Ink Without Footprints presents
You don't want to write a book. You want to write theirs.
The Ghost Semester is a 3-month live course in ghostwriting. Not how to write your story — how to write for someone else, in their voice, on their book, and get paid to disappear.
Here's what most writing courses won't tell you.
- The world doesn’t need more people who know how to write a book.
- It needs people who know how to write someone else’s — quickly, quietly, and well enough that the person whose name is on the cover genuinely believes it sounds like them.
- That is ghostwriting. And it is one of the most in-demand, least-taught skills in the writing industry.
- Executives, founders, doctors, survivors, parents — everyone has a book inside them and almost no one has the time or craft to get it out. They pay someone to do it. That someone could be you.
- The Ghost Semester doesn’t teach you to write. It teaches you to write for others.
- There is a difference. And after three months with us, you will know exactly what it is.
This is not a writing course.
It's a ghostwriting course. The difference matters.
NOT THIS
- A course about writing your memoir
- A place to workshop your novel
- A self-paced module library
- A certificate that looks nice on a shelf
- A space for people who just want to write
BUT THIS
- A course about writing someone else's book
- A professional training in a paying craft
- 24 live classes across 3 months
- A published anthology credit and a pitch deck
- A space for people who want to get paid to write
We will teach you how to interview a client, capture their voice, structure their story, and deliver a manuscript that sounds so much like them that they forget you wrote it.
“That is the craft. That is what we are here to teach.”
Three months. Twenty-four classes. Two classes a week.
Every class runs 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM IST. Tuesday or Saturday — you choose your batch.
MONTH 1 — THE FOUNDATION
Learn how to structure a book, ask the right questions, and read a voice that isn't yours. You meet your writing partner on Day 1. By the end of the month, you submit your anthology piece — a short piece of writing in your own voice. That is your unit test.
MONTH 2 — THE CRAFT
Genre, dialogue, scene construction, voice matching, and the professional tools a working ghostwriter uses. You write a short story for your partner — in their voice, on their story. You build a pitch deck to present your portfolio to clients.
MONTH 3 — THE LONG GAME
You go long. A 25-day writing sprint — 500 to 2,000 words a day — on the project you've been building. You present your full journey in a final presentation. Your novella first draft is submitted and evaluated. You graduate with a published anthology credit and a professional pitch deck.
You leave with things. Real, usable, portfolio-ready things.
01 — A published writing credit
Your anthology piece — written by you, edited by IWF, published under the Ink Without Footprints imprint. Your name. In a real book.
02 — A short story written in someone else's voice
You ghostwrote a piece for your course partner, in their genre, in their voice. That is your first professional ghostwriting sample.
03 — A pitch deck ready to send to clients
A professionally designed 6-page deck: who you are, how you work, your process, your sample, and your rates. Built during the course. Designed by our in-house team.
04 — A novella first draft
A 20,000+ word manuscript, ghostwritten for your partner, evaluated by IWF's editorial team and our editor. You will know what a real first draft feels like — because you will have written one.
05 — A final mark card
A scored evaluation across six components — reviewed personally by Nandini and our editor.
06 — An IWF alumni network
Access to the IWF ghostwriter community. Monthly calls. First access to client overflow projects. The chance to be on the IWF preferred ghostwriter roster.
What Sets Us Apart
The Mixer
You meet your writing partner on Day 1
Every student in The Ghost Semester is paired with another student. This is your partner, your client, and your collaborator for the entire three months.
You will interview them. You will study their voice. You will write a short story in their name — and they will write one in yours.
By graduation, each of you has a piece of writing that sounds exactly like you and was written entirely by someone else.
That is ghostwriting. And now you have done it.
The Anthology
Every student who graduates is a published author.
Your anthology piece — written in Month 1, edited by IWF, designed by our in-house team — is published in the IWF Cohort Anthology under the Ink Without Footprints imprint at graduation.
PDF ebook, distributed free. Print-on-demand paperback available at cost.
Your name. Your words. A real publication credit.
This is what we mean when we say the unit test has stakes.
What You'll Learn
- How to interview a client and extract a usable, structured story
- How to build an outline from raw, unstructured material
- How to write convincingly in a voice that isn't your own
- How to handle client relationships, contracts, and expectations
- How to price and pitch your own ghostwriting services
How It Works
Format:
Live sessions, twice weekly, over three months
Batches:
Batch A (Wednesdays) · Batch B (Saturdays), 8:00–9:30 PM IST
Cohort size:
Intentionally small, for real feedback, not a lecture hall
Includes:
Prospectus and structured workbook, live facilitation, community support, real assignments with feedback
Built for the Right People
The Ghost Semester is a cohort, not a class. Every student you work with affects every other student — especially your Mixer partner, whose book you will be responsible for. That means we are careful about who we bring in. Not because we only want experienced writers. Because we only want committed ones.
We are looking for people who:
- Have something to say — even if they don't know how to say it yet
- Can commit to two live classes a week for three months
- Understand that someone else is depending on them to show up
- Are curious about other people's stories, not just their own
- Want to turn writing into income — not just a hobby
This is not for you if:
- You want to write your own book and nothing else
- You're looking for a self-paced course you can do whenever
- You're not sure you can make the live sessions
- You've never thought about writing for someone else
How We Select
STEP 1 — You fill out a short application
A few questions about who you are, why you want this, and what draws you to writing for others. No CV. No credentials required. Just honest answers.
STEP 2 — You submit a writing sample
150 to 250 words on one of three prompts. We are not looking for perfect writing. We are looking for a voice — and a reason to believe you'll show up.
STEP 3 — We read every application personally
Nandini reads every application. Not a bot. Not a team score. Her eyes on your words. You'll hear from us within 5 working days.
STEP 4 — If shortlisted, a 15-minute call
Some applicants will be invited for a short call before we confirm their place. This isn't an interview. It's a conversation — to make sure this is right for you and that you're right for the cohort.
Pricing
One course. Three prices. Only one of them is yours right now.
WAITLIST — ₹25,000 Join before seats open. Lowest price we will ever offer this cohort. Closes 2 weeks before launch.
EARLY BIRD — ₹30,000 First 10 seats only. Opens when cohort is announced. Closes 1 week before start.
FULL PRICE — ₹35,000 Open enrolment until seats fill. No price advantage over early tiers.
All tiers include: 24 live classes, the IWF Ghost Semester workbook, your professionally designed pitch deck, anthology publication, certificate of completion, and IWF alumni network access.
Payment confirms your seat. No payment, no seat — even after an offer is made.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need prior writing experience to join?
Some comfort with writing helps, but the course is built to teach ghostwriting as a skill from the ground up — you don’t need prior ghostwriting experience.
What's the difference between Batch A and Batch B?
Only the schedule — Batch A meets Tuesday, Batch B meets Saturdays, both 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM IST. Content and structure are identical.
Is this course live, or self-paced?
Fully live. Sessions run twice weekly over three months, with real-time facilitation and feedback.
Will I have actual writing samples by the end?
Yes — assignments are designed to build toward a usable portfolio piece by the end of the cohort.
What if I miss a live session?
Reach out to your facilitator — session recordings and support are available to help you stay on track.
How much does it cost?
Pricing is tiered (waitlist, early bird, and full price). Join the waitlist for the most current pricing and early access.
Testimonials
I didn't think a ghostwriting team could nail banter — that felt like the one thing that had to come from me. I was wrong. My leads/characters sound exactly like I hear them in my head, chemistry was lit.
"Author, Contemporary Romance 2020"My story just got better, and I know these guys will nail it.
"IRIS."I came to IWF with two characters and a vague ache of a premise. What I got back was a fully realized love story with the exact slow-burn tension I couldn't articulate but always wanted.
"Author, Romance Fiction 2020"