniel de C. spoke to Silvia Balieiro, editor-in-chief of TINO Econômico (a newspaper published by Editora Magia de Ler) and ghost writer of published works.

Do you enjoy being a ghost writer? What appeals to you the most about this job?

I like it a lot. I have a degree in journalism and I discovered ghost writing very much by chance, with no intention of doing so. But I just loved it, because it combines a lot of what I already do in journalism, which is to interview and talk to people, but in a much deeper way. To be a ghost writer, I need to collect all the information from the author to put it in the book for him, for example.

And what do you like least?

The part I like least is having a deadline. Sometimes you have to turn in the work the next day, but you think that if you could turn it in a week later, you could improve the text or do a bit more research.

What kind of work do you like to do?

I love writing biographies, which is when the person tells their life story. I have always liked writing these texts, because when you write a biography, you really dive into the person’s life, there are many interviews, many hours of conversation, where people tell stories from as far back as their childhood, from their earliest memory, to the present day. You also interview other people about the subject of the biography.

And what made you become a ghost writer?

I was invited to write and ended up accepting it. I had a friend who worked with someone in the real estate business [the fi eld that involves selling real estate and land]. He was not Brazilian, but he really wanted to tell his company ‘s story as well as his own story. Then I thought, “Oh, you know what? I’ll do it!” The book took a long time to fi nish, close to two years, because I had other commitments. Then he started referring me to other people, who recommended me to others, and this is how I started writing more books.

Has any of your works become very famous?

No, I’ve never written anything that has become very famous. But there is one work that I am very fond of. It was about a gentleman who didn’t even want to get the book published. He was a very successful businessman who had already retired. He was 94 and wanted to do a book about his life to give as a gift [to the guests] on his 95th birthday. We immersed ourselves in his story, it took ten months of work, listening, writing. It was a book that moved me a lot, because the story was really, really beautiful. It made me fulfi lled to see his happiness in having the book in his hands.

But don’t you sometimes get upset when your name is not on a work?

I don’t feel upset, because it’s agreed to beforehand. But I don’t feel like the book is mine, I feel that I am an intermediary between the work that is in the author’s head and the book that is written. Because I don’t put anything that is my own opinion into the book. Everything in the book is based on what other people have said, particularly the author. To give you an idea, I do an interview, I record it, transcribe it word by word, so I can use the terms the person uses. And what authors always tell me in return is: “Wow, I can see myself in this book. I feel like I wrote the book.” Often, the person has the ability to write, but does not have the time. Or they have all the ideas in their head, but don’t have the training that I have to put it down on paper.

When I was little, I didn’t really like writing. My mother used to say that I had some great stories, but I didn’t write them down. So she explained what a ghost writer was and I wanted to have one for myself.

Look, if you want, a tip I can give you is: record your stories and then keep on listening to them. It will make you want to write, you will say: “Oh, I wish I had this written down to keep.”

Questions

1) What was the first book written by Silvia about?

a) A very old man’s life

b) Her own life

c) A real estate entrepreneur

d) The economy

2) Would you like to write a book about someone’s life? Why?

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