Today in our “Getting Started” series, we’ll hear from Anne Wayman, a freelance ghostwriter. If you’ve considered ghostwriting books as an option for your own career, you can learn a lot from Anne. This interview is designed to serve as a starting point to tell you how she got started and offer a few tips from a pro to those of you interested in following a similar path.

Here’s what Anne had to say:

On How She Became a Ghostwriter…

“It was by accident. I was working for a well known new age minister doing her magazine. She came to me one day and asked if I could complete her book because the ghost the publisher had found just wasn’t working out. I gulped and said ‘yes.’”

On Needing Specialized Education or Experience Before Starting…

“No, although being widely read and learning how to listen and enjoying people is necessary.”

On How New Writers Can Get Started as a Ghostwriter…

“Right place right time is always good — I wouldn’t change anything [about how I started], but that won’t work for everyone. I think I’d suggest trying some smaller projects first, like ghosting ebooks and growing from there. Or being willing to do a chapter or two on spec the first time.”

On Things Prospective Ghostwriters Should Know Up Front…

“You’ve got to have some confidence in your own writing ability and your ability to listen so you can write what your client wants. You’ve got to be willing to let any ego go because your name won’t show up anywhere. You’ve also got to be able to help your clients set and meet goals, like how many chapters in how much time — or be willing to learn how to do that.”

On Anne Wayman…

Anne Wayman is a ghostwriter and writing coach. She blogs about freelance writing at AboutFreelanceWriting.com and her credits and more on her professional background can be found at AnneWayman.com.