ORIGINALLY FROM INDIANA, Marsha Hinton of West Bath went on to work as a secretary as she accompanied her husband, retired Chief Petty Officer Thom Hinton, from duty station to duty station. In the corporate world, she found herself authoring the business letters and marketing materials her supervisors were putting their own names to.
It just so happens, there’s a ghostwriter in West Bath. Marsha Hinton began her career as a writer in high school, where she put her mastery of the written word to good use by writing term papers for fellow students at fifty bucks a pop.
Originally from Indiana, Hinton went on to work as a secretary as she accompanied her husband, retired Chief Petty Officer Thom Hinton, from duty station to duty station. In the corporate world, she found herself authoring the business letters and marketing materials her supervisors were putting their own names to. As she worked in various office environments, her way with words, coupled with her ability to put her ego aside, gave her the idea to launch her career as a ghostwriter.
According to Merriam-Webster, a ghostwriter is someone “who writes for, or in the name of another.” That’s right, it’s perfectly legit to hire someone to write your marketing materials, business letters or your novel, then put your own name on it.
According to Hinton, this is how it works: a client has something that needs to be written, but doesn’t have the time and/or the know-how. A ghostwriter simply sits down with them, listens, takes notes, puts structure to the client’s needs, does the research, and while maintaining strict confidentiality, brings their ideas into being. When the project is complete, the client buys the rights to the document, and lays claim to being the author.
In her persona as ghostwriter, Hinton doesn’t get a byline, nor is she able to share past clips she wrote. However, this determined professional doesn’t cite the lack of notoriety as her biggest challenge.
“Because I work from home, I’m always juggling,” she said.
Although her three children are grown and off on their own, Hinton shares her workspace and time with her husband and 80-year-old mother. She lamented, “I get my head wrapped around my writing then something happens like the oil guy showing up and the dog starts barking.”
She added, “Sometimes it looks like I’m not doing anything, but I’m writing in my head. I might be playing solitaire or reading a book for research. I look like I’m goofing off, but I’m really not. People don’t see me as ‘writing’ when I don’t have a pen in my hand.”
This ghostwriter finally decided to bring her talent out into the light of day after a well-meaning critic remarked, “It’s not like you’ve written a book or anything.” This was all it took to propel Hinton to do just that.
“Rylee Rising,” described by the author as a “clean romance,” was published two years ago by a Georgia hybrid publishing house and can be purchased from her website or from Amazon.
Her second book, “Souvenirs,” is about a female war hero who returns to her hometown after being injured in the line of duty. When her grandfather confesses to committing murder, she sets out to find the real killer.
While “Souvenirs” searches for a publisher, Hinton continues to hide behind the veil of ghostwriter. She and Thom also continue to develop New Meadows Media as the publishing arm of the business.
Hinton said her husband is “wicked supportive” and she’s also received much appreciated assistance from SCORE, an organization that offers free mentoring and helped her with a business plan.
Hinton’s latest iron in the fire is an online news site, “The Gurrybutt” (www.gurrybutt.com). According to Wicked Good Words, a gurrybutt is the container where the uneaten parts of the fish go.
“It seemed like an appropriate name for West Bath news that doesn’t get covered by other sources. We want to include town tidbits, local news items, West Bath municipal activity and the goings-on of local organizations. You know, the news not in the news.”
Hinton or New Meadows Media can be contacted at writer@marshahinton.com or 319-7561.
KAREN SCHNEIDER, of West Bath, is a freelance writer. She can be reached at iwrite33@comcast.net.
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