Get Paid for Doing What You Love
The Certified Professional Ghostwriters® program from the Certified Professional Ghostwriters® Institute will give you the skills & tools to do what you love – and get paid for it.
Some Ghostwriters Earn Six Figures
Why Not You?
What Is Your Path to a Writing Career?
Writing can be a tough career choice. Journalists are notoriously underpaid, and the path to traditional book authorship is extremely challenging. Are you interested in a more level path, a path that can lead to full-time or part-time income? How about ghostwriting? With the advent of Amazon and print-on-demand book publishing, ghostwriters are in demand as never before. You can be a sought-after, well-paid ghostwriter with the help of your designation as a Certified Professional Ghostwriter®.
From Bios to Business Books
What kind of people hire ghostwriters? All kinds! Some publishers estimate that up to half of all published books are ghostwritten. Business people promote themselves through ghostwritten books. Many people want their lives or the lives of loved ones recorded for posterity. And some people simply have burning ideas for novels. Ghostwriters handle all of these and more.
Your Own Business
If you are part writer, part entrepreneur, a career as a ghostwriter may be for you. If you want to build your own professional writing practice, one from which you may earn a good living as you run your own business, ghostwriting may be just the ticket – and the CPG® program can help you get there. How? By training you to be a better writer, and as important, by helping potential clients choose you over others because you are a Certified Professional Ghostwriter®.
Should You?
It’s Not For Everyone. Watch the Video.
Like to Be A Certified Professional Ghostwriter©?
Here’s How.
- Enroll in the Certified Professional Ghostwriter® program. For $1,895 (less than the cost of a single course at many colleges – an amount you can earn back from ghostwriting one book), and a commitment to run your own business, and you’ll be on your way to a career as a professional writer.
- Purchase books from our suggested textbook list.
- Take the 8-Class CPG® online course. Pass a final exam for each class. Most students can complete the process in 4-12 months, but study at your own pace.
- Upon completion, your Certification will be recorded at the Certified Professional Ghostwriters® Institute.
- Join the Certified Professional Ghostwriters® Institute, pay your dues, and adhere to CPGA Standards & Practices.
Learn More About the Certified Professional Ghostwriter® Program
Watch the video below to learn more about our unique program.
FAQS: Answers to Your Questions
(Important! Please read completely before application.)
What is the CPG® Program?
The Certified Professional Ghostwriter® program provides a certification process for ghostwriters and aspiring ghostwriters. The program is a way for writers to learn more about their craft. The course also can be a valuable asset, as your CPG® designation is the best way for ghostwriters to demonstrate to clients their professional dedication. Think about it: whom would you choose – a freelancer of unknown qualifications or a ghostwriter who has earned the CPG® designation?
How Long Has the Program Been Around?
The Certified Professional Ghostwriters® has been in place for nearly five years, with a focus in the early years on curriculum, awarding the designation only on a very limited basis. The Certified Professional Ghostwriters® title was granted United States Registered Trademark status in 2015.
Who is the CPG® Program geared for?
The CPG® program was designed to help prospective writers find an independent career path as ghostwriters.
What is the Certified Professional Ghostwriters® Institute?
The CPGI is a membership organization for Certified Professional Ghostwriters®. Membership is added assurance to potential ghostwriting clients of each CPG’s® commitment to excellence and fair practices. Membership and adherence to the Standards & Practices and Code of Ethics is required to practice as a Certified Professional Ghostwriter® and for the use of the copyrighted CPG® designation.
How is the Program structured?
Students are required to successfully pass examinations for each of the eight required courses before being awarded Certification. Video lectures and course materials are provided, along with a list of both required and recommended textbooks.
How long does the Program take to complete?
The Program is self-paced and should require from 4 months to a year or more, based upon your education and experience; the minimum time requirement is 2 months.
What is the cost?
Tuition fees for online lecture videos, course materials (not including recommended textbooks), plus any related certification fees are $1895.
Isn’t the course expensive?
The real answer here may be found in a second question: “Compared to what?” Many colleges charge this amount or more for a single class, and we believe that few professions offer as much potential as the CPG® designation for such a modest investment. Of course, if you feel you cannot afford the course, that you would prefer self-study, or that the CPG® designation does not offer you the chance for considerable return on your education investment, or for any of the reasons outlined below in “Who Should Not Take the Course,” then the CPG® Course may not be for you.
Can you help me develop my ghostwriting business?
Upon certification, you will be required to join the Certified Professional Ghostwriters® Institute (membership is required to maintain your CPG® certification). The CPGI has a Practice Development Department, the purpose of which is help you grow your business. Nonetheless, as we have mentioned elsewhere on this site, most ghostwriters are self-employed, either freelancers or business owners, and are appropriately entrepreneurial. You must be willing to build your own business.
Can you help me find clients?
Of course, we cannot guarantee projects for anyone, but ghostwriters who are Certified and are members in good standing of the CPGI may sign up for the CPG® Referral Program, part of CPGI Practice Development. Inquiries from potential clients who visit our websites are available to CPG’s® . We are also developing further programs to assist with CPG® practice development.
What is your refund policy?
We want you to be sure that you have made the right choice for your writing career. Students will receive a full tuition refund, no questions asked, if such refund is requested within 30 days of tuition payment.
If I know already know the material, must I take the classes?
All course study is self-paced, and, while we strongly recommend that students take the time to study all lectures, materials, and recommended textbooks, those students with sufficient experience and education to pass tests may do so at their own pace.
Who should NOT take the course?
The CPG® designation is certainly not for everyone. Here are some suggestions for deciding that our course is NOT for you:
- You are not a serious writer.
- You don’t have an entrepreneurial spirit. Starting your own ghostwriting business and making it a success is for those willing to start their own businesses, for those who realize that the real work starts after getting your CPG® designation. As with any business, a successful ghostwriter should be willing to invest in his or her business, take risks, promote and advertise, and stick with it. Building a business of your own takes time. If you feel most comfortable with a regular 9-5 job, we encourage you not to sign on. It will be up to you to make your business a success, and if you are unwilling to take steps that assure your success, this course is not for you. We want to help, but you are in charge of your destiny.
- You are not comfortable with online learning; this may sound painfully obvious, but online learning is largely self-directed and dependent upon the student’s consistent and dedicated approach to learning. Some people do need a traditional classroom setting and require third-party discipline to succeed at their studies.
- Here is an article from Writer’s Digest that may answer many of your general questions and concerns about a career in ghostwriting: http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/get-published-sell-my-work/how-to-be-a-ghostwriter
How do I get started?
Just click Register Now at the bottom of the page.
Certified Professional Ghostwriter® Program
The CPG® PROGRAM Curriculum
Each class includes a video lecture series, a transcription of the lectures, a list of suggested textbooks, and a class final exam (taken online). The Certified Professional Ghostwriters® Association recommends that students spend 30 days (thus averaging one hour per day) studying for each class, though students may study at their own pace, so long as they pass each class final exam.
- Grammar, Usage, and Style
- Screenwriting Techniques of Story, Plot, and Structure
- Fiction
- Non-Fiction
- Revising and Editing
- Submissions and Publishing
- Marketing and Promotion
- Ghostwriting
Meet Some of Our Course Consultants
Every month we will introduce a few of our Course Consultants and qualified Certified Professional Ghostwriter© editors.
William Story
Sr. Course Consultant
Author, educator, and writing mentor, William is a graduate of Salem State College where, as an English major, he received a B.S. and M.S. in Education. In addition to traditional English courses in literature and syntax, he has taught composition, creative writing and novel writing at the high school and community college levels. His own publications include short stories for magazines and six novels with such publishers as Doubleday and St. Martin’s Press.
Bret Bradigan
Sr. Course Consultant, Certified Professional Ghostwriter©.
California magazine editor and publisher, author of the new musical "Beautiful Dreamer," former newspaper reporter, editor, publisher and winner of 11 national press awards, Air Force veteran and Certified Professional Ghostwriter©.
The Certified Professional Ghostwriters® Institute
The Certified Professional Ghostwriters® Institute is dedicated to the education and career advancement of Certified Professional Ghostwriters®.
Benefits of CPGI membership:
- The Course can be an important part of a ghostwriter’s professional education.
- The Certified Professional Ghostwriter® designation helps potential ghostwriting clients assess the dedication, competency, and ethics of ghostwriters.
- Access to potential clients who inquire for ghostwriters through the Institute website.
- Annual required Continuing Education class at no charge.
- Ghostwriter website at no charge.
- Career & Practice Development Center with online articles, forums, and training starting January ’19!
Jeff White
Director, Certified Professional Ghostwriters® Institute
If you aspire to be a working writer, a career in ghostwriting may be for you. If you are seeking a ghostwriter, choosing a Certified Professional Ghostwriter® is a sensible way to know that your ghostwriter has been trained and has agreed to abide by the Certified Professional Ghostwriter® Standard and Practices and Code of Ethics.
MBA, CFP®, Certified Professional Ghostwriter®
We want to make certain you’ve made the right choice. You can get a full tuition refund upon request within 30 days of enrollment, no questions asked. (Tuition Fees: $1895 or 3 Monthly Payments of $650.)
Yes! I Want To Be A Certified Professional Ghostwriter©
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© 2015 Certified Professional Ghostwriter
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