First Lesson – Ghostwriting Made Easy

Hello Fellow Readers & Knowledge Seekers,

Welcome to the first lesson of the Ghostwriting Made Easy Crash Course. Over the next few days you will receive several lessons that will help you learn what it’s like to run your own profitable ghostwriting business.

In this first lesson we are going to talk a little bit about what it’s like to be a ghostwriter.

If you’re a talented writer that is good at research and adapting to the different styles and tones of clients, then ghostwriting is an excellent way to make a living. But there are a few things you should know before you dive into the wonderful world of writing for profit.

What exactly is a ghostwriter?

According to the dictionary it is a person whose job it is to write material for someone else who is the named author. Layman’s terms, a ghostwriter gets paid to write for someone else and let them put their name on it, as if it was their own.

Ghostwriters are the secret weapon behind many well-known authors. They work behind the scenes to produce all types of content, like books, screenplays, magazine articles, video scripts, blog posts and more. If it needs to be written it can be done for a price.

What are people looking for when they hire a ghostwriter?

If you decide to become a ghostwriter the most obvious thing prospective clients will be looking for from you is high quality work that is delivered on time and free from spelling and grammar errors.

They also expect it to be original work that isn’t plagiarized, or pilfered from other sources without permission. Of course you will run in to jobs that require using reliable, up-to-date sources of information. For example medical and technical projects often require statistical data. If you use this data as a part of your work citing your source is always the best policy.

The clients you’ll be working with are usually very busy people who have clear goals in mind for the projects they want done. They want good writing, but they are usually looking for other things as well.

Like the ability to:

• Do thorough research
• Write on a variety of topics
• Write in a specific style or tone of voice
• Complete projects on time
• Maintain confidentiality

As well as excellent communication skills.

You always need to keep your client in the loop. The longer the project takes the more you’ll need to update them on its progress. This process can be much easier if you work from a marketplace like Freelancer or Upwork.com, because they allow you to communicate privately with your client and set deadlines and milestones for deliverables. You will also need to maintain a certain level of professionalism. Since you’ll be your own boss it will be your job to keep clients happy. Some clients will be wonderful to work with, while others may be a literal pain in the neck, but no matter the situation it’s up to you to handle it in a professional manner, because your reputation is a vital part of your success. As your clientele grows you will be able to choose who you want to work with and turn down those you don’t.

As a ghostwriter juggling assignments while looking for new ones will also be a big part of your day. You will be wearing many hats. Along with the writing you will also need to be head of marketing, a project manager, chief financial administrator and in charge of customer support. So, it’s important to stay organized and manage your time effectively.

It can be challenging to say the least, but also a very rewarding way to make a living for anyone who loves to write and enjoys the freedom to work according to their own time schedule.

That’s it for today. We have a lot to go over in the next few days, so make sure you look for the next blog post, (Lesson 2). We will be talking about how to find jobs and start making money as ghostwriter.

Until then,

Don Dousharm (Book Shop Digital) admin@bookshopdigital.com