The London Ghostwriting Company enters 8th year as ghostwriting services boom

After continued growth, they’re keen to expand internationally noting the popularity of ghostwriting services and their writers with clients overseas.

"We are not just a ghostwriting company, editorials are a huge part of the business."

Founder Luke Shipman kicked off his career working for film companies as a script doctor—experience, he claims, has strengthened the LGC development service. His group still work as anonymous scriptwriters today with a whole development wing for screenplays, but the classic ghostwriting services; memoirs and non-fiction are still their bread and butter.

Uniquely, they also service work from publishers who reject manuscripts that need further development work and the company is keen to share their profits from the writing services sector:

"As long as the client solicits our services, we can share takings with publishers or literary agents when they send us manuscripts they can’t consider, and this is one way we can help small indies stay in the game."

However, while acknowledging the appetite for ghostwriting services over recent years, Shipman is keen to demystify the so-called ‘ghostwriting’ boom:

"Forms of ghostwriting have existed throughout human history, scribes have always been paid to write, these services aren’t exclusive to the publishing world of today. It may appear that demand for ghostwriting is up, but what people might actually be seeing is an increase in the amount of services offered, without demand increasing proportionately.

"So it only appears all the rave. With new authors making less money by publishing their own works, there’s an economic incentive to re-brand as “ghostwriter”, working for anyone who is happy to pay."

When it comes to AI, Shipman is not concerned his business is under threat but is critical of LGC’s competitors—especially internationally—who continue to leverage software programmes and sell writing services unethically, especially to clients wanting ‘speed’ over ‘substance’. Shipman considers much of the conversation around AI ‘to misunderstand it and to be to the exclusion of the hard work writing requires’. LGC was incorporated in 2016 and is looking towards a promising 2025:

"We’ve just signed work with a whistleblower, a famous entrepreneur, a publisher, and an international finance guy. And we’ve just taken on another writer full-time."

Additionally, LGC are looking to work with agents who have a strong list of well-published authors, ones they can bring on-board key projects, but are determined to work with only the best ghosts in town.

"AI may very well replace autobiography writing, but won’t replace the more literary memoir; some ghostwriters, therefore, will have to up their game."

LGC has three books set to hit shelves this summer and expects to secure more deals in the trade for Christmas.