Guest Blog
If you’re a book fan, you probably know that things in the writing industry aren’t exactly that simple. The fact is that only some published writers actually wrote the books that made them famous. Most of the bestsellers are the work of ghostwriters, freelance or full-time writers whose names aren’t on book covers. More on the history of writing ‘behind the scenes,’ read here.
You should know that ghostwriting isn’t a fraud. It’s a job that’s paid for, not stealing someone’s idea. The initial idea around which ghostwriters develop a story actually belongs to the credited writers. In most cases, they provide draft content, which ghostwriters expand and refine. The situations when unknown authors wrote the books from cover to cover, and the famous writers just put their signature on, are rare.
Ghostwriting as a Kick-Start
Once you get down from the pink cloud, you will realize that not everyone can write and publish a book. In fact, anyone can write some content, but is it appealing enough to publishers and sponsors to see the light of day? Maybe it’s a good idea to ‘test’ the market first. As a ghostwriter, you’ll see how the audience reacts to your writings.
For starters, you need to make sure you are okay with someone else getting credit for your work. But keep in mind that’s paid work. Ghostwriting is a well-trodden path to getting credits for your writings one day, but not everyone has the patience to go this way. Once you accept things as they are, you can have a pretty exciting and lucrative writing career.
Talent is essential, but not crucial to a ghostwriter job. It is far more important to accept that this way of working is just the beginning of your career. If you’re good enough, you’ll find your place under the sun. And if you haven’t, your (failed) attempt will remain under anonymity. You’re not the one to receive praises, but negative reviews too.
Tips on Finding a Job
The rule is that ghostwriters don’t get credits for their work. That means they can’t put it in their portfolio because they have no evidence that they wrote it. For this reason, finding a regular job to apply for with a CV and portfolio can be tricky.
You need to take full advantage of modern technology. Try your luck as a freelance writer on one of the online job platforms. Depending on your experience and what exactly you want to do, you’ll find whom to offer your work.
Tips on finding a freelance job find below:
https://blog.reedsy.com/freelancer/ghostwriting-jobs/.
You can look for a job in a specific area or do everything offered to you (if the salary and working conditions suit you). That increases your chances of finding a long-term client who can give you a ghostwriter job.
If you have enough experience and evidence to do so (some published work or anything signed with your name), you can try cold-pitching clients. It means contacting them directly and offering them your services, even if they are not looking for them (no official ads). That can be a risky move, but some publishers and agencies appreciate you contact them first.
Work on Your Skills
Along with looking for a job, you should be working on improving your writing skills. That increases the chance of proving to the employer and finding a better opportunity. There is no substitution for systematic work. Anyone will appreciate a versatile writer.
Follow the latest trends, read new releases, and find out what’s happening in the market. Go to ghostwriter Sunshine Coast to get in touch with a top ghostwriter. Write articles or book chapters for yourself, to stay in good shape and have material to send to a potential employer as a test. Ghostwriting is not exclusively about writing books, but can also refer to online content, comics, and even academic papers.
Getting the Job Done
When you get a job, you need to have a detailed understanding of what the employer requires of you. Ideally, everyone will give you instructions before you accept a writing job, so you will know if it is something you want to deal with or not.
But in most cases, it will be just a few sentences about the basic idea. Sometimes, you’ll get oral instructions, and the whole project will be up to you. You can always consult a client, but if they left most of the project to you, don’t expect much help. These are usually the highest paid jobs.
Often you will be the one who may give suggestions and thus explore the flexibility of the publisher. Although you won’t be credited, you will be asked to do the job as if you were. That’s another way to impose yourself. There’s always a chance that someone might like your idea and offer you authorial writing.
Always Have a Plan
If you work for a publisher or client who has a lot of work, there is a good chance that you will work on several projects simultaneously. It’s a great chance to prove yourself a versatile writer, but without proper planning, it will be hardly doable. Work on your organizational skills to avoid backlogs and delays. Find suggestions on better time and project management for writers on this source.
You should have direct communication with the client to get clear guidelines. There’s no other way for the possible exchange of opinions and ideas. Clients are the ones you have to send an outline or the first scratch of a chapter or an entire book.
After clients approve your milestones, continue working, but be prepared for audits. The more feedback you get (even negative ones), the better your work will be. You will know what you are good at and what you still need to work on.
While this seems like discrimination of someone’s work, writing ‘behind the scenes’ is a profitable business. If you are talented at writing, but you still don’t have enough experience and courage to enter the market, ghostwriting can be a good start.
