business

Age: 53

Hometown: St. Louis Park

Job: Self-employed ghostwriter, author, editor, teacher, consultant, literary agent

Education: Master's degree in English with a writing emphasis, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; bachelor's degree in writing, Oberlin College in Ohio

How did writing become your business? When I first got to Minneapolis after college it was 1978, and there wasn't much going on writing-wise in this town. The Loft was pretty new, but at that point it was just this cheesy apartment on Chicago Avenue with some folding chairs. No one in the whole Twin Cities was offering any kind of courses on publishing and the business side of writing, or anything on creative writing for beginners, so I pitched those classes and started teaching some noncredit courses at the University of Minnesota.

What is ghostwriting? Ghostwriting can range from heavy editing to collaboration to actually writing the piece from top to bottom. There are really three types of ghostwriting: ghostwriting for famous people, where the person on the cover of the book is the brand. You're brought in to do the real work while the star ... stands out front. I don't do that kind of ghostwriting. The second kind of ghostwriting is for people who need to publish in academic, scientific or professional journals. The third type -- which is what I specialize in -- is for people who have something of value to offer the world, but they don't have the time or the writing skills. It can be in all kinds of areas.

Income: I [typically charge] $120 per hour. That may sound like a lot, but if I were a salaried employee, $120 would translate to about $40 an hour.

How much time do you actually spend writing? About 12 to 15 hours a week. It took me a long time to understand that I started a business ... [and] I have to spend the time running the business.

Is it hard to get something published? Because printing is so easy to do technically and inexpensively, many more people are self-publishing, and people who wouldn't publish in the past are now interested in putting out a book -- or even an e-book, which is cheaper still. One common model is to publish it yourself and do well, then a major publisher comes to you with a wheelbarrow full of money.

AIMEE BLANCHETTE