At this year’s Gathering of the Ghosts conference in New York City, one of the liveliest sessions tackled a relationship that can make or break a book project: the bond between agents and ghostwriters. Moderated by Becka Oliver (Kevin Anderson & Associates), the panel brought together four industry heavy hitters—Anthony Mattero (CAA), Madeleine Morel (2M Communications), Regina Brooks (Serendipity Literary Agency), and Valerie Frankel (Aevitas Creative Management)—for a candid, funny, occasionally bracing look at what actually keeps agent–ghost partnerships working.
Here are the big takeaways.
1. Chemistry beats credentials—every time.
If the panelists agreed on one thing, it’s that a ghostwriter’s résumé is only the starting point.
Regina Brooks reminded the room that ghostwriters and authors need synergy—a shared understanding of the book’s underlying why. “An editor can’t fix that,” she noted. Authors often come to her asking to work with a NYT bestselling ghost, but in her view that isn’t the most important criteria. Not even a ghost with a long list of bestsellers can save a project where the motivations are misaligned.
Anthony Mattero put it bluntly: “You need someone you can be in the trenches with.” Vulnerability, trust, and ease of conversation are the backbone of a working relationship that may last 18 months or more.
Madeleine Morel offered the flip side: ghosts need both “zero ego” and a “high pain threshold.” A ghost working with difficult authors—arrogant, obsessive, or simply inexperienced—who needs constant validation will not survive the relationship.
2. Transparency isn’t optional. It’s the job.
All four panelists warned against the “secret side chats” that sometimes develop between ghost and author—or between author and agent—while others on the team are left in the dark. Those gaps in communication are where resentment grows, deadlines slip, and projects derail.
A few themes came up here:
- Loop the agent in early—even about small wobbles.
Missed meetings, confusing feedback, a sudden desire to “rethink” the book? Agents don’t want to be surprised down the line. - Transparency protects everyone.
Regina Brooks stressed that if an author changes direction, the editor needs to know sooner rather than later. Keeping shifts private between author and ghost “can go south fast.” - Ghosts shouldn’t problem-solve alone.
Morel warned against trying to single-handedly smooth over every issue: “It’s a recipe for disaster.” Agents are there for a reason—use them.
Even the question of where material comes from requires openness. With AI now part of the workflow, both Brooks and Morel urged ghosts to document how they’re using it and confirm sources for any content provided by the author.
The message: write the book, but also keep the lanes of communication wide open.
3. Ghostwriters manage the ecosystem, not just the manuscript.
One of the session’s most practical threads was the acknowledgment that ghostwriters are, by necessity, project managers.
Valerie Frankel put it this way: “The ghost works for the client. They’re paying you. But you’re also managing the relationships.”
A few tips emerged:
- Use the author’s infrastructure.
Many authors have teams and systems. Mattero encouraged ghosts to take advantage of the support available—“If they give you a week of access, take it.” - Document everything.
Deadlines, deliverables, interview windows, revisions. Brooks emphasized that paper trails aren’t optional anymore—especially in the AI era. - Expect to triage.
As Frankel put it, “You know the author best. Communicate whether things are good or not.” The ghost is often the only one with the full picture.
Ghostwriters may be hired for writing, but they succeed by orchestrating the entire creative ecosystem.
4. Scope creep isn’t a surprise—it’s a certainty. Plan for it.
Every panelist had a story about a proposal that ballooned into a mini-book, an author who delivered material from Google or ChatGPT, or an editor who suddenly wanted “just a little more.”
Their advice:
- Define the book clearly in the contract. Word count, scope, chapter count.
- Specify author availability. If the author disappears for months, an additional payment should trigger.
- Anticipate “micro-adds.” Marketing copy, bonus essays, alternate versions.
- Add kill fees for projects with early red flags. As Brooks noted, loving the idea isn’t enough—you need guardrails.
Mattero offered a sharp reminder: “You have to want to do the job, not just land the project.” Wise words for any ghost sizing up a prospective partnership.
Final thoughts
The agent–ghost dynamic works best when egos stay low and transparency stays high. A great ghostwriter doesn’t just capture a voice—they stabilize a process. And a great agent doesn’t just sell a project—they protect the creative conditions that allow it to thrive.
Sally Collings is a veteran ghostwriter and book development strategist known for helping founders, thinkers, and changemakers tell stories that land. Her work spans bestselling business books, prescriptive nonfiction, and hybrid memoirs, and she’s spent more than twenty years guiding authors from fuzzy idea to bookshelf-ready manuscript.
