Primary paid offer
Ghostwriting
You need the words to ship. You don’t always need my name on them. I write in the voice that has to own the piece; the byline stays with you, your executive, or your outlet when that’s the agreement.
Why ghost instead of a byline
Some work has to sound like the person who will defend it in a meeting — a VP, a founder, an association lead, an editor’s named contributor who doesn’t have time this month. Ghostwriting here means final-draft prose in that voice, with the credit settled before a word is written. No revision theatre. No “outline for you to finish.”
If you want my name on the piece as a named practitioner, that’s commissioned writing under Services. Free fill for small newspapers lives under Columns.
What fits
- Executive or founder thought-leadership that has to sound like the person who will own it
- Trade columns and practitioner pieces under someone else’s byline
- Case studies and narrative write-ups that must stay accurate under a skeptical read
- Guides, explainers, and how-tos where your org is the public face
- LinkedIn long-form, internal publications, and short pieces a senior audience will forward
What doesn’t
- SEO mills, AI-volume shops, or publications whose model is ten thin pieces fast
- Platforms, positions, or topics I can’t stand behind — the byline question gets settled before the brief does
- Invented credentials, hidden conflicts, or unpaid pitches for outlets with a budget
- Consulting, WordPress builds, audits, or speaking — those stay with the separate practice
How an engagement works
- Brief by email. Audience, goal, length, deadline, voice notes, and whether the credit is yours or shared. No discovery call required for standard formats.
- Fit and rate in one reply. I’ll tell you whether I can help, what I’d need clarified, and a number. Rates on request.
- Draft → one revision pass. You get final-draft quality, not an outline. One structured revision round is included unless we agree otherwise.
- You own the shipping. Paste into your CMS, send to your editor, or publish under the agreed credit. I don’t hold the piece hostage.
Typical turnaround for article-length work is two to three weeks once the brief is clear. Longer packages take longer. Rush rates apply under ten days when the calendar allows.
How to judge the voice before you brief
Ghost clips ship privately with client permission — email hello@shippedwords.com if you’re evaluating a paid engagement and need a relevant sample. Public editions of the free-column series are on Samples and under Columns; they show how the prose reads when the credit is mine. Ghost work matches that bar in someone else’s register.
Common questions
Do you write under my name?
Yes, when that’s the deal — and we settle it before I start. Ghost means your credit (or your author’s). Named practitioner work is Services.
Will it sound like me?
That’s the job. Send voice notes, prior pieces you like, and anything you refuse to say. I’ll write toward that. Your final pass should be light — tone and facts you alone can confirm — not a rewrite.
Can AI draft it cheaper?
It can draft something. The work here is judgment, structure, and a voice that survives a careful read. If a volume shop is the fit, I’m not.
What about free columns for our paper?
Different door: Columns — free to republish with attribution for qualifying small / regional papers.
Send the brief
If you already know what you need, email directly. I’ll tell you in one reply whether I’m the right fit.