The Case of the Disappearing Client

© 2010 by Mary Anne Hahn

Recently, I landed a ghost editing assignment for which I felt especially suited, one that held the sweet promise of ongoing work.  The client worked for a professional organization in a field where I possess a tremendous amount of experience.  She needed someone to edit articles that she received from contributors for the association’s newsletter that, while technically correct and filled with information her members needed, needed serious revamping.

Someone who was familiar with my work and her need introduced us via e-mail.  The client filled me in on her need, I quoted my price ranges depending on the amount of editing needed, and she accepted.  She sent the first two articles.  I rolled up my sleeves, went to work, and sent them back to her within the specified time frame.  At her request, I invoiced her using PayPal.  I sat back and waited for payment, and more assignments, to roll in.

Knowing that the reason she’d hired me was because she was swamped with work, I waited a week before sending a follow up e-mail.  I asked her if the work I’d done was satisfactory and, if not, what could I do differently?  I reiterated my interest in doing whatever it took to maintain an ongoing working relationship with her.

Bottom line: I eventually received payment for the two articles, but nothing else.  No feedback, no new work. My e-mailed questions above went unanswered.

The fact is, as with any endeavor, we ghost writers will not be able to please everyone all the time.  Some clients will be difficult to work with, period, and others might envision something totally different from what we give to them.  Like receiving a magazine rejection letter, we may find ourselves a bit stung and demotivated when a relationship with a client doesn’t work out as we’d hoped.

Rather than give in to discouragement or question our writing ability, however, we need to look at these occurrences as learning experiences and use them to improve the ghost writing services we offer to future clients.  In my situation, for example, I now see that I could’ve/should’ve asked the client for examples of what she considered to be good articles, or samples of articles she herself had edited, rather than assuming my knowledge of the subject matter would suffice.  Or I could’ve/should’ve requested back issues of the newsletter.  I also could’ve/should’ve set up one exploratory phone call, rather than handle the entire relationship via e-mail.

Even huge corporations need to learn from setbacks and mistakes, whether their own or published accounts of others.    Ghost writers are no different.  I’ll know better when similar opportunities come my way.  And I hope that, by sharing this experience, I can help you avoid similar pitfalls in your own ghost writing business.

Mary Anne Hahn is the founder and Executive Director of the International Association of Ghost Writers, an organization passionately dedicated to uniting, supporting, advocating for and educating professional and aspiring ghost writers worldwide. To learn more about IAPGW benefits and subscribe to its free newsletter “Invisible Ink,” visit http://iapgw.org .

Until next time,

Keep Writing

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A question that I often get asked is, “what is ghostwriting?” You really would be surprised at the amount of people who actually think that I spend my days writing about ghosts.

According to the dictionary, a ghost writer is:

–noun

a person who writes one or numerous speeches, books, articles, etc., for another person who is named as or presumed to be the author.

Most people assume that ghost writers only write novels and biographies for celebrities but this is not the case.  The ghostwriting industry has really developed and this is partly due to the internet.  Ghost writers today do a lot more than write novels although I must admit; this is still where the big money is to be made.

There are often times when ghostwriting and freelance writing overlap.  This is especially true when it comes to writing for the internet.  In fact most of the freelance writing jobs that are advertised are in fact ghostwriting jobs.  Your clients want you to write articles, website content, sales pages, ebooks or more and they want you to hand over the copyright for this on receipt of payment.  You are not getting any credit for this work and therefore it really should be classified as ghostwriting.

Ghostwriting really is just writing for someone else and not taking any credit for the work.  You hand over all rights to this work once you receive payment and it becomes the property of the person who has paid you.  They can do whatever they want with it and they can pass it off as their own.

If you are thinking of becoming a ghost writer then it is essential to understand that when looking for ghostwriting jobs online it is important to also search for freelance writing jobs.  If you use bidding websites such as Elance, all the jobs posted are ghostwriting jobs even though they might not be advertised as such.

There are a number of different ghostwriting services that you can offer and I will cover these in a later post.  For today I really just wanted to explain exactly what ghostwriting is.

Until next time,

Keep Writing

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Web Site “Must Haves” for Ghost Writers
© 2010 by Mary Anne Hahn

These days, it pretty much goes without saying:  your Web site is by far one of the most important tools in your ghost writing business arsenal.  When done well, your site serves as a combination business card/brochure/showcase/order form/relationship builder.  It might be the first impression you make on potential clients, or the most lasting one, so you want to get it right.

First of all, unless you possess highly proficient site building skills, you should consider hiring someone to build it for you.  I didn’t with my own ghost writing site, and regret that—so much so that I will be having that site entirely redone in the near future.  While things like WordPress, site builders and site templates have become increasingly sophisticated and easier for amateurs to use, they don’t hold a candle to what an experienced Web designer can do for you.  From choosing eye-catching colors and graphics to hooking up plugins and widgets, a professional site designer can handle everything from developing a logo to setting up an online payment processing account.

Besides, your main talent lies in writing not Web design, right?  So you’ll want to focus your energies on developing outstanding content for your site, copy that instills confidence in visitors that you are the kind of ghost writer they would love to work with.

So what are the “must have” elements on your ghost writing Web site?

• A list and/or descriptions of what kinds of writing and editing services you offer.
• A list and/or description of the types of clients you write for, particularly if you specialize or have extensive experience in writing for certain client types.
• A list and/or description of what traits make you different from other writers.  Do you offer speedy service?  Technical expertise?  Are you fun to work with, or particularly thorough, or versatile?  In other words, let your personality (at least in a business sense) show in your web site content.
• Testimonials from past clients.  Don’t be shy about asking for these!  Offer to ghost write them for their approval if they prefer.
• Links or references to writing samples.  One writer I know has Amazon.com links and graphics to books she has ghost written.  Very impressive!
• Rate ranges.  Yes, I come from the school of thought that there’s no sense wasting time with people who can’t or are unwilling to pay for professional ghost writing services; they will shop around for the best deal, and you will end up feeling frustrated.  You can list your rate ranges per hour, per word, and/or by project type and length.
• A contact form and/or e-mail address.
• Information on how you handle the ghost writing process, e.g., whether or not you offer a free initial phone consultation, how you gather information from the client, whether or not you require a contract or service agreement (highly recommended), etc.
• A media page if applicable, with information on or links to press releases and articles about you, or interviews you’ve done.
• A way to collect site visitors’ e-mail addresses so that you can build relationships and follow up with them.  This can be done by offering a free downloadable report, an online newsletter, a blog feed, or an autoresponder series of informative e-mails on a topic that would be of interest to your visitors.

Another tactic I’ve seen ghost writers use is to have PayPal buttons for writing “packages” (say, three 500-word articles for a certain price).  Making it easy for new clients to test the waters with you in this manner can be a great way to begin ongoing and long-term working relationships with them.

Take a look at what other ghost writers are doing in order to get ideas for your own site, but at the same time strive to let your own originality shine through.  Make your Web site something that truly reflects you and the services you offer.

Mary Anne Hahn is the founder and Executive Director of the International Association of Ghost Writers, an organization passionately dedicated to uniting, supporting, advocating for and educating professional and aspiring ghost writers worldwide. To learn more about IAPGW benefits and subscribe to its free newsletter “Invisible Ink,” visit http://iapgw.org .

Until next time,

Keep Writing

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I have compiled a list of 12 freelance writing forums for you to take a look at.  I have deliberately left out the warrior forum which I know has a section for writes and the main reason for this is that I’m sure like me you will find it very frustrating.  There are freelance writers on this forum offering their services and they get a lot of replies too but because my rates are not $5 or less for a 500 word article I don’t post there.  I could post my services there but with so many low bids it would be a waste of time.  You are of course free to check it out if you wish.  $5 could be a lot to you in your local currency but in Euro it is only about €3.60.

Freelance Writing Forums

1. Writers Weekly
2. Absolute Write
3. Accentuate Writers Forum
4. Work At Home Moms Who Write
5. Freelance Writing Forum
6. About.com Freelance Writing Forum
7. Media Bistro
8. Freelance Switch
9. Freelance Success (subscribers forum)
10. Experience Project I Am A Freelance Writer
11. Site Point
12. Writing.com

There are probably quite a few great freelance writing forums that I have left out of this list so be sure to add them to the comments if you have any recommendations and I will update the list.

Until next time,

Keep Writing

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Without further ado, I give you Michel Fortin.

Superior Value Equals Superior Sales By Michel Fortin

If your car needed repair work, would you go to a garage that offers free estimates? You likely would. Today, most garages offer them.

Not only has it become a customary practice, but also everyone expects a free estimate from mechanics.

However, here’s an interesting scenario. Let’s say your car broke down at the worst possible time, and you are in a terrible hurry. (If you’re like most people these days, you are.) Plus, you specifically wanted a free estimate.

If you had to choose a garage quickly, which garage would you choose? Would you go to the one you only think that offers free estimates? Or would you go to the one you know for sure that does? Especially if you don’t have much time?

As simple as it may sound, by communicating something that’s usually taken for granted by your target market, you will be chosen more often. Rather than claiming superiority, like “we’re #1,” you’re implying it by demonstrating what makes you superior.

A mentor once told me, “Implication is more powerful than specification.” In marketing, it means that you should imply your superiority rather than claim it outright.

If you claim superiority, your claim appears self-serving and whatever you do say is suspect at best. But if you imply superiority, your claim, although not directly stated, is accepted as more credible, genuine, and, paradoxically, concrete.

People will unconsciously assume that you are superior. You are communicating your superiority, not in some marketing piece you wrote or paid for, but in that most elusive yet vital of places in all of marketing…

… Your target market’s mind.

So, rather than outright stating that you are superior (e.g., that you’re the “best,” that you have a product of superior or high quality, that you offer greater service, that you provide better rates, etc), explain specifically why you are superior.

In fact, the most critical word in marketing contains only three letters. It’s the word “why.” It is much better to communicate why you are original, special, or unique, or why you are better, different, or superior than your competitors, and not the fact that you are.

In other words, the point is that you should imply your superiority by specifying, as much as possible, what exactly makes you better than anyone else and not that you are superior. This approach is far more powerful, and the effect lasts longer.

By implying your value proposition, it pierces through your market’s natural psychological barriers, as people hate to be sold to. They hate making a bad decision. They hate being patronized. And more importantly, they hate being taken advantage of.

Realize that what makes you special, unique, or superior doesn’t have to be your product in itself, although it certainly can be. But the easiest way to make your product unique is by what you add to it — specifically, to its value — as to appear superior.

Simply stated, you may offer something that everyone else does. But you could also offer something more, above and along with your product, than no one else does.

Let me explain. Your product is composed of three distinct levels:

1. There’s the core product (the product’s main benefit),

2. The actual product (the product itself and its features),

3. And the augmented product (the product’s value, such as the added value — additional features and benefits — you specifically bring to the table).

The latter of the three is probably the area most marketers fail to adequately communicate. It’s also the easiest area you can use to develop or enhance your USP (or “unique selling proposition”). And it makes your product or service stand out among the crowd.

Here’s an example. People may or may not know that you provide a certain value-??add. A value-add is an extra product benefit or service added to your core offer. And, more often than not, they only assume that you do, especially if it’s the norm in your industry.

Claude Hopkins, author of Scientific Advertising, revealed how he dramatically boosted Schlitz’ brewery sales by making their beer appear unique using this method.

In the early 1900s, a beer’s purity was important to consumers. Knowing this, most breweries claimed — but never really proved — that their beers were the purest available.

But instead of merely claiming purity, Hopkins would trumpet the reasons why Schlitz was purer than the rest. After a tour of the brewery, he began writing his sales copy describing in meticulous detail Schlitz’ vigorous purification process.

According to Clayton Makepeace, Claude Hopkins described:

“The 4,000 foot-deep artesian wells from which Schlitz drew its water… the wood pulp filters that ensured the water was 100% pure… the spotless plant and “clean rooms” with their filtered air… how Schlitz’s bottles were sanitized with germ-scalding steam… and more. But Hopkins did leave out one little fact: Pretty much every brewery made its beer just like Schlitz did!

By being the first to tell the public about Schlitz’ generally assumed (or in this case, ignored) purification process, everyone was convinced Schlitz really was the purest beer anywhere. It’s the main reason why it became the top-selling beer at the time.

Plus, the copy did double duty. Competing breweries’ purity claims simply made them appear as copycats — or at the very least, it would remind the public of Schlitz.

By turning the assumed into the assured in the consumer’s mind, even with a name in which people are assured that you do offer that particular service or benefit, your market will choose you over your competition many times over.

In other words, don’t claim it…frame it in the consumers mind.

— About the Author —

Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, marketing strategy consultant, and instrumental in some of the most lucrative online businesses and wildly successful marketing campaigns to ever hit the web. For more articles like this one, please visit his blog at http://www.michelfortin.com/ and subscribe to his RSS feed.

I hope you have enjoyed this guest article.

Until next time,

Keep Writing

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I just came across an excellent website for writers today.  It was totally by pure chance and through a link in an email I was reading.  The email was the Daily Notes From The Universe that I receive and I’m sure many of you are family with these Tuts.  Anyway at the bottom of the email was a note that said.

Calling all creative writers, adventure seekers, and old souls….but mostly creative writers.  Tune in tomorrow, February 11^th at 10.30 AM EST, to hear Mike’s free LIVE INTERVIEW with the founder of the IACCW (International Association of Conscious & Creative Writers).  Writing and manifesting tips will be the topic.

So I immediately clicked on the link and this is what I found:

This is a brand new website that has created a brand new approach to conscious creativity, intuitive writing and contemporary publishing options.  These open the way for writers to discover their authentic voice.

Sounds amazing doesn’t it?  I have always wanted to find my real true voice in writing and this website focuses more on non-fiction that it does fiction so that really interested me.  Not that I don’t like fiction, I just find that I spend most of my time writing non-fiction and reading non-fiction lately that it is an area that has really kind of exploded in me.  I have some great ideas for books and reports and this website seem to be the key to helping me sift through all the mush in my brain and get it out into something readable.

The IACCW website says that they provide inspiration, information, support and connection for all writers so that they can overcome isolation (I know all about that), move through resistance (another thing I am very familiar with), and experience the sense of freedom and purpose which comes from fulfilling your true creative potential.   I think this is something that all writers want.

The website goes on to say that it really doesn’t matter whether you are an experienced author or you are just starting to write they want everyone to join and enjoy the journey of taking your message to the market successfully and with soul.

I signed up right away for the newsletter and the freebies that this website offers and I also registered for the free interview with Mike Dooley.  If anyone knows Mike Dooley’s work then you will know that he truly is an inspiration and I can’t wait to hear him speak.

You can join the IACCW as a paying member for just $129 per year which seems like a great price and you get plenty of benefits.  I won’t go into detail about them because if you are interested I know that you will go ahead and visit the website for yourself and besides I don’t want this post to sound like a sales pitch.

When I signed up for the free resources I got a special report titled “Discover Your Authentic Voice” and I will also receive their fortnightly ezine “The IACCW Journal – How To Succeed as a Conscious and Creative Writer”.  I have to admit I am really looking forward to this and I plan on paying my subscription fee for this website at the end of the month.

I have started reading the special report and here’s what I can tell you without spoiling it too much.  What I will tell you is that you get a 10 point action plan that will allow you to really figure out who you are when it comes to your writing.  The report explains about being in the zone and how to get your real voice to show through.

If you are interested in this then you might want to visit today or early tomorrow to sign up for the free interview and get your free gifts too.  Even just reading the free report you won’t be disappointed.

Until next time,

Keep Writing

Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links so if you buy anything I will receive a small commission from the website owners.

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As a freelance writer one of your most important tasks has to be managing your workload.  You have to keep on top of deadlines and you need to be able to see what you have to do.  The best way to do this is to have a to-do-list.

I am probably a little outdated in this approach as I prefer to use a good old fashioned pen and paper.  I like to have my diary beside me as I work so that I can see exactly what needs to be done and mark it off as I do it.  Every morning I sit down and write a list of the things that I need to get done that day.  I normally mark them in order of priority which means client work comes first on my list.

I always make sure to mark deadline dates in my diary too and I do try my best to get any projects finished a day or two before the deadline which leaves me free to do any revisions if they are needed.  This normally doesn’t happen which is great and it leaves me with some free time to research for future blog posts and do some additional job hunting and marketing.

There are other alternatives to using a diary and pen for your to-do-list and there are some great software programs out there.  I have used a number of them before but found that I always returned to my diary.  The thing with these programs is that you have to keep them open on your computer which I always forgot to do.  You also have to input all the details etc.  I’m sure there are programs that work really well and if you have any suggestions, be sure to add them to the comments section.

In research this article there were so many different to-do-list software applications that it was hard to know where to begin.  I did however find a blog post that lists 25 to-do-lists to help you stay productive.  Unfortunately this blog is no longer being maintained but you might find the tool you have been looking for in this list.

Are you a pen and paper freelance writer or have your found the perfect piece of software?  Why not share your stories; I’d love to hear them.

Until next time,

Keep Writing.

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In my experience I have written reviews for products, seminars and a couple of books.  All of these have paid different rates but usually anywhere from $20 upwards.  Like I said, it will depend on the length of the review but most of the product or website reviews are in the region of 500 words or more.  A book review is considerable more often reaching up to 2,000 words.

Review websites are huge on the internet and most of these are owned by affiliate marketers. They fill their websites with product reviews so that people can read a review of the product they are promoting.  Most of these website owners are not writers and that is where you come in.  If you are a active on any of the bidding websites you will probably have seen requests for reviews and whilst this may be a place for low bids at times you can still get at least $20 for a review on Elance.

I just stumbled upon a report that shows you how to write reviews in 30 minutes using a step by step format.  The guide is broken down into 10 steps and it is geared towards affiliate marketers.  This is even better news for freelance writers who want to break into the review writing scene because it details exactly what your clients will be looking for when they ask you for a review.  This report is 16 pages long and you can get your hands on it for just $6.95 which is a great price.

Once you master the art of writing reviews in less than 30 minutes you could be looking at earning $50 to $200 per hour.  Just adding 2 reviews to your daily work load could make a big difference to your monthly pay check.  There are a number of websites that you can list your review writing services too.  I should mention that these would be book reviews but again these are higher paying and of course you get a free book too.

If you are interested in writing reviews here are some things that you will need to keep in mind.

• A good review should be informative and entertaining.
• You need to keep in mind your readers, the type of review and the purpose of your review when doing your writing.
• Different reviews will have different audiences so you need to be able to write in different styles.
• Make sure you review the product and know the audience your review is geared towards.
• A review will always include an introduction, description of the product, assessment of the value for the buyer, good points and bad points if any, what makes the product stand out from the competition and a conclusion.
• When writing for the web you need to keep your sentences short and use headings and bullet points.

A great place to get some experience in writing reviews is to visit writer’s forums.  Another great place is Lulu.com.  If you sign up for the forums here there are always people posting looking for reviews.  You can use any free reviews that you do as samples for potential clients.  Below you will find a few links that I came across just doing a Google search for “reviewers wanted”.

http://newsblaze.com/writers-wanted.html
http://www.bookpleasures.com/websitepublisher/categories/Reviewers-Wanted/
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/wrg/1584277158.html (a job just posted on Craigslist yesterday)
http://www.simplyhired.com/a/jobs/list/q-book+reviewer (simply hired list of book reviewer jobs)

Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links which means if you buy the product I will get a small commission.

Until next time,

Keep writing

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Thanks everyone.

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Today’s post as you probably guessed from the title is a little bit of self promotion.  It is in fact a wonderful testimonial that I received from Roberta Griffin who purchased my Ghostwriting Uncovered manual.  I have been corresponding with Roberta for a number of weeks now via email and Skype and I am delighted to say that she has secured two great jobs.

Here is what Roberta has to say about my e-book.

Trust Me When I Say, Read Amanda Evans’s Book Ghostwriting Uncovered

When I purchased Amanda Evans’s book, Ghostwriting Uncovered, I will admit that I was a bit apprehensive.  You see for years now I had been searching for some way to make a living from writing.  I wanted to become a freelance writer but I wasn’t sure how to go about things so I began my search for books on ghostwriting.  Simple enough, right?

When I began my search I found a few different books on the subject, most were pretty high priced, especially for someone just beginning a new career, and some were plainly too complicated.  I needed a book to talk to me and explain its content in clear and simple terms.

When I began to read the new book that was going to teach me the secrets of how to begin my freelance career from start to finish I was delighted.  The book covered every subject I could think of and even topics I would never have known to ask.  I was literally taken by the hand and instructed on how to begin my new business, creating websites and blog sites, about the market place and bidding.  But, that wasn’t the end of it.  My education from Amanda Evans went even further.  She has guided me, through her book, on exactly how to write great articles, getting my first job and setting goals for myself.

With all of the guidance I have received by reading Ghostwriting Uncovered, I too have been able to launch my new career with a book I am now currently ghostwriting.   I can honestly say that purchasing Amanda’s book was one of the smartest moves I have ever made and look forward to any upcoming books she might be willing to share with us.

Roberta Griffin is currently a full-time Ghostwriter and Screenplay writer. She loves the challenge of taking a subject that can be boring or tedious and turning it into a colorful, easy to read article or story. Writing is a gift for many people to enjoy and she believes that she has found her place among the fortunate ones that has been able to take this gift and fine tune it into something that everyone can enjoy. Writing the best article or story you can create is one of the best games she has ever gotten to play and she is so very thankful for the opportunity.  You can view Roberta’s writing at http://funnygirlgriffin.webs.com

The Ghostwriting Uncovered manual comes with a bonus coaching session where you can ask any questions you might have.  Anyone who has bought this e-book knows that I am always only an email away and I am happy to help with any queries that they may have.

Until next time,

Keep Writing

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