How To Make a Career from Ghostwriting Books, Get Clients and Earn Fabulous Income
Dear Friend,
Do you want to make REAL Money writing? You know you can write. Maybe you are making money writing. But are you making enough money writing? Or is it just a hobby costing you more in printing, time and energy than you are earning? If you truly want to make money from your writing skills, then you can’t afford to miss this opportunity. In this Presentation, I will show you how to monetize your writing skills and end your financial worries forever.
What is Ghostwriting?
The business of writing books for other people is professionally called "Ghostwriting". It is the best kept secret of the publishing industry.
A ghostwriter is someone who writes a book or article, but allows another person to take the credit in exchange for payment. Ghost writing is an interesting and rewarding occupation. Especially as you can do it quietly as a discreet second income earner (alongside your regular job) or your major source of income.
No one need know you earn a healthy second income writing other people’s books for them. Only few writers, journalists and PR people do this. Being a ghost writer is something anyone can learn how to do. It's a highly professional niche market because not many writers know the techniques. But the truth is, anyone can learn and earn fabulous income from this business.
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4. Aims & Objectives
• Understand what ghostwriting is all
about
• Learn how to make money
• Discover the ethics
• How to get clients
• And build a career out of
ghostwriting
5. What is
Ghostwriting?
The business of writing for
other people without taking
the credit in exchange for
money is professionally
called "Ghostwriting".
6. Becoming a Ghost
Writer
Consider for a moment some of the greatest speeches
in history. The authors of those speeches are forgotten;
it is the speech and the person who delivers it who is
remembered. Authoring a work, whether based on
another writer's outline or not, is still a labor of love for
a ghost writer. The completion of a job well done and
the remuneration are often the only satisfaction the
ghost writer receives. Therefore, it's necessary to
protect yourself and your work with a strong ghost
writer contract and fees that are sufficient
compensation for your services.
7. Breaking Into the
Lucrative Book
Ghostwriting Business
• Define Your Specialty and Identify Your Client
Do you have experience writing on the topic of
health and fitness, medical or science, or business
and finance? Writers who specialize instead of
generalize are often more successful at attracting
projects. The same holds true for attracting the right
clients - when you can clearly identify your ideal
client ("established business leaders in the field of
finance") you're more likely to acquire those clients.
8. • Create a Portfolio of Work
Include the books you've authored under your
own name, as well as magazine and newspaper
articles. If your writing hasn't been published,
collect your blog posts and expand them into full
articles or book chapters, or use excerpts from
your manuscripts.
• Get Your Name Known
Let everyone - your clients, friends, editors, and
associates - know you offer ghostwriting
services. Set up a blog or website to establish an
Internet presence and add "ghostwriter" to all
your online profiles, such as Twitter, LinkedIn,
and Facebook.
9. 3 Secrets To A Successful
Book Ghost Writing Career
1. Learn How To Capture The Client’s Voice
The ability to capture and convey the client’s voice is an
essential component for a successful career as a ghostwriter.
Being able to effectively structure content and manage a
project are also necessary skills for ghosting, but the ability to
mimic the client’s speaking style and make it come alive on
paper is the skill that will land you recurring, high-paying
projects. Carefully listen to the client during your interviews
and conversations (and review any available audio – videos,
podcasts, etc. – as well previously published material written
by the client) to learn how he or she structures sentences.
Listen for specific phrases, word patterns, vocabulary choices,
and tone, texture, and energy – and then practice recreating it
until your words and the client’s words blend seamlessly.
10. 2. Position Yourself As One Of The Experts In Your
Niche
Are you the go-to writer for women’s fitness and
health? Do you mostly write narrative essays or
opinion pieces? Are you the how-to article guy or
the relationship advice guru? Are you a freelance
writer with a background in accounting or
experience in social media? Ghostwriters who
specialize in specific genres (such as memoir,
finance and investing, or women’s issues) tend to
be more successful than those who generalize.
Capitalize on your experience and expertise by
focusing your ghostwriting in one to three areas of
specialization.
11. 3. Connect With Business Consultants
• Business Consultants are one of the best
referral sources for quality ghostwriting
projects. Many experts, business
leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians,
actors, television celebrities, sports
figures, chefs, doctors, professors,
gurus, and media-darlings-of-the-
moment, lack the necessary skills to
write a compelling book.
12. 6 Ways to Find Great-
Paying Ghostwriting Jobs
1. Make connections
Most clients who are going to invest significant
money to have a book ghostwritten are going to
want a recommendation or referral from a trusted
source. That's why it's so important to begin to
build your network and get the word out about
your ghostwriting services. To find high-paying
ghostwriting assignments, attend networking
events, become more active in the community
(both local and online), make contacts with other
writers and editors, and expand your network.
13. 2. Use your expertise to conquer a niche
• Use your current skills and experience. If you're
career coach, then you're already well positioned
to write for a client who wants a career book. If
you've got a background writing sports features,
you'd be a great ghostwriter for a sports figure.
The same goes if you've got any experience in
health care, law or general business. Use your
expertise to find clients in those areas. Many
doctors, lawyers and executives want to write a
book, but don't have time. That's where you
come in!
14. 3. Use Guru.com, elance.com,
craigslist and other online
sources
• Writing websites and freelance
sites are another great route to
ghostwriting gigs. Sign up on
sites like these and check their
many freelance job listings,
online forums and resources.
15. 4. Locate and market to busy
corporate executives and CEOs
• Business leaders and executives
are perfect candidates for ghost
writing clients. Use your business
contacts and network to find
CEOs and other business leaders
who may be ready to write their
book.
16. 5. Use opportunities in Online
Marketing
• The web offers almost unlimited low-
cost ways to market and promote your
ghostwriting services. Visit writer's sites
such as WritersDigest.com,
WritersMarket.com or Mediabistro.com.
These and other sites provide resources,
classes, links and info to get your
writing on the fast track. In addition, be
sure to launch your own website or blog
to market your services.
17. 6. Follow the ghost trail
• Fellow writers and ghostwriters are also
a great source of leads and referrals.
Since ghostwriters can typically only
handle one or two clients at a time,
buddy up with fellow writers and offer
to take on their "extra" clients. You
could even offer a finder's fee to the
writer you "sub-contract" with.
18. Doing Ghostwriting
Research
Step 1
The first thing you need to do is make a list of what you
need to research. If you are working on a book, the
chapter list will serve as this list.
Step 2
Many ghostwriters go to Wikipedia to find the
information they need, but this is not always the best
option. Wikipedia is edited by others and it is not
always accurate. Rather than use Wikipedia, use its
sources. Each article there has a source, go to the
source to get the information you need.
Step 3
Do a search on Google for the information using basic
keywords.
19. Step 4
If the page you visit does not cite its sources, DO NOT USE
IT. You want to make sure that your information is correct. If it
is not and the client is contacted because of false information
with their name on it, they will be mad at you, their
ghostwriter, and want their money back. Always look for
sources from reputable websites. Blogs have lots of
information, but they are not always accurate and the same is
true for some websites.
Step 5
Once you have the information, you can copy and paste it into
a temporary Word document. From here, read through the
information and make notes and then, using the information
you made notes on.
DO NOT COPY INFORMATION AND DO NOT COPY
AND PASTE. The best way to lose a client is to plagiarize and
thanks to programs like Copyscape, it is easy to find
plagiarism. Too many ghostwriters plagiarize, and it is
something you should never do.
20. Negotiating a Ghost Writer
Contract and Fees
When negotiating a ghost writer contract
and fees, the first step is to identify the
type and length of the work to be written.
The Personality of the client should also
be considered. Freelancers who make a
living as a ghost writer must be careful to
not sell themselves short, nor price their
work too high.
21. Out Clauses
All contracts negotiated for a ghost writing service should
contain an out clause for the client and the writer. The out
clause should stipulate that a writer's fees will be paid up to
all the work currently completed if the client decides to stop
the ghost writing for any reason. This protects the writer
from completing three-quarters of a manuscript, only to be
told the author has changed their mind.
The out clause for the writer should include ceasing and
holding all work completed if they have not been paid per
the stipulated contract. For example, if a contract states that
a 10 chapter book will be paid per chapter submitted, the
writer may withhold further submission and maintain their
own rights to what is written if they are not receiving
payments on schedule.
22. Fees for Simple
Books
If you are writing for not so rich clients
and it not a biography/autobiography,
you can charge a minimum of N1500
and a maximum of N3000 per page.
But for a rich client you can charge
between N3500 and N5000 per page
for simple books (not biographies).
23. Fees for Biographies &
Autobiographies
My Advice is that you concentrate on
Very Rich Clients Only.
Here are 2 Options:
A one time fee of between N350, 000
and N1 million depending on the
personality.
30 to 50% of the Proceeds from book
launch.
24. Secrets of The Man Who Made
Over 100 Million Naira Writing
Books For Other People
His Strategy
The man said that he sends proposals to the people
he wants to work with. Basically, he will write the
persons autobiography or biography as the case may
be, print the book which will be financed by the
personality involved and then organize the book
launch. At the end of the day, he will share the
proceeds with the personality involved or the person
may even as him to take all the money.
In one project alone, which involved a book launch,
he made over N20 Million Naira for himself.
25. Biography & Autobiography
Writing for Dummies
This is idea I shared with my friend Nnanna
Udeh, The author of “The Man, Bishop
Bethuel Korakpe”
I gave him a copy of the book Billy Graham
The Great Evangelist and he used it as a
format or template for the book on Bishop
Korakpe. The simple idea is this, look for a
book(s) that is/are similar to what you want to
write on and use as your format or template.
26. 7 Deadly Ghostwriting Business
Sins and How To Avoid Them
There are some things that can be deadly when carrying out a
ghost writing job. These sins as I like to refer to them as, will
harm your business and your possible future business. Read
them carefully and be sure you don't commit them.
1. Plagiarizing someone else's work or infringing on copyright can
ruin your career as a ghostwriter and may also land your client in
a lot of trouble. When doing research remember facts are facts
and it not repeating the fact but how you repeat it. Always use
your own words.
2. Failure to meet deadlines is another. The client has deadlines
to meet too, and if you say you can produce the work by a certain
time make sure you do.
27. 3. Substandard work causes a client a lot of grief; they are relying
on you for a quality product. Once again client's
recommendations are as good as money in the bank and if you do
not produce work to the clients standard the only
recommendations you will get is for his or her colleagues is to use
someone else for their ghostwriting jobs.
4. The inability of a client to contact you. Phones should always
be answered, if you are extremely busy, make sure the answer
machine is on and return the clients call as soon as possible. The
same goes for emails. Check emails at least twice a day and reply
quickly. Not only does the client obviously need to talk to you but
there may be a change in information etc. regarding the project
you are working on.
5. Not asking questions. It is vital that you understand the client's
wants and needs. There is nothing wrong with going over the
details one more time e.g. the clients says he wants blue text, in
italics with paragraph 3 underlines in red. You can then say "let
me just repeat that, you want ......" Not only do you sound extra
particular but it can avoid nasty errors.
28. • 6. A big deadly sin is not setting out the proper
costing and terms of payment. You are selling your
services and this is your business. Never be afraid to
talk about the monetary side and when and how
you will be paid. Have a clear set of rules for yourself
and do not waiver.
7. Rudeness. Yes, every one has a bad day but there
is no excuse for rudeness on your part. You are a
professional running a business and no matter how
bad your day has been, how irritating the client is,
always be polite. Even when your client is rude!
If you want to have a long and successful
ghostwriting career then you are strongly advised
not to commit any of these ghostwriting job sins.