Jill Williamson here. When I was at the Mount Hermon conference this past April, I was so excited to connect with another Jill! Author Jill Osborne told me all about a middle grade series she’d been working on for Zonderkidz with former NFL running back, Rashad Jennings. I was super curious to hear all about this since I know so little about ghostwriting. The more she told me, the more I knew you all would like to hear about this too. But first, a little bit about Jill.

Jill Osborne loves writing stories that reach the hearts of today’s amazing kids. Her three-book Faithgirlz series, The Good News Shoes, was published by Zondervan in 2014. Jill has written collaboratively with Missy and Mia Robertson on their four-book Princess in Camo series and is currently working on a four-book series, The Coin Slot Chronicles, with retired NFL running back and Dancing with the Stars champion, Rashad Jennings. Jill considers each new writing project an opportunity to encourage the upcoming generation to “set its hope anew” on God. Jill loves reading, running, hiking in the mountains with her husband, and traveling to new places. When she’s not writing, she serves as the preteen director at her church in Fresno, CA. Learn more about Jill on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and on her website: www.authorjillosborne.com.

Welcome to Go Teen Writers, Jill. Thanks so much for visiting with us today. Let’s see… So many questions! Was Arcade and the Triple T Token your first ghostwriting project? If not, how long have you been ghostwriting?

My first project was a four-book fiction series for middle-grade girls. I’m currently working on another four-book fiction series for middle-grade boys and girls. This craziness all started in 2016. I had no idea ghostwriting was a thing before that!

Missy and Mia Robertson’s Princess in Camo series.

That’s amazing. How did you get the job?

Both times, I was contacted by an editor asking if I was interested in being interviewed for a ghostwriting project. The editor already knew me since I had my own project published by her company. Both times, I participated in a phone interview with the author. But before I agreed to the interview, I made sure the project was something I could fit into my schedule (I have another job working twenty-eight hours a week) and that it was the type of project that matched my passion and calling.

Knowing people in the publishing industry is so important! (Teen writers, note that this is a good reason to attend writing conferences where you can meet editors and agents.) Jill, would you tell us about the ghostwriting process? Did they give you an idea? An outline? Did you meet the author and brainstorm? Who made up the plot and characters?

Both times, they already had an idea. I flew out to meet the authors in their home town, where we brainstormed together. Sometimes family members, agents, and people from the publishing company brainstormed with us. We discussed settings, characters, plot possibilities, etc. Even though these were fiction projects, I also asked a lot of questions about the author’s life, and listened to them tell their personal stories. They both took me on a tour of their town. Since I was tasked with writing the stories in their unique voice, I needed to get to know them! In both situations, I came home with pictures and tons of notes, and then it was time to write the books! I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer, and both authors were daring enough to let me run with the story once we had our general themes, characters, and plot ideas set in place. Before every writing session, I prayed that God would help me write a story that would honor him and bless both the author and the readers. Then I sat down at the computer, took a deep breath, and wrote. After I completed a few chapters, I sent them to the author for approval, input, changes, etc. For both projects, changes were few, and the authors loved what I had done. That just confirmed to me that God was as the center of the projects!

That sounds like an amazing adventure! How long were you given to write the stories?

Not. Much. Time. The publisher already had a timetable worked out for marketing and publication before I was contacted for the interviews. For the first project, we wrote four books in one year—about three months for each fifty-thousand word novel. For the second project, I only had five weeks to write the first book! After that, it was three months for book two, and then six months each to write the last two. The experience stretched me way past what I thought I could do.

Oh my. I can only imagine! That is some fast writing. Did you go through typical rewrites and edits with an editor?

Oh yes, several edits. The first edit is called a macro edit. This is when the editors at the publishing house can ask you and the author to make major changes. They may ask you to add content, change a plot line, or delete a character. Or they can ask you to rewrite the whole thing! Thankfully, in both cases, the editors were happy with what we had written in every book, so there were no major changes needed. Whew! The challenging part about writing a series is that you are editing one book while you are writing the next one! So, if you have to change something that happened in book one, you better account for that in future books! In order to keep track of the changes, I cover my walls with giant post-it notes. When I change something, I circle it in red, and then circle everything else that has to be changed because of the first change!

After the macro edit, there are several rounds of copy edits (grammar, making sure dialogue matches each character, timeline and other continuity adjustments, etc.) Then there are edits on the designed pages. It’s amazing what you catch when the pages are designed, and you are no longer looking at the same old Word file. In both of my projects, we had to give art direction for sketches that were included throughout the books. After the art was done, they sent those sketches to me for editing too. It’s super important for the writer to see the art! One time, the wrong character had been included in a sketch, and I was the only one who caught it.

I’m so glad they thought to send them to you! It’s fun to see illustrations done for a story you wrote. I absolutely love that. Do you get to participate in ideas for the title and book cover?

Yes! In all cases, I gave suggestions to the author and the publisher. The committee at the publishing house ultimately makes the decision, but it helps if the writer can give them the most information possible, since the writer knows the story best.

What would you say is the most important skill for a ghostwriter to have?

It’s not so much a skill, but a character trait. You must be flexible! “Can we fly you out to Virginia next week on Mother’s Day?” The answer is “Sure!” “Can you take a look at this art and get it back to us in two days, even though you’re on vacation?” “Yep!” “Can you write this story in five weeks?” “I’ve never done it before, but there’s always a first time. Yes, I’m sure I’ll be able to do it. I can sleep after it’s all done.”

Wow. Flexible, indeed. I am in awe of you! Was it hard to let someone else put their name on the story you wrote?

For both my projects, I was a “with” writer. That means that my name does appear in places like the title page and in the acknowledgements, but most people won’t ever notice it. When I signed the contract, I agreed to let someone else have the credit as the author, and whenever that starts to bother me even a little bit, I remind myself that without the celebrity author, these particular stories would not exist. You can’t be a ghostwriter and want the glory for yourself. When you read positive reviews and you hear that the story you worked on has impacted a life, you smile and thank God for giving you the talent and the opportunity to honor him in this way. It’s like your secret reward from your creator. 

Jill’s Faithgirlz series, The Good News Shoes.

That is a beautiful way to look at it, Jill. Any advice for writers interested in ghostwriting?

Be willing to keep things secret. No posting pictures of yourself and the celebrity on social media. No revealing inside information or telling their stories (except in the books, with their permission). You have the privilege of hanging out with them, sometimes visiting them at their house, texting back and forth, praying with them, traveling with them, etc., but you must approach it all with a professional attitude. My co-workers at my other job, who have to know where I’m going when I travel for a project, joke with me that I live a double-life. I think it’s a blast. I like being that mysterious-lady-nobody-knows who is shadowing an actor on-set, or having dinner with the famous football player in Beverly Hills. Then I return home, and I’m just that “quiet-lady-named-Jill who lives next door. I think she writes books or something.”

That’s awesome. Are you working on any books of your own?

Always. God has called me to write stories to encourage his kids to grow in their faith, and he’s given me more ideas than I will probably ever have time to write! I’m currently working on a three-book series for middle-graders with a boy as the main character. It’s being looked at by a publisher now. We’ll see what happens!

I hope they love it, Jill. Thanks so much for visiting us today and sharing your story. I learned so much!

To thank Jill for her time and wisdom, I’m giving away a copy of Arcade and the Triple T Token (Book one in the Coin Slot Chronicles). To enter, leave a comment or question for Jill below. I’ll announce the winner next week.

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