Ghostwrite for a Living

I've had a lot of success ghostwriting articles for trade journals, etc. for prominent business professionals, who are often requested to contribute their expertise to a publication. While this type of writing has some relationship to my previous column on producing newspaper columns for businesses, ghostwriting usually involves producing longer articles or even book-length manuscripts for a client.

The greatest benefit to ghostwriting for clients is that it's not necessary for you to come up with article ideas; your client will do that for you, as well as provide research notes and information needed to complete the project. And you don't have to approach publishers--your client will do that if they don't already have a request from a publisher for an article or book.

Your first responsibility is to be ready to help your client. In my case, I always learn as much about the client's profession as possible before I start a project since I usually find that I need to ask specific questions if I feel their information is incomplete or has possible inaccuracies, or if I simply need clarification about some aspect of the article. It helps if I know what I'm talking about!

You almost always need to have your own professional-looking brochure that informs prospective clients about your experience in order to attract prospective clients. If you are just starting out, approach friends in business or fellow members of your church or civic organizations, or at your youngsters' schools and let them know what services you offer. I've found that by simply letting everyone know about my writing business, I invariably receive requests for bids on projects. By the way, in the beginning I joined several business organizations so that I had lots of contacts, and when I finished a project, I always asked if my client knew anyone else who might need my services. By casting a wide net, at least one of my acquaintances would know of someone who needed my services, and that would lead to another, etc.

And remember, if you ghostwrite for a client, you must never reveal that information to anyone else. How, you might ask, do I get referrals or use their information in a brochure? Simple. Ask your former clients if you may use their name (or business name) as a former client. Let them know that you won't reveal that your ghostwrote articles, etc. for them. If a prospective client contacts a former client for a reference, it's up to them to reveal what you did for them if they choose. On the other hand, they can simply say you've completed work for them that was satisfactory and leave it at that.

Under your list of past projects completed, you can list ghostwriting among other projects, which might include newsletter writing, public relations, brochures, or any number of other projects that you specialize in. Or simply list the types of projects you're capable of, and want to do.

Another way to ghostwrite is to offer your services to write memoirs, family stories, etc. There is a huge market for this type of writing as many people, famous and successful, or not, want to preserve their story for future generations. Often, they'll attempt to write their own story, then will find it too stressful, or too involved, or that friends, family, etc. who they've asked to read their finished project tell them that it is not near as interesting, humorous, or inspiring as they know the subject's life to have been. That's when they'll start searching for someone to help them write a more professional narrative, and that person may as well be you.

Ghostwriting is a relatively painless way to earn a living as a writer, if you want to specialize in it. Or you may want to add it to a growing list of projects so that you always have several avenues of income. Whether you live in a small community or a large city, there are numerous opportunities to find clients.