Is LinkedIn Useful For Ghostwriters?

For the longest time, I avoided LinkedIn. Invitations to join came, and I ignored them. I wasn’t convinced it was a worthwhile site.

What would I get from joining? Would it help my career in any way? Would it connect me to the right people? Or would it be nothing but a colossal waste of time?

Only recently did I decide to plug in and see what happens. And while I haven’t secured any jobs from LinkedIn, I’m starting to see its merit as a professional networking site.

For me, the best part about LinkedIn are the groups. I’ve joined a number of writing groups including Ghostwriters Worldwide and I’m enjoying taking part in some of the discussions. In addition to learning how others manage the business of writing, I get to share my own expertise.

Being active in a LinkedIn ghostwriting group is a great way to discover tips and tricks of the trade, see what other ghosts struggle with,  and offer a piece of advice now and then.

Based on my limited but growing experience with LinkedIn, I’d say that yes, it can be a useful site for ghostwriters, especially as a means to connect with others and share our knowledge.

For a profession as isolated as ghostwriting, being part of a professional network can help all of us grow by leaps and bounds.

To your success,

Graciela

Join Ghostwriting Plus on Facebook

 

Myths, Truths, and Your Experience

Kelly James-Enger is a successful ghostwriter and the author of Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks: The Writer’s Guide to Making Money Ghostwriting and Coauthoring Books.

Today I’m sharing two of her blog posts. The first dispels ghostwriting myths and touches upon a few truths based on her findings:

6 Ghostwriting Myths, Dispelled

Kelly’s post shows that there are many ways to ghostwrite, and many paths to this career. Most people I ghost for want me to sign a confidentiality agreement. As Kelly points out, though, not every client wants or needs confidentiality. It’s vital that you consult with your client beforehand to see where he or she stands on the matter.

The second post I’d like to share is about getting a gig even when you lack experience:

Lack Experience? Never Admit It!

Never lie about your experience (or lack of it), but know how to word your responses to put yourself in the best, most expert light possible. Play up whatever experience you have that makes you a good candidate for the ghostwriting or freelancing job you’re going after. Both professional and personal experience count.

For example, if you’ve written a handful of articles that have been published online, edited two nonfiction manuscripts, and you grew up on a ranch around horses, you are qualified to ghostwrite an equestrian book even if you’ve never written on the subject. Combine all your qualities to increase your chances of getting the gig.

Wishing each of you a beautiful, peaceful Solstice,

Graciela Sholander

Like my Facebook page to get timely info about ghostwriting, including the latest gigs available.

Need more confidence? Searching for your purpose? Read Dream It Do It and get inspired!

What Do Other Ghostwriters Charge?

The Writers Market remains an excellent resource for writers, particularly those just entering the field. In her article How Much Should I Charge, written for the Writers Market, Lynn Wasnak notes the following about freelance writers who sustain themselves on a freelance income:

“Periodically, they sit down and think about the earning potential of their work, and how they can make freelancing more profitable and fun. They know their numbers: what it costs to run their business; what hourly rate they require; how long a job will take. Unless there’s a real bonus (a special clip, or a chance to try something new) these writers turn down work that doesn’t meet the mark and replace it with a better-paying project.”

You can read the rest of Lynn’s article here:

http://www.writersmarket.com/assets/pdf/How_Much_Should_I_Charge.pdf

After reaching a certain level of writing experience and expertise, you need to be able to say no to low-paying jobs and actively go after higher-paying ones. That’s the trick to moving up the ladder in writing.

In How Much Should I Charge, you’ll find a table listing what other writers, including ghostwriters, charge for their services. The rates for ghostwriting a book run from $5,000 to $100,000 per project. Why such disparity? It has to do with the many different factors involved, from the experience of the writer to the length of the project, from how much a client is willing to pay to how good the writer is at negotiating.

The table indicates that the going rate for ghostwriting for business (such as business columns or trade magazines) is $25 to $135 per hour. And for ghostwriting articles, the rate stated is between $50 and $200 per hour.

If you’re charging significantly less than the low end of these rates, it’s time to increase your rates. The start of a year is a good time to raise your rates. You may lose some clients who can’t afford to pay your higher fees; don’t be discouraged. Keep marketing your services (there are ways to do so for free) and keep going after higher-paying jobs and clients who can afford to pay you a better wage.

This way, your fees will begin to approximate what other more experienced ghostwriters are charging (and getting), and you will be able to make a living wage as a freelancer.

Happy and productive writing,

Graciela Sholander

Read my co-authored book about achieving dreams

Join a community of ghostwriters on Facebook

Pick Up A Free Book

Writers and friends — for the next few days, my co-authored ebook Dream It Do It is available for free at Amazon.

Pick up a copy today. If you don’t have a Kindle (I admit that I don’t), you can use your computer to access and read Kindle-ized books.

I co-authored Dream It Do It with my friend Sharon Cook years ago. It was published by a small publisher, and once published it proceeded to do some good things in the world. When the publisher closed shop to pursue other dreams, we converted the book into an ebook.

One of the dreamers and doers featured in the book launched Dream It Do It clubs in colleges in southern Florida.

A publisher in South Korea purchased foreign rights to the book and created a Korean-language version.

Some of the people we wrote about have passed on. A couple have fallen from grace, so to speak. Many have grown their dreams and others have reached new ones.

Regardless, the lessons learned from studying how people reach their life goals are timeless, and they can help you with your writing dreams.

Be well,

Graciela Sholander

Join a community of ghosts on Facebook

 

 

Fall Is Writing Season

I love this time of year, not only for the fall colors and the way the sun casts long shadows, but because it’s the perfect season for writing.

Both creativity and productivity go up now that the unbearably hot days are past, the really cold days haven’t yet arrived, and the setting is perfect. The fireplace going, a hot cup of tea next to me, long sleeves and sweaters, brisk walks amidst a happy explosion of nature’s colors … it’s all good. Very, very good for a writer. The year’s golden time.

Today I want to share with you another blog post related to ghostwriting, just for fun:

The Paris Review

And yet another article about breaking into ghostwriting — I highly recommend this one, folks. Well-written and plenty of substance here:

Secrets To Breaking Into Ghostwriting

Writers, if there’s a topic you’d like me to cover, let me know. I’ll be happy to write about it in a future post.

All the best,

Graciela Sholander

Dream It Do It

Facebook Community Of Ghosts

International Freelancers Day 2012

How’s everyone doing?

Being productive with your writing? I do hope so. If you’re stuck on one project, move on to another. Get your creative juices flowing any way you can. Once that energy starts to flow, you’ll likely find it easier to go back and work on the project you’ve been stuck on.

And if the energy is still not there for that project … maybe it’s time to let it go.

Sometimes it’s good to put your writing aside for a moment and learn something new.

I want to share with you an opportunity for no-cost online learning I just discovered: the International Freelancers Day 2012, to be held this September 21st.

It is free, a welcome change perhaps for many, and the speakers have something to share with you. Browse through the lineup and decide which ones you’d like to hear.

You may pick up a nugget of information that will give you the motivation you need or answer a question that’s been burning within you for a while.

Who knows? It might be the jump-start you need.

Until next time,

Graciela Sholander

Join a growing community of ghostwriters on Facebook

Check out my co-authored book, Dream It Do It (Amazon Kindle)

 

Is This How The World Sees Us?

Recently I read a mainstream media article related to (in part) the writing life.

It was about “careers for people who don’t like people.”

Hmm, that seems harsh, doesn’t it? I mean, do people like this really exist? To be sure, there are people who prefer working independently, or who like to be alone most of the time, or who prefer spending time with one trusted individual instead of hanging out with a horde of people.

These, however, are not “people-dislikers.” They like people enough. They just don’t need to be around them 24/7.

When I saw the description, I knew immediately that a writing career had to be on the list.

I mean, isn’t that how the world sees us? Solitary figures hunched over our keyboards in dimly lit rooms, huge “Do Not Disturb” and “Keep Out!” signs plastered on locked doors?

Sure enough, one of the six careers mentioned in the article was Technical Writer.

“Ha!” I thought. “There is NO way a technical writer would survive in this field if she or he disliked people!”

A technical writer has to communicate well with people from a variety of backgrounds, including managers, technical experts, graphic designers, marketers and salespeople. No, not constantly, but it is an integral part of the job. If a technical writer truly “doesn’t like people,” it’ll be hard for her to enjoy her job.

No, I’m not dense. I get what the author of this article is saying, namely, that certain jobs suit introverts better than extroverts. I just don’t like the words she chose to deliver her message. I don’t like perpetuating myths and stereotypes about writers (or anyone, for that matter).

Writers are not people-haters, folks. We love people! They fascinate us. We love our loved ones. We enjoy the company of others. We enjoy meeting people and making lasting friendships. We value our professional relationships.

Come on, world, get it right.

And the irony in all this? A writer wrote the article.

Surely shoe doesn’t dislike people, or does she?

Keep on writing,

Graciela Sholander

Join a community of ghostwriters on Facebook

Check out my co-authored ebook about following dreams and reaching goals