Community Is Vital for Creative Families (Guest Post)

A big thank you to my dear friend, the talented writer & poet Christy Birmingham, for inviting me to write a guest post on her blog, When Women Inspire. Creativity has its rewards, and a community of like-minded individuals can be one of them.

When Women Inspire

Today I’m welcoming G.B. Sholander to the blog! I met her many years ago in the writing world and her family is full of creatives so I encouraged her to tell me more about them. The result is this wonderful guest post. Let’s give her the floor!

Meet the Sholander family! The writer of this guest post is on the far left. 😉 Photo used with G.B. Sholander’s permission.

In our family, we value creativity highly. Perhaps that’s why we have writers, artists, and computer programmers in our immediate family. To keep moving forward and keep growing in these pursuits, we’ve found that a strong sense of community is vital. Let me explain.

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Avoid 4 Pitfalls Of Ghostwriting

Like any job, ghostwriting comes with drawbacks. Knowing them in advance will help you manage them so they don’t become stumbling blocks.

Underestimating The Scope Of The Project. There’s a lot that goes into ghostwriting one page. It isn’t just about the writing. You have to do research. Conduct interviews. Review whatever material your client provides. Develop an outline. Look up meanings of words and idioms. Check facts. Look up the correct spelling of names of people, places, departments and agencies. Check timelines. Proofread. Do revisions based on your client’s feedback. Then do more revisions to repair the writing flow that inevitably breaks when you insert new information.

The final written page that your client sees is just the tip of the iceberg. Don’t underestimate all the research, fact-checking, phone calls, emails, reading, structuring, editing and rewriting you’ll have to do to create one perfect page. If you’re writing a book, multiply this process by 200 or so. Only then will you start to grasp the real scope of your project – something you must know for scheduling purposes.

Ending Up With An Income That’s Too Low. In general, ghostwriters don’t charge enough for the projects they complete. Adding up all the hours that the writer spends on tasks beyond straight writing, like research and revisions, it can easily come to multiple hours to finalize a single page.

Let’s look at a simplified example. Say a ghostwriter is aiming for $25 per hour, working 40 hours a week and taking three weeks off per year. This would yield an annual income of $49,000.

She decides to charge $25 per double-spaced page. But if it takes her 30 minutes to study material pertinent to that page, 15 minutes to look up information about the places that will be mentioned on the page, 30 minutes to write the first draft, 15 minutes to edit and proofread it before sending it to her client, and 30 minutes to revise and finalize the page after getting feedback, then she’s earned $25 for two hours of work. Her actual hourly rate is $12.50, yielding an annual income of $24,500.

An actual income that’s significantly less than what you’re expecting is a recipe for financial failure. You might have to charge more per page, per hour or per project to avoid this pitfall.

Not Getting The Client’s “Voice” Right. The best ghostwriters are like chameleons, able to change their writing style and tone to sound like the client. The writing must be top-quality and eloquent, but it can’t sound generic. A reader has to hear and picture the author, not the writer in the background. A good ghostwriter, then, must be able to inject a dose of the client’s personality and flair into the writing.

Undoubtedly, capturing the author’s voice in writing can be tricky. It takes practice. Learn to really listen to your client in order to capture all the quirks and nuances that come through. Revise your writing until it sounds more like your client, less like you.

Trying To Hit A Moving Target. In the beginning, your client may not have a good grasp of the scope or direction of his book. He may ask for a memoir only to change his mind a couple of months later and want a fictionalized account of his life instead. Or he’s constantly tweaking the outline or asking for revisions.

It can get difficult and frustrating when the parameters are constantly changing. One way to protect yourself is to charge per page that you write, and also to charge for revisions (beyond one or two). This way, whenever your client changes his mind and wants something different, it’s on his dime, not yours. If you have to write one page five times simply because your client hasn’t figured out what he wants, then you’re really writing five pages, not one, and you should be paid accordingly.

Avoid Pitfalls With A Solid Contract. The best way to protect yourself from all ghostwriting pitfalls is to draft a thorough contract that clearly addresses these cases. Before starting a project, go over the contract with your client and make sure both of you sign it. A well-drafted contract will protect you and your client in the long run.

Happy writing,

Graciela Sholander

Discover where to find ghostwriting jobs.

Read what real ghostwriters say about the field.

I’ve Updated “Where Are The Ghostwriting Jobs” eBook

Hi Writers,

I want to let you know that I revised my eBook, Where Are The Ghostwriting Jobs, available through Amazon. As with any industry, markets come and go. Links break. So I went through and made changes as needed.

I removed several entries that either are no longer in business or have stopped posting jobs, and I replaced them with other markets I’ve uncovered.

In a few places I included new excerpts from recent ghostwriting job posts.

Links that had changed and were broken are now fixed.

In a few cases the sites’ content, structure or scope changed, so I revised the site descriptions accordingly.

If you already have a copy that reads *Revised Edition* under my byline, you have the updated version and you’re good to go.

If you have an older edition, please send me proof of purchase and I’ll be happy to send you a PDF version of the updated eBook, free of charge. You can email me at services@ghostwritingplus.com.

And if you haven’t yet purchased this title, now’s a great time to do so because you’ll get the most recent details about today’s ghostwriting markets.

To your success,

Graciela Sholander

Where Are The Ghostwriting Jobs

Ghostwriting Plus Facebook Community

 

Three Ways To Collaborate As A Ghostwriter

Hi Writers!

I hope everyone’s enjoying good weather and fun, productive days.

I want to share with you three ways you can collaborate with your client as a ghostwriter:

1. Rewrite A Raw Manuscript

These days, this is my favorite way to ghostwrite a book. If your client has written most or all of her manuscript, you’re in a great position to help her reach the next level. She’s written down her ideas. Now it’s your turn to do your magic.

Starting with what she’s put together, rework it to produce the most engaging, professional product possible. Hack away! Create new chapter titles and section headers. Rewrite to your heart’s content. Remove redundancies. Expand points. Add anecdotes and examples to support her points.

Keep the main messages, and make sure your client’s voice comes through. But use your own savvy to rework the manuscript, transforming it from amateurish to a highly professional work of art, with every sentence a joy to read.

2. Write A Manuscript From Interviews

At the other end of the spectrum is the client who has written nothing and has a million ideas floating in his head. He’s brilliant, and his ideas are worth sharing with readers, but as soon as he tries writing anything down, he loses them. He’s an eloquent speaker, not a writer.

In this case, schedule a series of interviews. They can be conducted in person, by phone, or through Skype. I interview clients by phone, and since I’m a fast typist I go ahead and type what they say, creating a written record in real time. This saves me the expense and extra step of having an audio interview transcribed. Then as I piece together a manuscript from scratch, I simply copy and paste sections from the written record, rewriting and expanding them as needed.

By the way, in this case it’s a good idea to charge separately for the interviews. I typically charge clients a per-page rate for ghostwriting plus a per-hour rate for phone interviews.

3. Piece Together What You’ve Been Given And Gather More

In this approach, the client has some material to give you. For example, she might hand you 19 pages she’s written with rough ideas for her book, plus five articles published about her in different magazines, and two YouTube videos of her being interviewed on the subject you’ll be ghostwriting about.

Your job is to take this hodgepodge and incorporate it into a new work. In addition you’ll need to figure out what’s missing and schedule a few interviews to gather more information.

Since I enjoy writing a hundred times more than I enjoy talking, I try to conduct email interviews whenever possible. This won’t work for clients who love to talk and hate to write. It does tend to work for very busy professionals, though, since they can sit down and address your emailed questions at their leisure.

When I conduct email interviews, I do not charge extra. I charge only a per-page fee for ghostwriting the manuscript.

*****

I hope you’ve found this information helpful! If you need specific guidance, feel free to contact me for a consultation. And be sure to check out my ghostwriting (and other) eBooks on Amazon.

To your writing success,

Graciela Sholander

What Does The Ghost Say?

Where Are The Ghostwriting Jobs?

Tom Hiddleston Trivia!

 

How Do You Reach The Next Level In Ghostwriting? Options Are Many, But The Choice Is Yours

At some point in your ghostwriting career, you’ll need to make the leap to the next level.

But what is that elusive next level, and how do you get there?

First of all, the next level may not be so elusive. You already know where you’d like to go next, or at least, you have an idea.

The next level might be to ghostwrite a longer work, or a different kind of work. If you ghost nonfiction, maybe you’re ready to try fiction. Perhaps the next level is to specialize in one or two areas, such as ghost blogging or speech writing.

It might be to write well faster. To break into one of the traditionally higher-paying niches, such as health or finance. To secure contracts with clients with the means to pay higher rates and the motivation to get a project done quickly. Or to have a better working relationship with your client.

Perhaps you want your writing to more closely match your client’s voice, or you’d like to engage readers better.

The next level may be to find consistent ghostwriting work and make a comfortable living in this field.

Yes, you know what the next level is … for YOU. To help you get there, try the following:

1. Write Down Your Goal. Seeing it in writing makes it real. Writing it defines it and gives your goal power.
2. Spend An Hour Doing Research. Once you’ve defined your goal, research it online. Google it and see what comes up. Give yourself the luxury of browsing your goal for an hour or so to learn what others have done.
3. Come Up With A Strategy. Keep it simple for now. Write down five or six steps to take that will bring you to the next ghostwriting level.
4. Select One Of The Steps To Be Your Starting Point. Just choose one of the steps. It might make sense to start with the first step … but not necessarily. Go with what feels right, or what excites you most.
5. Take Action. This is the most important part. Do something to get started on the step you just selected. Do this one important thing and you’ll be way ahead of everyone who dreams but forgets that action is required to bring those dreams to life.

Don’t let the myriad of possibilities overwhelm you. Options exist to open new paths before you. Your job is to choose the path you want to take next, to take that first step, and to bring along the right tools and skills for a rewarding journey.

To your writing!

Graciela Sholander

Where Are The Ghostwriting Jobs?

What Does The Ghost Say?

Why Write eBooks? To Get Your Writing Out There (And Make Some Money)

If you’re a ghostwriter, is there a point to writing and publishing your own eBooks?

Absolutely. An eBook is a great tool to promote your writing skills. Most of the time you can’t share with prospective clients what you’ve ghostwritten (due to confidentiality agreements), but you can always show off your talents through an eBook.

When you’re communicating with a prospect who’s contemplating hiring you, include a list of your published eBooks. In addition, send her a PDF version of one of your  eBooks to serve as a writing sample.

Along with boosting your writing portfolio, eBooks bring you extra cash each month through ongoing royalties. The more eBooks you publish, the more money you’ll see come in. You may not make a fortune, but at a minimum you will offset some of your freelance business expenses.

I’ve just published my third eBook – a fun read that shines a light on our upcoming holiday:

Valentine’s Day: How We Celebrate Love And Friendship Around The World

I had fun writing this, and as with every writing project, I learned a lot from the research I did for this eBook (sound familiar?).

Whether or not you celebrate Valentine’s Day (or the newer Singles Appreciation Day holiday), I want to express my gratitude for your interest in and support of my ghostwriting blog! I value each of you and thank you for reading my posts.

Have a productive week and a beautiful weekend,

Graciela

Where Are The Ghostwriting Jobs?

What Does The Ghost Say?

 

 

3 Things You Can Do To Drum Up More Ghostwriting Business And Make More Money In 2015

Hard to believe the year’s almost over! First of all, I want to wish you a happy holiday season and all the best in 2015.

And second, I’d like to give you three tips to help you drum up more ghostwriting business, make more money, or both, in the new year.

Contact Former Clients

You never know what former clients are up to … if you don’t contact them, that is. Chances are, they’ve got another project in mind. Your timely email can be just the impetus they need to get it started, and you’re likely the right ghostwriter to take it on.

Raise Your Rates

How long have you been working at the same rates? If it’s been a couple of years or more, then consider raising your rates by 10% to 25%. Even if you increased your rates one year ago, go ahead and give yourself a 5% raise on January 1st.

Write What You Enjoy

If the kind of writing you do isn’t your favorite, branch out. In addition to writing what is currently paying the bills, write something just for fun. Once it’s done, figure out where to sell it. Would it work as an eBook? Can you submit it to a magazine or website? Could it serve as a guest blog post? (You can reach a whole new set of readers – and potential clients – by posting on someone else’s blog as a guest.)

Make 2015 a productive, lucrative writing year. Whether you ghostwrite full-time or on the side, always be your most professional in your interactions with current and potential clients.

One more thing – commit to learning more about the business of writing. Even if your primary strength will always be quality writing (as it should be), the more you learn about sales, marketing and strategic business decisions, the more business you’ll drum up. For starters, take a look at this intriguing strategy. What do you think?

Happy writing,

Graciela Sholander

Where Are The Ghostwriting Jobs?

What Does The Ghost Say?

 

Why In The World Would You Want To Ghostwrite? Three Reasons

Reason #1: Payment

Writing for yourself is great. I encourage you to do so. Create articles, books, eBooks and reports under your own name. But if you find it difficult to get paid for your own work, then turn to ghostwriting to augment your income. Clients with funds who have something to say in print but lack the ability to write expertly will hire ghostwriters to write and polish their manuscripts. With a good, solid contract with all terms spelled out clearly, and with clients who value the services of a professional writer, you will receive payment for your work.

Reason #2: Writing

When you create your own works, you have to market them. For some writers this is fun; for many, it isn’t. If you want to focus on writing, then ghostwriting is a good gig. In the majority of ghostwriting projects, the writing and editing fall into the writer’s domain while the marketing side is the responsibility of the client.

Reason #3: Interesting People

Many people who want to write a book or an article (but lack writing skills) are very interesting people. They’ve traveled the world and want to tell their stories. They have interesting jobs and need to share their expertise with colleagues. They might be an astronaut, a rock star, or a surgeon who’s pioneered a revolutionary new procedure. As a ghostwriter hired by people like these, you first hear their fascinating stories and then come up with effective ways to write them.

With practice and care, you can make money as a ghostwriter doing what you love (writing) working for fascinating people.

Until next time,

Graciela Sholander

Find out where the ghostwriting jobs are.

Join a community of ghostwriters on Facebook.

 

To Keep Your Writing Fresh, Take A Challenge Now And Then

Hi Ghostwriters,

It’s important to learn everything you can about the business of ghostwriting and practice being the best ghostwriter possible.

But sometimes, you need to step back and try a new challenge. Why? Because trying things you don’t ordinarily do expands your awareness and, ultimately, makes you a better writer.

Armed with that philosophy, I decided to take the “Spam Poetry Challenge” created by poet extraordinaire Christy Birmingham. Leave it to Christy to turn unwelcome spam into something glorious!

The challenge is to use any four lines from comments found in your blog’s spam filter as a springboard for your own poetry. At least part of each of the four lines must make it into your poem. So here goes …

These are the four lines I pulled out of my blog’s spam filter:

Hi, I think that I saw you visited my site.

Today I went to the beach.

I know this is totally off topic but I had to tell someone.

I suppose it’s ok to use some of your ideas.

And here’s the poem I wrote using the selected spam:

Was It You?

It was windy cold at the shore,

The kind of day for a cup of hot tea

And warm toast with strawberry jam

By the silent flickering glow of the fireplace.

But I went to the beach anyway,

And searched through the fog for answers,

For questions and meaning,

Before the breeze blew everything away.

That’s when I think that I saw you.

Was it you?

I don’t know. But what does it matter?

It looked like you.

I had to tell someone about, you know,

That thing that’s been on my mind,

For days or maybe decades,

I’m not sure anymore.

Because it was you there at the beach,

(Or was it? Who can tell?)

I decided to drop my teacup into the sand

And watch the liquid disappear.

Because I want you to know that, hey,

I suppose it’s ok, after all this time.

 

I have to admit, that was fun! Now you try it. And be sure to link back to Christy’s blog and leave a (non-spam) comment on her post.

Keep writing! Until next time,

Graciela Sholander

Join a growing community of ghostwriters on Facebook

Find out where the ghostwriting jobs are

 

 

 

Poetic Parfait’s Book Review of Where Are The Ghostwriting Jobs?

Hello Writers,

I hope everyone is having a productive writing season!

I’d like to share with you a review of my eBook, Where Are The Ghostwriting Jobs, written by Christy Birmingham of PoeticParfait:

Book Review: G. B. Sholander’s Where Are The Ghostwriting Jobs?

When you have a moment, please visit her website, www.poeticparfait.com. Christy is a delightful writer with a special talent for poetry. Her collection of poems in her book Pathways to Illumination is insightful and helps readers find the strength to overcome life’s challenges. I recommend you check it out:

Pathways to Illumination

Wishing each of you happy writing,

Graciela Sholander

Join a growing Ghostwriting Community for support and info!