Check newspapers, particularly the
week/weekend before Halloween. In my experience, this is when ghost stories are published
(at least, from the 1970s on). If your local newspaper is indexed, check under keywords
like Ghost (s), Haunted Houses, Spooky, Spiritualism, Folklore, Apparitions.Check county histories—you can skim through them
pretty quickly, looking for headings like "A Curious Appearance" or
"Ghostly Doings" or "A Local Ghost". Watch our for "joke"
ghost tales where the apparition turns out to be a white cow seen by a drunkard or
something equally silly. Books or pamphlets put together by local groups for community
anniversaries may also contain stories. Also the series of state books put out by the US
government during the 1930s and early 1940s. Books on folklore may also be mined for
material. See if your local library/historical society has ever done an oral history
project. Ghost stories often show up there.
A quick note on copyright and using other
people's materials. Generally, anything printed before 1920 is in the "public
domain" and you may use it freely. But it is nice manners, as well as good
scholarship, to tell where you got the material. Newspapers of any date may be quoted as
long as you give credit. If material does not say "Copyright" and a date and
name of person copyrighting it, it is not copyrighted and you may quote at will. Again,
please give proper credit. Of course, anyone's material may be paraphrased if you don't
copy it too closely. Don't steal, but borrowing is OK as long as you give credit.
Visit your state historical society library.
Write all local/county historical societies in your state. Enclose a stamped,
self-addressed envelope. If you can, make appointments to visit local collections. There
is no substitute for being on the spot. People are much more helpful when you are there in
person, than through the mail. You can also ask if they know of any local folklore
experts. The state historical society may have newspaper microfilms and indices.
Ask librarians if they have a folklore/ghost
story/haunted house file in the vertical file/pamphlet section.
Also ask them if they have access to a
computerized catalog of all the libraries in your state. You may be able to search by
keyword or subject. The library can then order up the books through interlibrary loan or
get photocopies of materials.
Write the editors of all newspapers in your
state, asking for true ghost stories. You should give copies of the finished book to all
people/institutions contributing stories.
Write the directors/proprietors of all historical
houses, state parks, and other sites as well as historical theatres, churches, inn, etc.
to ask if they have any stories. College archivists are also sometimes helpful. Again,
remember the stamped, self-addressed envelope.
I made a list of famous people from my state,
then skimmed their biographies/memoirs for ghost stories and paranormal experiences. Try
this with your state.
Post your want for stories on the internet in
some ghost story or folklore site. FATE magazine also has a section where they will post
your request for free. One very valuable resource is a book called The Geobibliography of
Anomalies, which indexes ghosts and other weird things up to about 1970 by state. The
author, George Eberhardt, also indexed every story in FATE Magazine up to that date,
including names of people involved, locations, and types of phenomena. This book is no
longer available, so ask your librarian about getting it through interlibrary loan.
After your first book, you will be swamped with
stories so expect to do a sequel.
Decide if you will include only true ghost
stories or if you will also include "folklore" stories. Will you include
historic ghosts (past hauntings that have stopped) or only contemporary ones? Will you
fictionalize your stories, adding color and dialog, or treat them in a more
straightforward, journalistic fashion? Will you only collect ghost stories or will you
include stories of bizarre crimes, UFOs, Bigfoots, etc?
Are you yourself "sensitive"? This is a
plus for a ghostwriter.
It is unwise to give locations of private homes
or their owners' full or real names. You are just asking for a liability problem. Ask all
contributors what name they would like you to use. I often use first names only or fake
names, which were marked with an asterisk.
It is very desirable to give addresses of
buildings open to the public or list ghost tours available. Maps are also a plus. The more
public buildings you can include, the better.
Readers love to see photographs of the places
involved. Drawings are OK, but photos are better. If you have a story about a photo which
shows a ghost, don't you dare write about it unless you print the photo.
I always send contrbutors a copy of the finished
story before the book is printed. If something is factually incorrect, you have a chance
to correct it. I do not ask for contributors' approval of the story or the way I portrayed
them, just whether the facts are right. People often have second thoughts when they see
their stories down in black and white. You will have to decide how you will handle this
issue. I suggest taping all interviews with contributors so there are no
misunderstandings. If you are truly paranoid, make contributors sign a release saying they
will not sue you. Or run your manuscript by a lawyer to see if it contains anything
libelous.
Never promise a contributor that their story will
appear in their book. It might have to be cut for one reason or another and they will be
most unhappy.
Protect your contributors' privacy as much as
they desire. Be suspicious of anyone who wants publicity—they may be making it all
up. I never demanded testimony under oath or under the influence of truth serum, but use
some common sense. There are patterns to ghost stories and you will quickly spot what they
are. People who are making things up go too far. When you hear the same story from many
different people, it may be real or it may be folklore.
Please title your book Haunted
Indiana or Ghosts of Chicago. I once had a book called Peripheral Vision. The subtitle was
"Ghost Stories from Swans Island, Maine", but by that time, who was reading?
Avoid obscure titles. Put the word "Haunted" or "Ghost" or
"Spirits" in the title so everyone knows immediately what the book is about.
"Although I've had people ask me, "What's a Haunted Ohio?") This also helps
people looking in Books in Print for books on this subject.
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