It’s Saturday and the first of my weekly reviews.  I receive a large amount of emails every week from people who are curious about what it is a ghostwriter does.  To help satisfy those of you who are curious I have decided to start posting a weekly review that details all the work I have completed each week.

Sunday 18th January:
I know it was Sunday but deadlines are deadlines and so I had to work for an hour today.  I had three 500 word articles to complete for a website that I write for.  I hate working on Sunday’s because for me Sunday is a family day and normally involves cooking a large roast and sitting around the table reviewing our week.  Thankfully my soon to be husband Joe prepared the dinner and entertained our two children while I finished my articles.

Monday 19th January:
My daughter Emma who’s 5 was back in school today.  I still had Conor my 2 year old at home so getting work done during the day can be tough.  I did however manage to get on blog post completed this morning.  Monday night when my children were tucked up in bed provided me with the opportunity to get the outline for my new e-book completed and choose my latest writing assignment from the website I write for.  As a ghostwriter, I can’t post the website details here so I’m sorry about that.

Tuesday 20th January:
Emma has school today and Conor has pre-school from 9 to 1pm.  During this time I completed three 500 word articles on the subject of Getting Your Ex Boyfriend Back.  Quite entertaining and fun to write which makes a change from financial or marketing topics.  I also posted on my blog and did some rating on Helium.  I also logged into my Elance account to see if there was anything worth bidding on there.  Placed a couple of bids before catching up on Twitter and writing blogs.  I also added a new page to this blog titled Beginners Articles so be sure to check that out.

Wednesday 21st January:
Conor and Emma were at home with me this morning so not much work done.  Emma received her vaccinations in school yesterday and had a slight reaction to them so I had to keep her at home today.  Throughout the day I managed to get three 500 word articles on removing moles completed.  I also started work on the free guide I am writing about using Helium as an additional stream of income.  I also had some re-writes to complete for a client today and I was accepted to write for another website called Content Current.  I’m not sure what this website will be like but I will keep you updated.

Thursday 22nd January:
Thursday is the day that my mother comes to visit and spend the day so work is usually put on hold until Thursday night.  My mother is an excellent writer and poet but unfortunately she has no confidence in herself.  I have been telling her for ages that she should start writing online and today I began coaching her on how to use Helium.  I thought that this would be a great way to get her started writing articles and she can also start earning a little money too.  Here’s the first article she wrote on Tree That Can Also Be Shrubs.  Now I should point out, that my mother is totally new to using a computer and has no idea how to use MS Word, how to copy and paste, or anything else.  She hand wrote the article and then typed it into Helium.  The article itself is very good but she didn’t know about the previewing the layout of the article before publishing so the format is a little off.  For her first attempt though I am really proud.

Friday 23rd January:
Both of my children were in school this morning so I had a couple of hours to work.  This morning I revised the sales page for my ghostwriting manual and added a coaching session as a bonus.  I have also decided to employ a marketing expert to promote my manual too.  As a writer, producing the content is easy for me, but when it comes to marketing I really do lack the experience needed.

Last week I completed an editing project through Elance and am happy to report that I have now added this client to my books.  I recieved another project from her today and there is plenty more to come.  This is one of the main reasons that I have kept my account with Elance.

Received an email from the owner of the website I write for today.  They have a new project that need to be completed before Monday.  I accepted and so once again I will be doing a couple of hours work over the weekend.  I don’t mind too much and I know that at the end of the month when I see my bank balance it will have been worth it.

So there you have it, that was my week, how was yours, would you like to share?

Until next time,

Keep writing.

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It’s Friday again and what a week it’s been.  My week has been hectic what with coaching and new client projects.  I’ve had deadlines coming out my ears but I know my bank will be thanking me at the end of the month.  That said, I am a bit behind in my reading so I don’t have as much link love to share with you this week, so if you have something you would like to share, maybe a blog post you wrote, or a writing post that you read, be sure to let me know.

The first post I want to share today is from Writing Inspiration and it’s titled Inspirational Affirmations To Uplift You.  I am a big believer in the law of attraction and this post has some great affirmations that you can use on a daily basis.  It’s worth reading even if you don’t follow the law of attraction.

Next up is 21 Quotes For Success from Shawn’s Marketing Solutions.  Again this is a great post and very appropriate for January.  Everyone is fired up and ready for the new year and what better way to start than reading about ways to make you successful.

Copyblogger also had a great post this week titled The Winnie the Pooh Guide to Blogging which I found thoroughly enjoyable and very true.  This is definitely worth reading if you have your own blog or if you’re thinking about setting one up.

Like I said, it’s been a really busy week for me and to make up for the lack of link love I want to share some great articles with you that I have really enjoyed writing and that will hopefully give you some valuable tips and advice when it comes to ghostwriting.

What it takes to be a Ghostwriter

Why Would Anyone Want To Be A freelance Writer

How To Write For Greeting Card Companies As A freelance Writer

Getting A Job On Craigslist

freelance Writers:  Handling Slow and Non-paying Clients

Internet Writing Terms Explained

Best Online Sites For Freelance Writing jobs

Sites For Freelance Writers To Earn Money

HOW TO WORK FOR FREELANCE ONLINE MARKETPLACES

BLOGGING AS A CAREER

HOW TO GET INTO GHOSTWRITING

Remember, if you have a blog you’d like to see featured here in the Friday link love spot all you have to do is post a comment and I’ll be sure to check it out.

Until next time,

Keep writing.

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If you are one of the many people deciding to make the transitition into ghostwriting in 2009 then you are going to want to know where to start.  Now I could plug my ghostwriting Uncovered manual here but I’m not going to.  If you want to buy it you can

Today I want to list all the websites I know where you can bid on ghostwriting jobs.  I probably won’t be able to list them all so if I miss any that you recommend be sure to place them in the comments.  I would like to be able to compile a very comprehensive listing here on The Hidden Writer so that anyone looking for ghostwriting jobs will know where to start.  I would also like it if people would post their opinions and experiences with these websites in the comments section because that way we can help prevent time wasting.

2009 List Of Bidding Websites For Ghostwriters

1. Elance – This is probably the most common place for ghostwriters to bid on writing jobs.  A paid membership can cost from $9.95 with 20 connects (bids) per month.  You can also become a free member with 3 connects per month.  Elance has to be my favourite, it’s where I started out and whenever I am short on work this is the place I always return.  I have secured many of my full time clients from this website.
2. Guru - Guru is next in line after Elance and is a paid membership website.  I have to admit, that I don’t have much experience with Guru.  When I was starting out Guru’s membership fees were too much for me.  I have heard some good reports about this website though so hopefully someone will be able to provide some more details.
   
3. Get A freelancer - Get a freelancer is an extremely busy freelance website with plenty of jobs to bid on.  You can join for free and your get 15 bids per month.  You can also upgrade your membership to Gold status for $12 and if you do you don’t have to pay fees on the jobs you win.  My only complaint about this website is that all the jobs that are posted are really low paying.  I have seen people bid $30 for up to 40 articles.  I don’t know if anyone gets high paying or even reasonably paying work from here.  Anyone any comments?
   
4. Rent A Coder - Again I am not really familiar with this website.  Membership is free. 
   
5. Odesk - This is another website that I am not familiar with so any input would be appreciated.
   
6. Direct Freelance - I am a free member of this website and receive daily emails when jobs are posted.  Most of the jobs look very promising but I haven’t as yet bid on one because you need to be a paying member to do so.   It is worth joining as a free member and subscribing to their email alerts so that you can see for yourself the type of ghostwriting jobs on offer.
   
7. Biz Reef - I am also a member of this website.  What appealed to me about this website was the fact that you could bid in your own currency.  I subscribe to their email alerts and receive frequent emails  about new jobs that have been posted.  The jobs look promising but there are also jobs with very low pay so I am still undecided about this one.
8. EU Freelance - This website is linked to GetAFreelancer and is relatively new.  Bids are placed in Euro but like Get A Freelancer I have a feeling they are from people looking to have work carried out for nothing.
9. Writerlance - Don’t have very much information on this website.  As far as I know it’s free to join but again somewhere low bids can be expected.
   
10. Pclance - This is totally new to me and one I never heard of until I started researching this post.  Hopefully someone will be able to provide more information.
    
11. Ifreelance - This is a website that I joined as a free member back in 2007.  It was very promising and had some excellent ghostwriting jobs.  After a couple of months they changed to a fee paying site and because I have an Elance membership and my client base was growing I didn’t upgrade.  Anyone have experiene with this website that they can share?
    
12. Project4hire - This is another website I discovered when researching for this post.  Any information would be great.
    
13. Writing Bids - Another new one to me, looks very similar to all the other free websites.  Hopefully someone can provide more information.
    
14. Gofreelance - Another one that I have yet to experience but again probably very similar to the free websites that are out there.

I think the main problem with websites free websites such as Get A Freelancer is the members.  There are people who are bidding next to nothing to complete the projects and that is why more and more  people are becoming convinced that they can get work done for nothing.  What do you think?  Have I hit the nail on the head here?

Until next time,

Keep writing.

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Here’s a very useful tip for all ghostwriters and it deals with communication.

When you are working on a ghost writing assignment, you should remain in constant contact with your client.  I have highlighted the word “should” and I really mean this.  I am going to give you an example.

Say you have a batch of 50 articles to complete and your client wants them forwarded in batches of 10 as they are completed.  What do you do?  Do you just send an email to your client every time you complete 10 articles?

What I do in this situation is type the first article. I then forward this to my client for his/her comments and approval. What this does, is to allow me to make sure I am on the right track and it also lets the client see what my writing style is and the way I am tackling their project. If there are any problems they can let me know there and then instead of telling me when I have 10 articles completed.  Makes sense now doesn’t it?

This little ghostwriting tip can save you a lot of time and re-writes and it is especially advised if you are working with a new client.

Remember always think ahead. You need to be paid at the end of your ghostwriting assignment and not be forced to endure another couple of days revising what you have already completed.

Another tip regarding communication with clients is, try to update your client every couple of days. Don’t just take the ghostwriting assignment and then have no further contact with the client until you have finished. Most clients prefer to be updated throughout their project, even if it is just to inform them that you have completed all of your necessary research and that you will be typing the articles the following day.

Communication really is key when it comes to successful ghostwriting. It is one of the most valuable ghostwriting tips that I can give and one that will greatly advance your career.  How do you communicate with your clients?  Do you think daily communication is necessary or just a waste of your own time?

Until next time,

Keep writing.

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There are so many different reasons that you can choose to start Ghostwriting so listed below I have stated the 5 most obvious ones.

1. Ghostwriting Means No more 9 – 5 and spending hours stuck in traffic

You can sit in front of your computer at 5am and start working, or if you are a night owl you can write from midnight into the early hours of the morning.  Being in the comfort of your home you can dress how you like, tracksuit, shorts and t-shirt or you could even just stay in your pyjamas. It really is up to you. You control when you work and how you work.

This is probably one of the most obvious reasons and it can relate to any work from home business.  You choose your hours and being out of the 9 to 5 traffic rush can be very important especially if you have small children at home.

2. Ghostwriting Means More time with the Family

This is really important to me especially because I have two small children.  I worked 9 to 5 when my daughter was small and even though she was cared for by family I still missed out on a lot.  When my second child was born I had already made the decision to work from home and I had begun ghostwriting too.  It really has made such a difference to my life.  When you choose to ghostwriter you can choose how much or how little ghostwriting work you take on.  This means that you have more time with your children, your wife, your partner, or just you time.  You can do what you want when you want. You write around the things you need to do.

3. Ghostwriting Means More Writing Choice

Being a ghostwriter gives you so much choice.  You get to choose the type of writing that you want to do.  You can specialize or you can do a little of everything.  When you first start off it is a good idea to give everything a try, that way you will find out what it is you really enjoy doing.  You can write short articles, advertising copy, newsletters, e-books, web content, novels, and so on. You get to choose to write what you enjoy which means your job is a pleasure.

4. Ghostwriting Means Unlimited Opportunities

There are so many opportunities available for ghostwriters today when compared with 10 years ago.  10 years ago ghostwriters were practically unheard of and were most commonly known for writing novels and autobiographies for the stars.  Today however with the internet and online businesses booming ghostwriting has become extremely popular and lucrative.  More and more websites are being built and with them comes the need for content.  Experienced ghostwriters are sought all the time to provide expert content for these businesses.  E-books have also become very popular and you guessed it, most of these are ghostwritten too.  So you see, being a ghostwriter really does give you unlimited opportunities and this is not likely to change.

5. Ghostwriting Means Full Control

As a ghostwriter you have full control.  You don’t have to wait and hope for a promotion or pay rise.  You choose how much you want to earn.  You are self employed and what you achieve depends solely on you.  This can be a big shock to many especially if you have been employed for a long time.  You now set your goals, your to do list, your marketing tasks, and so on.  Yes full control is yours and whether you succeed or fail is now down to you.  You are your own boss.

There are so many other reasons to become a ghostwriter and I’m sure you have some of your own.   For some people, Ghostwriting is a way of earning money whilst they pursue other interests like writing a novel. Many students like Ghostwriting as it means they can earn some extra money and still attend lectures and study when necessary.

But if like me, writing is your passion and you want to be independant then ghostwriting can be your business, your path to self sufficiency, and the lifestyle of your dreams if you are willing to work at it.  Clients won’t just fall at your feet, you need to go out there and get them and that’s where the work really starts, wouldn’t you agree?

Until next time,

Keep writing.

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It’s Friday again and time to list some of the great posts that I read over the past week.  There is some really great information on the internet and sometimes finding it can be difficult.  I tend to find a lot of these posts through Twitter and by using Stumble.  I hope you enjoy reading these posts and remember if you would like to have a link to something interested that you have written why not contact me.

The first post for today is from The freelance Writing Business Blog and is titled Self Discipline And Freelance Writing.  This is a very interesting read and provides some great tips on how to make yourself more productive.

Next is a post from Get Paid To Write Online titled What To Do When You Have Said It All.  This post discusses what to do when you run out of things to say when working on a project.

Next is a post from The Jen Hamilton Blog which is a new blog I have discovered.  The post is titled Freelance Writing: Defining the Process for a new Client Steps 4 and 5.  You can also read the 3 other steps on her blog too.  This is a great blog, can’t believe I haven’t seen it before.  This post which is part 4 and 5 of a series of posts is all about explaining the project process to your client so that they fully understand exactly what you are doing.

Next is another new blog discover for me and the post is titled Branding Tips For Freelance Writers and the blog is called Freedom Freelance.  This article is all about branding yourself and your name as a freelance writer.

Web Worker Daily has a great post about Maintaining Your Flexibility As A Freelancer.

My last post for today is from John Chow Dot Com titled How To Bring Interactivity to Your Blog.  This blog is not a freelance writing blog but the post relates to any blog for any purpose or niche.  A very interesting read that can provide a lot of excellent tips.

That’s it for this Friday but be sure to get your posts listed in the comments section if you want them to appear in next Friday’s listing.

Do you have a favourite blog that you visit when you need information?

Until next time,

Keep writing.

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What is Ghostwriting? No, you are not leaving spooky messages on a mirror fogged up by the steam from the shower.

Very simply, Ghost writing is writing content that someone else puts their name to.  This can be in the form of letters, articles, advertising material or e-books. Some people ghost write entire novels for others and this is particularly common in celebrity autobiographies.  I’m sure you didn’t think that celebrities actually sat down and wrote the books themselves now did you?

There are so many people out there who have ideas for things they want to write but for many they simply don’t have the time or the patience needed to do it.  Website owners are perfect examples.  These people need quality content for their websites, and if they plan on selling an e-book they need ghostwriters to complete this work for them.

What does it take to be a ghostwriter?

To be a ghostwriter the first thing that you need to be able to do is write.  It also helps if you have a passion for writing as this makes things so much easier.  You should have a good grasp of the English language along with grammar, spelling, and punctuation.  You will also want to have your own unique writing style.  This is what will get you noticed especially when you start to market yourself.

Being a ghostwriter means that you will probably be able to work from home.  You will need to be able to organise yourself and learn to prioritise. Remember that as a ghostwriter you will be working for yourself. You are receptionist, filing clerk, purchasing officer, accounts clerk and oh yes writer. In addition to this you still have your private life.

The most importantly aspect of successful ghostwriting is the ability to meet deadlines. Your client expects you to have their project completed on time and let’s face it, your reputation depends on your reliability.

Naturally in this day and age you must be computer literate. Not only for writing but using the internet for research and using email to contact your clients.

To get started in your ghostwriting career you will need:

A computer and printer
An internet connection, preferably Broadband but dial is OK.
Email address
Organisational and time management skills
Samples of your work. Published or unpublished.

Finding work is not as easy as it was a couple of years ago but with the right advice and guidance you will know where to look.  Marketing yourself as a ghostwriter is just as important as job hunting so be sure to register with the likes of EzineArticles and start posting some articles.  These articles include what is known as a resource box which tells readers a little about you.  You can also include a link to your website.   These articles can also be used as samples of your work.

Ghostwriting is not about you, it’s about writing what your client wants.  You will need to be open minded and willing to write from your clients point of view.  If feel strongly against something, don’t apply for the job.  Your clients want you to get their message across, to sell their products or services, and promote their business.  It’s all about your clients and if you fail them you lose your credibility as a ghostwriter.

Be wise, do your research, and find out everything you need to know before you jump into ghostwriting.  You don’t want to end up in a job you don’t like.

In saying that, ghostwriting can be a great way to earn money, have fun and keep doing what you love, which should be writing.

Until next time,

Keep Writing.

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