Many writers get into blog writing because they want to have their work published online. However, if you have started blogging for a living, you will quickly learn that the benefits of not having your name published on something can far outweigh the name recognition you’ll get on a piece of content written under your name. Here’s one of many tips for freelance writers: consider being a ghostwriter.
Writing content that isn’t going to be published under your name (and is instead published under someone else’s name) is called ghostwriting. Published authors have been using ghostwriters for years on their books, and now the market for digital ghostwriters is stronger than ever. Higher rates, more work, and better guidelines are all things you can look forward to as a ghostwriter.
Better Pay
Most bloggers charge higher rates for ghostwritten pieces over those published under their name. This is understood by most clients, as not having your work recognized as your own carries a higher cost (as you can’t usually use it in your portfolio). For ghostwriting assignments, I usually charge 15-30% more per word or per piece. This rate usually varies wildly per industry and takes some experimentation before settling into a steady ghostwriting rate.
More Opportunities
Many clients are specifically looking for ghostwriters for their own marketing/blog content or to for their clients. Because the quality of content has a significant impact on a website’s traffic and search rank, companies are looking for great bloggers that can craft unique and engaging content. As many companies begin to realize how important blogging can be a website’s ROI and engagement, they will begin to hire more writers as well.
What does this mean to bloggers? The fact that there will be more ghostwriting assignments available to go around. If you are okay with ghostwriting, this can allow for more clients than you might have received had you been adamant about your name being published to any work you produce.
More Structure
More rules and guidelines might be a negative aspect of ghostwriting, but many bloggers see it as a benefit. For writers that are given free rein on assignments they attach their name to, it can be difficult at times to continuously come up with new blogging topics, due to that pesky writer’s block.
However, many ghostwriting assignments have specific guidelines for content length, topic, and frequency, which can help a blogger’s creative process when it comes to composing posts. We all need a break from idea generation, and more structure can help.
photo credit: klepas via photopin cc
Author: Kelsey Jones
Kelsey Jones runs her own social media and search marketing business, MoxieDot where she helps clients grow their online presence. She was voted one of the top 100 marketers of the year by Invesp in 2009 and has worked for Yelp, Run.com, and Bounty Towels. Check her out at MoxieDot and on Twitter @wonderwall7.
Thanks for this interesting view on ghostwriters Ian. Where do you think are the best places to go to hire one?
Some virtual assistants ghost write as I do for clients. That’s one place to look. And, of course, just Google.
Cordially,
Patricia Nixon
Nixon Virtual Strategies
http://www.nixonvs.com
The Power of Delegation
recognized by Forbes
Sites like ifreelance and odesk have writers, but often they aren’t the highest quality. I would recommend a post on the Problogger job board or FlexJobs.com for a high quality ghostwriter.
I’m also available for ghostwriting– my website is http://thesocialrobot.com
Great information on Ghostwriiters. I often hire ghostwriters for my clients and they comes under my budget.
Regards,
Amrik Virdi
Hey –
Your last post [3 Benefits of Being a Blog Ghostwriter] was freaking awesome. I have gone ahead and added your stuff to my Feedly account. Please keep me updated if you post anywhere else.
Keep rocking –
Jon
Thanks Jon! I also write at thesocialrobot.com/author/kelsey, marketingland.com/author/kelsey-jones/, and was writing at performancing.com/blog as well!
Great information about ghostwriters! I’ve been thinking about hiring a ghost writer, Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your insight about ghostwriting I have just started my new blog and I was beginning to get nervous about starting my site but now that I have seen this I am very happy. Oh and here is my site link in case anyone is interested: jessicathebloggingghostwriter.blogspot.com
Great overview of becoming a ghostwriter. It’s a rewarding career choice.
Thanks for a very insightful article. We ghostwriters don’t have it that easy, for finding high end clients are out there but hard to nail down and pay $20-$50 thousand for a book, so blogging as a ghost is a way to make a living while mining for the gold. I bet, if we had reliable statistics, that a lot more material out there is ghosted than we know.
I had no idea that ghostwriters tend to get paid more money because their name isn’t associated with the content. That makes sense, especially if the ghostwriter ends up writing about something that they don’t actually support. However, if I were a ghostwriter, I don’t think I would be able to defend something if I were actually against it.