If you're a ghostwriter in any niche, the two hardest aspects of maintaining your business are building a portfolio and establishing credibility. The two go hand-in-hand somewhat, and I have already covered How to Craft a Ghostwriter Portfolio, but there is another way you can stand out to potential clients. You may not be … Continue reading Throw Off the Sheet: Why ghostwriters need a personal platform
Ever since I boosted my ghostwriting rates to an average of $15,000 - $30,000 per book, I've taken on numerous rewriting gigs. Why? Well, they have a smaller scope and require less creative input on the ghost's part. So, they are more budget-friendly. However, rewriting a book, or even just a portion of a book, … Continue reading Freelance Book Rewriting Q&A
Here's to starting the new year off right! I am so excited to share with you all how I landed my first big project of the year. My hope is that a walkthrough of my interactions with this client can help you do the same, especially since those interactions allowed me to land the project … Continue reading How I Landed a $7,500 Ghostwriting Project
Composing an outline, whether general (to be filled in later by client interviews) or bulleted down to the last detail, is the first step of a how-to book ghostwriting project. This week, I want to talk about how to get started with your outline. There are no hard and fast rules on how you … Continue reading Outlining a How-To Book as a Ghostwriter
Book ghostwriting CAN'T work without some sort of interview process. Without getting on the phone and discussing book structure, goals, and content with your client, how are you ever going to deliver a final product that captures the client's voice and vision? You're not. Period. But interviewing strategies are not something everyone learns in … Continue reading Client Interview Strategies for Ghostwriters
When I tell non-writers what I do for a living, I often get the, "Everyone says I should write a book," comment right off the bat, or some variation thereof. When I tell fellow writers, though, they often latch onto the fiction ghostwriting side of things, wondering what exactly it is, if you can … Continue reading Fiction Ghostwriting Q&A
The anonymity of working as a ghostwriter creates roadblocks that bylined writers don't have to deal with, and those roadblocks can turn into giant walls when you're a beginner. How do you stand out when you're just getting started with either a small project list of only one or two jobs or as a … Continue reading How to Stand Out as a Beginner Book Ghostwriter
If you can only write in one style, tone, or voice, ghostwriting is not for you. You can only be successful if you can adapt to your client's preferences, stylistic choices, and voice. You don't have to do it flawlessly on the first try—that's what rewrites are for—but if you turn in a rough draft … Continue reading 5 Tricks for Capturing a Ghostwriting Client’s Voice
There are very few things that are 100% standard about ghostwriting. Really, the only constant is that you're working for more money for no credit. One of the most diverse elements of book ghostwriting is the clients. While this is pretty true for any type of freelancing work, it is magnified significantly in book ghostwriting. … Continue reading 4 Ghostwriter Client Types (And How to Work with Each)
When you work as a ghostwriter (aka without credit), building a portfolio becomes even harder as a beginner. One of the hardest parts about freelancing is landing that first job, but if that first job can't be used in a portfolio, applying to the second job will be just like applying to the first: … Continue reading How to Craft a Ghostwriter Portfolio
