You have probably heard about writers who earn extra money by online ghostwriting.
Many business owners are too busy to write their own articles, blog posts and autoresponders.
They search for ghostwriters who do the work but whose names never appear on the articles.
Many authors would like to become ghostwriters but quite a few are not sure how to get started and how the process works.
Recently, I have been hearing from writing clients who are eager to learn more about ghostwriting as a source of online income.
Here are five tips for you to help you get started with your own ghostwriting service.
- Get writing credits under your own name.
Your own portfolio demonstrates your credibility.
You need to demonstrate that your writing will be picked up and distributed around the Internet.
- Create a client management system.
One of the biggest challenges that ghostwriters face is understanding what their clients want.
You need a system to get information from your clients so you'll be on the same page.
Sometimes clients have already written out their ideas and they just want editing.
In my experience, tweaking is harder than writing from scratch.
People get very attached to their work so they resist your ideas.
Often they are unfamiliar with Internet writing requirements so you have to start over anyway.
- Get payment in advance.
Typically you can expect to get 100% of small jobs or 50% of larger jobs up front.
Establish a clear agreement that your client cannot use the work until you have been paid in full.
- Don't set fees too low.
Most likely you will not be able to use your ghostwriting in your portfolio.
Clients often will refuse to write a testimonial or recommendation because they want to pretend they wrote everything themselves.
Because you can't use a job as a stepping stone to another, you need to be compensated.
- Avoid bartering and discounting your services.
Remind clients that you are a professional.
You maintain confidentiality.
You turn out quality work on time.
You deserve respect in return.