Ghostwriting. I have had a lot of people ask me what exactly is ghostwriting is when I tell them that I am a ghostwriter. The first thing that comes to mind when it is brought up is a show back in the 1990s. Funny, same name, but no cigar.
When a person says they are a ghostwriter, it means that they can write SEO articles for websites, they will right Keyword articles for clients often times a technical company or company that wants more traffic brought to their site buy use of Keyword searches via google or yahoo. Ghost Writers have been commonly associated with freelance writers for 2 reasons. For one they often times work out of their home. Secondly, they make money mainly online and through the use of freelance-based websites such as freelanceworkexchange.com. The jobs they are able to get they mainly will have to “bid” on. I will break these down more in-depth later on in the article.
In order to fully get what a Ghost Writer is, you must first know what it isn’t. Unlike freelance authors and many other writing-based careers, Ghost Writers do not have a by-line. Whatever a ghostwriter writes,(say that ten times fast), another person can and will take credit for the article as if they had spent the time writing it. Some people frown on this and consider it immoral, however, many ghostwriters feel the opposite. It isn’t about establishing a name in writing for many ghostwriters. What it is to them is a way to work from home, not have to worry about a 9-5 job that they may hate, and most importantly, the idea and feeling that they are able to do something they love which is writing about various topics. If this sounds like a career you are interested in always remember that life working from home may sound easy; it’s not.
Ghostwriting has its downfalls as well. There is very little job security, for one. Means one week you could make 300 or more, and the next week, make 20 dollars or none at all. Also, ghostwriters at times get paid peanuts or even not at all after they have completed an assignment for a client. Lastly, you really do need at least some type of background in writing or prepare yourself to have a part-time job while you work on your ghostwriting career. Now for the in-depth part of the article, I promised you.
The Life of a Ghost Writer
Home-based work. Yes, many ghostwriters do work out of their homes, I am one of them. I have been ghostwriting for some time now and it is not easy. This wasn’t a primary choice of mine to do but, due to complications in my life, I chose it. Needless to say, I do not regret it, but it isn’t as easy as I thought when first starting it. I was lucky enough to find a mentor who was willing to teach me everything and, she still is. Unbeknown to her, I will forever be in her debt because of it and I will never forget her deed. Aside from that, the luxury of working at home, being able to spend more time with their loved ones, and being able to take breaks when they wish to, all comes at a price that many people really don’t consider when asking for a work at home job.
Many sacrifices have to be made in order for the career to work. For one, this isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. It takes time to get the ball rolling and KEEP IT rolling. It is best to keep whatever job you have and work on establishing clients when it comes to ghostwriting. Doing this will allow you to bring in a bit more money from ghostwriting while keeping the job security of your 9-5. This just may mean staying up a bit later to get the job done.
Secondly, you will have to be able to take criticism. Good or bad it is still criticism. Many new writers have a tough time with this for fear of losing a client because they are new to the whole Ghost Writing rules. Do not worry too much, mistakes happen, and clients know this. They will often times tell you what was wrong and ask if you can correct it. If you are honest and upfront with them about the fact that you are new, they will help you correct whatever mistake happened. If you are constantly displeasing clients then you should look on boards that aid in ghostwriting such as http://www.ghostwritinguncovered.com/forum.
Bidding. This entails the act of “applying” for a project or job that a client has posted on a job board. You will be bidding against a large number of other ghostwriters and even freelance authors. This is both a good thing and at times, can be a pain in the .. well you know the rest. Bidding on jobs can be great because it allows you to strut your stuff, show off your skills, possibly be a job that just happens to be your hobby, and you can whisper sweet nothings into the client’s ear. Alright so maybe not the last part. The rest of it though is common among the posting boards. One downfall to this is if you are new it can be intimidating and be expected to lose more bids than you win. Over time many boards will give the “feedback” option to link to your profile. This option allows clients that you have worked with from that board to give you praise, or say how horrible of a writer you are. Often times they will be good reviews, and clients are very very honest when it comes to a review.
Another downfall with boards and being a ghostwriter or even freelancer is that sometimes clients want a large amount of work done, for almost nothing. Over time you will learn what to look for and the going prices for say a 500-word document on Beauty Tips. (500 words per article is a common length of an article).
Now if you still wish to learn more about ghostwriting, I leave you with a few options and special insight into the world of ghostwriting, just for your readers as a ” Thanks for reading”.
- Tip 1: When looking for more information, you can always look online via Google or any other search engine. Often times it will be up to what Ghost Writing is and how you can become one easily. It’s not easy and it takes time to fully get the same amount of money you do from your 9-5 job, and get it on a regular basis.
- Tip 2: There are many books out there on affiliate sites that say if you buy it you can make money in no time. Again, BE CAREFUL, some of these are scams. There is a book that I use and is very helpful you can find it here http://www.ghostwritinguncovered.com. The author knows what she is talking about and has been ghostwriting for many years. I have spoken to her personally and she is a very nice woman and highly intelligent.
- Tip 3: Keep both eyes open when writing. I say this because knowing how to write and knowing how to follow directions for an article, are often two different things. It never helps to double-check with a client on what they specifically want to be done. Doing this will show the client that you are serious about the overall quality of the article (quality is key in this career), and establishes a mutual respect for one another which is very good to have when asking for a raise in the payout or a review.
