Ghostwriting isn’t a new profession. It’s as old as the imperial Rome. But its presence is very strong these days as more businesses and companies need ghostwriters to write marketing copy and website content.
What Does a Telecommute Ghostwriting Career Involve?
A ghostwriter’s job is very similar to any writer’s job. The major difference is that the credit (or byline) doesn’t belong to the ghostwriter. They write on behalf of their client, whose name is going to appear on the articles that they had written for him.
Benefits of a Telecommute Ghostwriting Career
You can pursue any field you want: copywriting, website content writing, and even fiction and non-fiction writing. Moreover, you’ll never run out of clients as a ghostwriter.
Why Is Telecommute Ghostwriting in Demand?
A lot of people, especially online business owners, would rather focus on areas of marketing and administration; as such, routine tasks like writing, are best left to expert ghostwriters. Many people who go into publishing or start their own business without proper training, knowledge, or skill in writing, hire ghostwriters to do most of their writing. So you can tap into them as your market as well.
Is a Telecommute Ghostwriting Career Right for You?
If you simply love to write, then this is for you. You should be willing to sacrifice getting credits and bylines for such passion. Though ghostwriting doesn’t pay very well as the other writing jobs, it can support you financially, especially your everyday needs. If that idea suits you, then this is one of the jobs for which you’re looking.
What are some disadvantages/obstacles in this Ghostwriting career?
First, a lot of ghostwriters aren’t really happy with their job but still do it for the money. The biggest pain is not getting credit for the work you’ve done, no matter how insanely popular or huge it gets. Second, because ghostwriters are sprouting like mushrooms, you have no other choice but to lower your fees so you can compete with them.
Skills Required for a Telecommute Ghostwriting Career
Even if it’s not your name that appears on the work, you are still responsible for its content. Thus, you need to be an excellent researcher who knows how to look for facts and figures to support your claims. Most definitely you should know how to write and be consistent with your writing style, so it doesn’t appear obvious that the client is hiring a ghostwriter. You may even need to be flexible enough to copy your client’s method of writing. Lastly, and perhaps more importantly, you have to be trustworthy. You can perhaps market yourself as a ghostwriter, but you should
never reveal who your clients are for ethical and legal reasons.
How to Start a Telecommute Ghost
Plenty of books can offer you great tips on how to begin your ghostwriting career. You can, of course, check your own network and see if there’s anyone who needs valuable content. Stress that you are a trustworthy person with a knack in writing (ghostwriters are usually not allowed to squeal that they are, indeed, ghostwriters).
Who Hires Telecommute Ghostwriters?
· Politicians
· Fiction and non-fiction authors
· Website owners
· Blog owners
· Musicians
· Magazines
· Trade journals
· Marketers and entrepreneurs
Average Salary for Telecommute Ghostwriters
Ghostwriters can earn up to $50,000 a year, depending on your workload and the kind of projects that you accept. If you’re into ghostwriting manuscripts (books and ebooks), you may earn more money through royalties and sales of books. Average pay rates to ghostwrite articles varies widely, from $10/article to $300/article.
How and where to find Ghostwriting jobs/clients?
You can go back to our list of potential clients above. Though many companies and individual marketers wouldn’t like to admit they’re hiring ghostwriters, a number of them do. You can try your luck in several telecommuting job boards and bidding jobsites such as Online-Writing-Jobs.com, FreelanceJobOpenings.com, Freelancer.com, oDesk.com, and Elance.com.
