Written by: Shanice Pillay and Venal Naidu

They say ghosts do not exist, but in the world of storytelling, they are.

Tash Meyer (41) a mother, a wife and a technical support specialist adds the title ‘ghost writer’ to her list of professions. The mom of three sons always had a passion for literature and anything that feeds the soul.

“I’ve always been a fan of literary art, to be honest, and what started off as poetry soon became a passion for anything that feeds the soul and speaks to the mind. After I wrote my first Fiction Novella and children’s book, I wanted to take the next step. I investigated publishing options and realized that I would need a hefty bank balance if I wanted to get published professionally, in order to get recognised. This is where I stumbled on the term ‘Ghost Writer’,” she said.

Her career path started off differently but eventually led to her passion of writing.

“With my dad being in the military we often moved a lot, at least every 3 years in the beginning. So as siblings, we changed schools often. After standard 8 (grade 10) I went to Technical College in Nelspruit where I completed my N3 in business studies. Although this had nothing to do with becoming a famous author, it was the most logical thing I could think of at the time that would help me to get employed,” she said.

She signed up on a freelance website called Upwork, where she applied for writing positions and within a few weeks, she had her first client, and since then hasn’t looked back.

“Ghostwriters are writers who are hired and are paid to write for an author, but no credit is given for the work produced. It’s a great way for an expert with an idea and no writing skills to get their expertise out there. It is also a very common concept amongst celebrities, executives, and political leaders. Even musical masterminds and composers have long since used ghostwriters to write musical pieces for them,” said Meyer.

Not being credited for the work she has done has its advantages and disadvantages.

“Some of the plots don’t always press the right buttons. But when they do and I’m halfway through the manuscript, I’ll admit there’s a little voice in my head that scolds me for not doing this in my own name. But it is what I signed up for and it pays reasonably well, so I consider this a stepping-stone and a learning curve,” she said.

Meyer cannot discuss the work she has done due to non-disclosure agreements she has signed with her clients, but she explains some of the work she has done.

I started my first book (intended series) a few years ago. It’s called The Dhark Series and the first book is ‘The Key’. As mentioned before, this was done before I took up ghostwriting and since then I realized it needs work. It has taken me a lot longer to write this because of the complex nature of the book and now because most of my time goes into writing for others. I have self-published this on Amazon,” she said.

With the likes of world-renowned authors such as JK Rowling, Gena Showalter and JK Tolkien, she advises young writers to set goals, believe in themselves and never give up.

*Caption: Ghostwriter Tash Meyer.