LEGIT You Can Earn Lots of Money From Ghostwriting! - Legit or Scam?

[June]

As a blogger, I don’t really consider myself the kind of writer who would get published in print, or someone who will likely come up with a bestseller in my lifetime. Don’t get me wrong - I like writing, I really do! It helps me become more expressive, I can practice creative thinking, and I do admittedly earn from it. It’s just that I’m not confident enough to venture into the world of literary fiction and even by-lines, and I shudder at the thought of having to come up with a follow-up book if one of my novels actually makes it to a bestseller list.

I brought this up with one of my closest friends who is a ghostwriter for a well-known local figure (nope, not a Hollywood celebrity!). This client of hers is known for his charity works, but not exactly for being articulate. When I asked why she chose to ghostwrite on his behalf, she mentioned that it’s a gig that paid her well, and it was also a way for her to practice her researching, interviewing, speech-crafting, and narration skills.

Our talk made me consider ghostwriting on top of the other home-based works I already do. I didn’t want to plunge into it right away, though. So I wrote down some notes about it (with pros and cons, of course), along with information my friend shared with me, and now I would like to share them with you (along with resources), in turn.

Reasons why you should consider ghostwriting (and reasons why you shouldn’t)

Of course, I am coming from a place where I have the time and a bit of a writing background to actually consider ghostwriting as a sideline. As I mentioned, I don’t have the ambition of writing something that will blow people’s minds the way a lot of novelists and fiction writers do. I do, however, want to earn more, and earning while writing sounds like a sweet deal to me.

So with that in mind, I present to you my lists of pros and cons of embarking on a ghostwriting career:

Pros

• You can exercise your creative writing and research skills - as I previously mentioned, taking on a ghostwriting client means adopting their voice, ideas, and what they want the world to know about them (or their products, services, or whatever it is they want to be written up about). This means you will have to do your fair share of researching, interviewing, and generally trying to “be” the voice for the entity you’re writing about. Think of it as a literary roleplaying.

• You will get an extra source of income - admittedly, this is my primary reason for even considering ghostwriting in the first place. I do have other home-based jobs to take care of, but the appeal of ghostwriting, for me at least, is getting paid according to the project - whether it’s hourly, for a prescribed period of time, or even on a retainer basis.

• You can write about various topics - no two clients of a ghostwriter are the same even if they come from the same industry, have the same passion or hobbies, or share similar backgrounds. You will likely come across a variety of subjects to write about, especially if the client maintains a blog or journal, or gives speeches regularly. It’s potentially a good way to challenge your creativity.

• You can work from home - this is yet another one of the more appealing reasons for me to get on board this ghostwriting ship. I don’t need to maintain or report to an office in order to deliver my ghostwriting tasks. I can work from home, right here on my desk in my cozy nook, where I already accomplish most of my home-based work in the first place.

Cons

• You can lose your unique “voice” as a writer - because you’re going to have to write in the voice that your client’s persona is associated with (authoritative, humorous, scientific, self-deprecating, etc.), it could take its toll on your own unique tone as a writer over time. Once, I was in charge of content creation in a blog for a sophisticated stylist who has a fashion jargon I had to match with equally elegant prose, and it took me months after the contract ended to shake off the “oh, dahlin’!”-type of tone that I had in my head every time I wrote for her. (Once in a while, I still catch myself hearing her voice while I write, even if it’s not fashion-related!)

• You will not get a by-line (or even credits) - this, perhaps, is the biggest concern of many writers who eventually want to be known for their own voice, style of writing, and of course, their names via published works. My ghostwriter friend has hundreds of published works both online and in print, but sadly, none of them is credited to her. Basically, you spend time and resources crafting words to make someone else look good, and then you get paid, but nothing more beyond that.

• You might get lowballed - my friend said it was initially surprising to discover how in-demand ghostwriters are. It seemed like everyone needed one at some point in their lives - textbook or ebook “authors”, celebrities who want their memoirs written, businesses who want to make their CEOs and other senior members sound polished and sophisticated, etc. But this kind of demand doesn’t necessarily spell out a fat paycheck for you right away. People can sense if you are starting out, especially if you don’t have too many impressive names in your ghostwriting portfolio yet. Negotiations can be done, but be wary of those who think writing is writing, and that there’s a flat fee for all kinds of writing deliverables, never mind the research, time, and effort that went to each one.

• It might not be a viable long-term career - even now as I’m writing this and seriously considering embarking on ghostwriting as another source of income, I have to admit that deep down, I can’t see myself doing this in the long haul. I still love planning events and doing small creative projects more, where I am at the forefront and the results of my projects often reflect on me. If you’re a creative writer who is proud of your craft, I can imagine how a career as a ghostwriter could also prove vexing for someone who is talented but has to remain behind the scenes in an anonymous capacity for a long time.

How do you start out?

Fortunately, we live in a time when fresh content, be it for blogs, websites, etc., is in high demand. It’s easy enough to advertise your services as a ghostwriter. But where to start? Here’s a list of places you can check out, along with links to their application process:

• Gotham Ghostwriters - they are always on the lookout for writers who can do non-fiction books or novels, speeches, blog posts, articles, slide decks, humor writing, or screenplays
• Association of Ghostwriters - this organization offers paid members a valuable way to improve their craft, be a part of a group of professional writers who share their passion for writing, and find profitable projects within their network
• Upwork - since most ghostwriters are freelancers, I’m adding this resource to the list because it’s a good place to start looking for clients and projects
• Textbroker - as the site’s name implies, they “broker” content between writers like yourself and clients that need fresh content. There is a wide range of topics to choose from, so it’s a good place as any to start ghostwriting

How much does it pay?

As with any freelancer gig, payment varies and depends on several variables: experience, portfolio, the length and complexity of a project, etc. Before agreeing to a project, make sure to come up with a contract that covers all bases, including the number of revisions, terms of payment, and even a kill fee so that you won’t end up working for nothing.

Typically, a ghostwriter with enough experience under their belt can already have a pay scale based on their past clients and projects. If it’s an ebook, textbook, or anything that has over 200 pages in it, you can charge in the area of $8000 for the entire project - this is for those who don’t have an impressive enough portfolio yet, but have the skills to show for it. More seasoned writers can demand higher for a full book - perhaps $10,000 to $20,000, but some documentation and proof of past published works might be demanded by the client as a show of confidence.

You can also choose to charge hourly, which can net you an average of $47.50 according to PayScale.com. However, having a flat fee for a project that has an agreed-upon duration might work better, especially if a 50% down payment is done once the project begins, and the balance is paid off at the end of the project.

The verdict?

Personally, I’m already sold on the entire idea of ghostwriting for extra cash, especially since I’ve already done a semblance of it with clients in my previous employment, anyway. What I’m hemming and hawing about is the time, and also the kind of research involved with certain clients. I am especially wary of handling clients and projects with industries I know next to nothing about, such as pharmaceuticals, engineering, medicine, etc. But since I’m a good researcher and I can listen to people talk all day about what they love doing, I guess I’m a shoo-in! I honestly just don’t see myself doing this as a permanent career, never mind how potentially lucrative it may be.

Your turn!

Do you currently ghostwrite for clients? How are you finding the experience, and is it a career or source of income you would recommend to others who might want to venture into ghostwriting? Please share your tips, feedback, and thoughts below!

 

[Alexandoy]

I am interested in ghost writing because I used to be a ghost writer for 2 people. The articles were published in an e-magazine for the movie industry here. There were countless of articles that I had written for them, 1 client "writes" in English and another in Filipino. Before I write an article, what I do is to focus on the client's personality and then study the theme of the article. Focusing on the client is needed so that my style of writing will be appropriate to the "author" of the article. And before i submit, I would read it many times before I say it's final.

 

[Chameli]

yes, you can earn a lot of money from ghost writing. However, finding clients for ghostwriting projects is very difficult. Even more difficult is finding clients that pay you good money for ghost writing. I have done some ghost writing jobs. Some jobs were high paying. For instance, I was paid $4 per 300 words. Some jobs were low paying, I wrote an ebook just for $30, when the site cut commission and the payment processor had its own cut, I received just $25 for 30 pages book.

 

[Fred W]

I am interested in ghost writing because I used to be a ghost writer for 2 people. The articles were published in an e-magazine for the movie industry here. There were countless of articles that I had written for them, 1 client "writes" in English and another in Filipino. Before I write an article, what I do is to focus on the client's personality and then study the theme of the article. Focusing on the client is needed so that my style of writing will be appropriate to the "author" of the article. And before i submit, I would read it many times before I say it's final.

Actually, this is perhaps the most common way to earn money for ghostwriting! We essentially give up our own identities and assume our client’s - at least, that’s how it’s been for the bulk of my work as far as freelance writing goes. Like you, I’ve had to write in different voices to adapt to the client’s personality (and other factors like work, societal standing, etc.) It can be fun, but also frustrating at times (again, depending on the client in question).

Some people seem to mind that they don’t have a byline even with the hundreds of stuff they write on someone’s behalf. I personally don’t. I see it like I would any job order or transaction: they contact me for a service, I deliver it (and make sure I deliver it well), they pay for that service, and we shake hands on it at the end of the day.

It’s true that I fantasize about having my own name below the title of an article I’ve written for some major publication or website. Maybe one day, who knows? Meantime, I’m pretty satisfied with the pay I get for ghostwriting.

(insert ghostly sounds of ghostwriters past and present here - whoooooooo!)

 

[Holden]

I do a lot of money-earning stuff, but I’ve been a professional ghostwriter for a couple of decades now. I’ve seen how the scene changed - back in the day, you had to hunt for clients yourself, and that involves making phone calls and talking to people personally. You couldn’t advertise this type of service, and most of my clients came from referrals.

I think the internet has been totally game-changing for ghostwriters looking to earn as ghostwriters. It widened our scope and allowed us to get clients from half a world away.

I commonly wrote for academics - those people had the knowledge, but not the writing skills to effectively communicate their ideas. Plus, they were usually busy with classes and whatnot. So that’s where I came in. I regularly wrote columns for academic journals for them. They would give me an outline of things I had to cover in the column, plus whatever research material was needed, but to be honest the outline was usually enough because they already included what I had to write, and the professor had already done research prior to writing that outline for me.

I got paid pretty good for it. My pay was around $200 for each column. But I consider that “high value” writing. I’ve done press release writing, even answered a written interview as a client, and those don’t pay as high. I usually charge $40 per write-up.

 

[Ben_the_Hobbit]

Ghostwriting for money is awesome and all, but you gotta be extra-good to be able to pull it off. Think about it: you’re basically assuming the other person’s identity through your writing. You need to write as them, not for them. Here are some tips on how to be a good ghostwriter:

Be a good writer, period

To be good at ghostwriting, you need to be an all-around good writer. If you’re a beginner looking to try this type work out, it’s advisable to develop your skills as a writer first. And if you can get some works published under your name, even better. The skills you learn as a writer will be useful when you decided to ghostwrite.

Study your client’s writing style

You need to be able to replicate how your client writes. To do this, it helps if the client has a large body of sample work. Look out for little idiosyncrasies in their writing, and try to incorporate that into your work. Do they like using certain words? Do they keep coming back to a particular pun or metaphor? But those in!

Remove your ego

Sometimes, it sucks when you’ve written something totally brilliant, but won’t have your name attached to it. That’s how to game goes. So you need to be able to detach yourself a bit from the work - give it your all, but also give it away once it’s done.

 

[FloydMCD]

Interesting article and I think I will give Gotham Ghostwriters a try since thats the stuff I like to write about. I always liked writing because its something you can do from literally anywhere and you don't have to work in an office. Maybe the time I am filling out surveys is better spend on writing some articles for someone and get paid.

In the end I don't really care much if I get credit for writing the article as long as I get paid for doing so. One problem that'd come to my mind is grammar but I guess with tools like grammarly you can just fix all the issues and deliver a great article. I'll give it a shot and maybe in a few weeks I'll be able to also provide a Gotham Ghostwriters review for you guys and tell you about my experience.

Upwork I honestly never had much luck since I find it very hard to get tasks these days. For every job there are 50 + applicants now and the Companies really nickle & dime lately and only the cheapest offers get the job. In the end some expect you to write a 1000 word article for 5 bucks or so which is ridiculous.

 

[Naomi]

This thread on ghost writing for money hasn’t been updated in a while, so I’ll add a few tips (I wasn’t able to comment right away when June created this thread). The previous commenters – especially June, Ben the Hobbitt, and Holden, seem to be pros at this. I’ve also given ghost writing a try. While my experience is not as extensive as those guys’ I think I know a thing or two about making money from ghost writing. Here are a few ideas, which I help you guys earn money as a ghost writer:

1. Have a persona. When you ghost write, you do so as a different person. If you’re writing as a new, made-up person, this will give you the opportunity to create a character. How deep into this character you go is up to you. Personally, it depends on how big a project is. The bigger the project, the more thought I put into this persona. But generally, I like to come up with some basic personality traits.

2. Study your subject.If someone hires you to write for or as them, that one is more difficult. You’ll have to study their existing written works. Then try to fund what their usual tone is. Are they casual? Do they write formally? Are they cold? Or warm or folksy?