A Writers Syndicate is, at its most basic definition, a group of writers who publish under one author name or names, depending on the syndicate size. The real author name or pseudonym is usually an established brand that becomes syndicated either from the get go or as a progressive expansion of the author’s work output; thus the use of collaborators or ghost writers allows the brand to produce many more titles a year that a solo author ever could.

These ghost writers are paid an upfront fee to write a novel, often based on a detailed outline provided by the syndicate lead and/or the brand author. The resultant manuscript is unsold under the brand name to a publishing house, and the syndicate collects royalties. I’ll deal more with the history of syndicates in a follow-on post, but want to flag here that the ownership of copyright has historically been pivotal to the success of a syndicate. It is ceded from the ghostwriter to the syndicate, which does not assign it on to a publisher.

A ghost writer is not named on a book they have written, whereas a collaborator will be named alongside the brand author, usually in smaller text on the cover.

Writers Syndicates are sometimes referred to as writers factories or content mills. They mostly specialize in popular commercial fiction with the intent of generating large sales.

James Patterson is one of the most famous modern examples of a writers syndicate. He is one of the highest grossing authors of all time and is expected to release between five and twenty-four books in 2022 alone. He focuses across the mystery, thriller and crime fiction genres.

In Writ Large I’ll give you a glimpse behind the curtain of a contemporary Writers Syndicate.

Writ Large Teaser:

This autofictional work explores the inner workings of wealth and privilege, while revealing the quirks and foibles of a host of characters. It is inspired by Rachel Cusk’s Outline.