The ghostwriting client confirmed safe receipt of both Part 4 and the bonus short story on Thursday, saying they would send it to editorial and let me know if there were any issues. By Saturday morning, I hadn’t heard back from them so I nipped on to Amazon to see what the last book was that they published for the name I write under… and it was the one I submitted on Wednesday… So not only was it all right, it had also already been published.
Hmm.
I didn’t jump the gun yet, though. I thought I’d see how long it took the client to confirm that all was well and in the meantime I downloaded the book and a couple of others that were on free offer to my Kindle.
We had a good weekend. On Saturday the poet went out and blocked the holes in the hedge where we think the cat got out and where we know the dog will get out if he puts his mind to it. The cat lady came around to pick up her trap and the cameras. And then we went shopping.
On Sunday morning we had to get up at the crack of dawn because the kids were coming to see their dad for his birthday. It made me realise that I’m struggling to get up in the morning because there’s no solid reason for me to do so. It doesn’t matter if I get to my desk late. I just work until the work is done. And then I complain when I’m working late into the evening. If I just got up earlier, I’d probably finish work earlier. It certainly gave me food for thought.
They arrived not long after 10am in two shifts. By the time they’d all gone again, it was gone midday. We took eldest son to see the poet’s mum and then we ran him into town. Then we went off on a bit of a magical mystery drive because it was nice to get out of the house. By the time we got back home, we’d both done enough.
I’ve not been properly well since November when I had a gastric flu that lasted for two weeks. Then the poet had a chest infection, then a throat infection, then another throat infection and then an ear infection. Then I got Covid and then he got Covid and we both had post-Covid ailments too. Then he got a chest infection and I got a sinus infection and then I had a 24-hour gastric flu again. I’m currently also the biggest snot machine in the history of snot.
We’re now hoping that getting up earlier, eating properly and getting out in the fresh air again will help to make us both well again because, quite frankly, we’re both sick to death of being sick all the time. And if this is old age, you can keep it.
On Sunday afternoon the email came in from the ghostwriting client saying they were good to go and the last payment was approved. Now, he didn’t know that I already knew that they’d already been good and gone. What I don’t know, of course, is if my client has another client who didn’t tell him it was okay until a day after it had been published. My client is great, very flexible, accommodating and forgiving. Therefore, I’m hoping it’s just me being a bluff old cynic.
Saying that, I’ve already decided that I’m not taking on any new ghostwriting clients. I’ve written 12 Regency romances in the past 3 years (plus one contemporary novel), and I’m not sure if I want to carry on with that either. It’s proved to me that I can finish a novel, twelve times. And it’s a good, regular earner. But it’s a percentage of what I should be earning as a ghostwriter and, personally, I don’t think anyone can afford to pay proper ghostwriting rates at the moment, unless they’re a publisher or they’re something corporate, and the pulp publishers aren’t prepared to pay the going rate. So, time to reconsider and regroup.
We’re off to the theatre for the poet’s birthday to see Jersey Boys. He’s been singing ALL of the songs ALL weekend, so I think he’s a bit excited.
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Good for you. I don’t think you’re being a cynic at all. You’re being underpaid for excellent work, and could probably earn more writing your own work and selling it under your name or a pen name specifically for that genre. Or submit to a more traditional publisher in the genre.
Enjoy JERSEY BOYS (it’s a really fun show). Happy birthday to the poet!
The poet said thank you! And he thoroughly enjoyed the show.
Wow, you two have really gone through a lot on the health front! Here’s hoping “Jersey Boys” and a good dose of fresh air will do the trick!
We’re both sick of feeling sick all the time. We did think the poet might be a lot better after having his nasal polyps removed last year, but now we’re wondering if they were acting as a block to everything else and getting infected first.