How can you become a ghostwriter

Build in checkpoints in your contract, i. The client owes so much after three chapters have been written, etc. This could help prevent scope creep.

Either way, you should know that these speed bumps are more than likely going to happen—so build in time for that and be sure you get paid for that time. Good post. Today I teach other writers how to be ghostwriters as well. Your mind and your heart will be stretched, and your tolerance and compassion will grow. In order to write as someone else, you must understand them on a deep level. You will learn how others think — even others radically different than you.

Like actors, ghostwriters play many roles, just on the page instead of the stage. Unlike an actor, a ghostwriter is not constrained by their gender, age, race or culture. I am a middle-aged white American woman from the West Coast. And so on. And guess what I discovered? Writing fiction for years and freelanced for local newspaper but never considered ghostwriting.

Maybe good writing is good writing. And how much research is necessary for either genre? Is the ghostwriter ultimately responsible for factual content? Interested in your thoughts.

I do think you need particular talents and experience to write for each. Getting serious about writing at age Enjoyed this article. Thanks Richard. Thanks for this article, Blake. Always great to hear how others are breaking into such fields. I, myself, have been freelancing editing for the past decade or so, probably much longer really, and have recently expanded my business to include writing content and communications materials. I have also been lucky to have been ghostwriting several blog posts for local marketing companies.

Would you mind sharing how you landed those gigs for other people that might be reading these comments? Thanks Blake for sharing this post with us. I am just starting out in the world of freelancing. I recently did a small ghost writing job for a client on Elance and at the end of it I had conflicting thoughts.

For a while I felt like a surrogate mother who had carried a baby throughout the nine months gestation only to hand it over to another woman and earn no credit for her effort.

What is your experience with search conflicts and what do others say? Nice metaphor, and true. Is that bad? I tend to look at it as pure business. I stand to make more from ghostwriting than I do from royalties off my own books. Now, that may not always be the case, as you never know when a book may go big. Plus, for me, ghostwriting keeps me on my toes and keeps me writing consistently and with high standards.

I enjoy the process and consider myself fortunate to be in such a position. When their book does well whether in sales or in helping others , I celebrate with them, albeit quietly and in the shadows. Thanks for an interesting post. I ghostwrite fiction and have done for around a year and a half. I never was that cheap!

Thanks for sharing part of your story Shah. Are you working with self-publishing authors who have an idea for a story and want you to turn it into something worth reading? Pricing is often a pain, and much of it depends on what your client has allotted to spend, what they think it should cost, and how well you sell yourself. Yes, my clients are mostly self-publishers who need a quick turnaround and high output.

Sometimes they provide a very basic outline, other times they provide just a genre, a word count, and I do the rest. This work teaches me about writing, specifically about planning ahead and outlining with story beats, and to write fast while avoiding redundancies and fluff.

In many ways, this is a great area to begin ghostwriting. But of course, I do want to move on to better things.

So I put an ad in a local paper to ghostwrite and copyedit, realizing I could make more money writing for others than myself. Very quickly I got my first ghostwriting job and the book won an award, so I was encouraged. Of my three major ghostwriting projects to date, all three were referrals and, as far as I know, never posted online. Hi Blake, great post! Also, is it possible to break into ghostwriting more intentionally than a stroke of luck with a big-name connection? Ghostwriters for celebrities and well-known figures can earn much more.

The rates are maddeningly variable though, as you said. Thank you for your thoughtful and thorough response, Blake. I will check out those books you listed. While I have always had a passion for writing and many have told me as far back as I can recall, to write, as I capture others hearts through my writting; I am, well, I guess intimidated. I had previously gathered contact information on greeting card companies, however, with my own whirl pool of life changing experiences, it set me back on pursuing this avenue as a stepping stone.

Everyone has a story! Everyone has written a book! Everyone has similar or same occurrences that took place! So, how would one make their story, thoughts or outlook on life at various levels shine above others? Is it in the content itself, the words used to express, the title, what? What makes one story better then the other? What suggestions can you provide, that will give me a better insight on how to become a successful writer?

I wish there were an easy answer to your question JoAnne. About 50, copies of that book are still sold every year. He had to become a disciple of the craft of writing. Even then, there was no assurance of success. So whatever you do and whatever you write, just keep writing. Keep seeking feedback. Listen to what people say, but listen to what your heart says more. Find your unique voice, or keep writing until you do. Then tell your story the way only you can tell it.

Make sense? I broke into ghostwriting by offering to ghostwrite a book for someone for free. It was a huge investment of time and energy, Butit also got me the experience and the testimonial I needed to launch my ghost writing business.

Since this event I was approached to ghost write a book for an author who wrote a book that has a translation problem. She is an immigrant and her grammar etc. They pay her to speak on the subject She wants me to ghost write her book and is offering me half her speaking income.

Can you cast any light on this for me? Pricing is often challenging. If she approached you, ask upfront what half of her speaking income is. If not, counter.

You will have to weigh the benefits of what ghostwriting this first book could do for you. Do you want to charge less so you can gain the experience? Blake, thanks for this great post. Like you said, it came to me rather than me looking for it — but definitely as a result of hard work. He was taking on a new client for a set of ghostwritten articles, and asked if I would take on a few of the articles.

But prospective clients normally understand that, too. Great points Jessie, and thanks for sharing part of your story here. I struggled with marketing myself as a ghostwriter early on.

Hi Blake, Jesse! Ghostwriting is a venue that has also fallen into my lap. One of the best ways to become a ghostwriter is to write many forms of content. For example, writing guest blog posts helps writers learn how to pitch concepts to other publications and to write in a tone that is distinct from posts on their own blog. Other writers focus on fiction, perhaps writing science fiction short stories or romance novels.

Starting a blog to show off your writing skills is a great way to explore different forms of media. The type of content a writer creates helps them cater to a specific niche. For instance, a writer who uses this time to write romance books may find themselves well-suited to work for romance authors in the future. A writer who builds skills by penning speeches can write for politicians or motivational speakers. Writers practice different types of writing to find a niche that works for them.

Writing about many topics also helps writers build the skill of turning technical jargon into content that the average person can read and understand.

While a businessperson might use complex language to describe a situation, writers find new ways to express the same information. Related: How to Start a Blog.

A portfolio is beneficial for proving a writer's expertise. The portfolio establishes a strong record and shows off the writer's skills. Portfolios should also be catered to the job in question. For example, somebody who wants to ghostwrite novels should try to include several novel excerpts to demonstrate their experience.

A songwriter might include a portfolio of songs they've written. It can also be beneficial to write longer projects. Writing longer projects, like those in the 50, to 75,word range, can help build a portfolio that's impressive to those hiring ghostwriters for novels and memoirs. Longer pieces convey a ghostwriter's ability to maintain a literary voice.

Related: How to Make a Digital Portfolio. Writing in somebody else's voice can be difficult, and ghostwriters must learn to adapt to other styles and voices.

While a writer might use a conversational tone to write blog posts, a more formal style is suitable for academic documents. The same idea applies to ghostwriting for a client. Ghostwriters try to become acquainted with their clients. For instance, the type of song a ghostwriter might create for a blues singer would be quite different from the song they would write for a young pop star. The same thing can be said about ghostwriting. Some visionary authors need a Wozniak.

Good ghostwriters tend to get paid very well. And once you're established as a professional ghostwriter, there's never really a shortage of work. Ghostwriters often take on individual projects while continuing their own personal freelance writing.

This can lead to a rather financially rewarding career. Often throughout the course of a project, ghostwriters come into contact with many well-known bloggers, authors, or major field influencers. In my personal experience, this alone is more valuable than the commission itself. I've had the ability to network with some of writing and publishing's best — including Kindlepreneur's very own Dave Chesson. And through this network, I've developed skills never before imagined and built a standby list of future clients.

However, not everyone agrees with me on this. As a matter of fact, I've received a great deal of vocal opposition.

Now that we've looked at the reasons some writers enjoy ghostwriting, we should complete the picture with the reasons some writers don't like ghostwriting at all. This will give you a balanced perspective as you decide if ghostwriting is the right choice for you. While I may not personally agree with all of these points, I do understand why some people have these opinions.

As we all know, ethics aren't always clear cut black and white. Many times an ethical question is put up for debate based off a person's individual set of values.

But when it comes to ghostwriting, I believe the gray scale of ethics can be a little more clearly defined. For example, presenting your ghostwriter with a well-thought out outline with subsequent discussions and changes might be seen as a more ethical approach.

This ensures that while you aren't actually putting words on paper, your message is being communicated to the reader. On the other hand, somebody profiting off of a ghostwriter without any planning or direction… That I believe would be clearly unethical. There's no way I'll take a job if I have to be the full creative force. I'm here to assist you in achieving your goals.

Not to do everything for you. However, all of this is ultimately up to the person doing the ghostwriting. If a ghostwriter is comfortable with the situation, there's not much that can be done despite external objection. This objection normally doesn't come from ghostwriters themselves because to be a ghostwriter…you need to be cool with this.

Although, some ghostwriters do miss a little bit of the recognition. Some people who hire ghostwriters for large projects will include the ghostwriter within the acknowledgements part of a book. This is a very classy nod to the individual who helped bring your idea to fruition. But when it comes to small projects such as blogs, these acknowledgments are generally unnecessary.

The best reward though is just feeling the appreciation from the client. Many times this is actually a misconception. Most ghostwriters develop their own platform simultaneously. By using the skills, knowledge, and network obtained through ghostwriting, they can actually further their own platform. We ghostwriters tend to have an exit strategy for our own personal platforms. But I thoroughly enjoy what I do and plan to keep ghostwriting for the foreseeable future.

Write and format professional books with ease. Never before has creating formatted books been easier. Still interested in becoming a ghostwriter? Now, let's get into the meat and potatoes of the issue. How in the heck are you supposed to break into a business where nobody even knows your name?

That's definitely a good question. For most, it's a step-by-step climb into obscurity. For others, it's just being in the right place at the right time. However, there are some things that you can do to set yourself up for success when starting at square one.

It's very rare to find a ghostwriter in the business who doesn't have any personal freelance writing experience. So if you haven't started on your portfolio… It's time to get to work. Creating an initial portfolio doesn't have to be long and drawn out. Sometimes, just starting a simple blog is enough to land a smaller ghostwriting gig. Now, these won't be those high-paying book deals at first. Ghostwriting is not a get-rich-quick scheme.

However, if you are looking to start landing higher-end deals for ghostwriting, you're going to have to up your game. And the absolute best way to do this is by guest posting.

Guest posting is when you write an article on someone else's blog under your own name. Normally, guest posting opportunities are acquired through pitching an idea to a Blogger and being accepted. If you're looking for more information on guest posting, Jon Morrow has an ultimate Guest Blogging Certification Program.

I've taken the course myself, and it just might be one of the most important courses I've ever taken. Going through an editing track will absolutely help you out as a prospective ghostwriter.

This can help to strengthen the portfolio you are developing as a freelance writer. And it's a great lead-in for an initial ghostwriting opportunity. Let's say you do a great job editing for a client. You can always say something along the lines of:. You know, if you're looking to write and release more books this year, I can make myself available to ghostwrite.

If you're looking for the money in ghostwriting, it's going to come from larger projects such as books. Now, it's one thing to write a word blog post. But it's a whole new ballgame when you start writing 25, word books. It takes a different mindset to create long form books.

On a good day, I can probably crank out words worth of blog posts.