Website: stroogie.wordpress.com

Specialty: film, Christianity, geek culture, improv comedy

Rates: 50 per article (500 words), 25 per press release (150-200 words)

David earned his Bachelors in Film Production at Webster University and now interns at The Improv Trick, writing press releases for classes. He started learning improv to become a better writer, and ended up becoming a better person. Drop by his blog and check out his takes on geekery, art, faith, and being a friendly introvert.

Website: www.writesyntax.com

Specialty: Web content, blog posts, ebooks, ad copy, press releases

Rates: .20 cents – 1.00 per word based on type of project.

I offer a variety of web content services, ranging from ghostblogging, ghosting ebooks and articles, to drafting press releases and sales letters for clients.

Pricing can vary based on the type of project and the estimated time invested to complete it successfully.

Further examples of my writing can be seen on BigGirlBranding.com, including several guest posts I’ve written in the past. Please note the humorous and slightly irreverent tone of the content there does not always reflect the type of content provided to my clients.

I have a very versatile “voice” and am able to adapt style of writing to suit most needs.

Examples of ebooks written can be emailed upon request, as well as past sales letters and press releases.

Thanks so much for reading and I look forward to potentially working with you in the future!

Warm regards,
Cori Padgett

Website: www.crispclearcopy.com

Specialty: Business Communications, Healthcare and Retail

Rates: 75/hour

Freelance Commercial Writer with twenty years of B2B and B-to-Consumer experience. My specialty is creating a crisp clear tone that reflects my client and response driven copy that will boost his or her business or practice. My portfolio includes brochures, proposals, press releases, web pages, executive communications, newsletters, collateral materials, direct mail, articles and blogs.
Industries and clients include healthcare, real estate, insurance, retail, financial services, among others.
• Skilled at conceiving ideas for business boosting products and executing them in print.
• Work comfortably with graphic designers, printers, etc. and can manage the entire production of print pieces, in a timely, cost-effective manner.
• Experienced at creating and and doing the entire layout for print-ready books, postcards, PowerPoint proposals and brochures using Adobe InDesign and pdf creater software. Adept at all facets of word processing software, as well.
• Strong research and interview skills.
• Proven ability to translate technical material into a more user-friendly format.
• Excellent work ethic: I do whatever it takes to get a first-time client to become a regular customer.
I keep my client roster small, so I can stay ahead of deadlines. At the moment, I have capacity to take on one additional client for freelance work, but that can quickly change.
Please check out my portfolio and resume at www.crispclearcopy.com. If you’re seeking innovative ways to reach out to current customers or prospect for new ones, take advantage of my free 30-minute consultation.
I am based in Manhattan and am happy to stop by if you are locally based.

Website: http://www.loriwidmer.com: http://www.wordsonpageblog.com/

Specialty: Risk management / insurance

Rates: 100 / hr.

Exceptional business and technical writing and editing expert ready to deliver success for your next project. Trusted writer and editor with proven record of driving readership following with compelling copy. Areas of expertise not limited to:

- Insurance
- Risk Management
- Business
- Finance
- Healthcare
- Marketing copy
- Press releases
- Collateral materials

With over 15 years of experience in magazine, Web, corporate, and educational writing, I have supplied content that generates results. To learn how I can advance your business goals, please contact me for a free consultation.

Website: http://sunoasis.com/webjean.html

Specialty: Reported stories, blog posts, product names and tags, commercial collateral

Rates: 35 cents an assigned word minimum, 50-100 per researched post, 1500 for 150 names, 500 per two-fold gate brochure, 2000 per five-part mail package

My clients over the years have included:
Apple Computer, IBM, Digital, Tandberg, SSAP, Ad Age, Web MD, Gannett, CBS HealthWatch, Newsweek, and many others.

Website: www.wordmistress.com.au

Specialty: Internet copywriting

Never underestimate the value of professional copywriting. Your business’s credibility could be on the line! Writing your own content to save money could be false economy. Put my experience and understanding of the Internet to work for you.

Contact me for a content makeover! You’ll be delighted with the results …

I specialise in website content and keyword articles but am also proficient in producing quality newsletter and blog content, plus proofreading, editing and re-tweaking.

Make the most of the opportunity to hit the mark with your readers …

You’ll identify value in my keyword articles, and the effort I apply to balancing keyword concentration with reader-friendliness. I’ve written on topics as wide ranging as little black dresses, DNA paternity testing, low rider cars, sushi, river kayaking, epoxy floor coverings, awnings and keeping tropical fish. Try me with your topics!

Based in Brisbane, Australia. Happy to write using American spelling as well, I will treat your business as my own.

Website: http://sharonhh.com

Specialty: web content writing, blogging

Rates: 60 per hour

When it comes to writing your content I tick all the boxes. I have 22 years of experience, I am fanatical about deadlines, a polymath who can get to grips with almost any topic quickly, an excellent researcher, and an engaging writer. In the past few years, I have written hundreds of ghostwritten articles on credit cards, loans, mortgages, insurance, banking and much more.

I can write search engine optimized (SEO) web copy with the best of them. I also do a lot of ghostwriting and ghost blogging. If you want your blog maintained and don’t have time to do it yourself, then I’m your woman.

Please visit my site for my full resume and examples of my work.

I love press releases – when they’re done right. One of my biggest pet peeves are the spammy releases written by writers who don’t understand what news releases are even about (you must have seen some – they litter the Web constantly – YUCK!).

I wrote a short e-book on press release writing, specifically for those writing press releases to be distributed online. When I was selling it, my primary target was webmasters – the clients I often write for.

I recently made some minor updates to the e-book, and have released the new version for free (the original was pulled off the market early this year) as a marketing tool, at least until I finally have time to write a much-expanded guide on the subject which I do plan to sell.

I was thinking – not only might it be of interest to webmasters and small business owners, but to other freelance writers who may be looking to try their hand at press release writing the “right” way. If that’s you, I sincerely hope you’ll download a copy and give it a look.

You can download the e-book from the right column (or download page) of my writing services site – ProBusinessWriter.com.

Problems with Ghostwriting

The obvious drawback to ghostwriting is that you get no public credit. If you run a writing business that revolves around your personal reputation, you want as much credited work out there as possible.

In some cases you won’t even be allowed to use the ghostwritten material in a portfolio (even a private portfolio sent directly to prospective clients). While some ghostwriting clients will allow you to do this, others require that you sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), meaning you can never claim involvement with the project, claim authorship, or imply the listed author isn’t in fact the author at all. Even without an NDA, you would need the client’s permission to claim authorship to prospective clients. This can be a problem if all of your work is ghostwritten, and you’re struggling to find clients willing to let you use portfolio samples.

There are, of course, exceptions  – for example, when I write press releases, it’s generally understood that the client’s name and contact info will be present (as a media contact rather than an author). Yet, you would be hard-pressed to find a client that would complain if you used something like a press release in a portfolio. The same would likely be true of other types of business writing such as marketing materials (like brochures).

Reasons to Love Ghostwriting

Not being publicly credited is a big reason to avoid ghostwriting if that’s important to you (as it may be for writers more solely focused on content writing). However, ghostwriting has its perks.

For starters, I couldn’t write press releases (which I love) if I insisted on only writing bylined pieces.

Additionally, I ghostwrite articles on several subjects from green business to finance topics. While they fit within my overall specialty of writing business-oriented content, and while I also cover them on some of my own blogs and websites, they’re really not the primary focus for me. They’re not the segments of my niche that I’m overly concerned with when it comes to building public exposure. On the other hand, it would be very unlikely for me to write about PR issues as a ghostwriter, because that is a primary focus, an a topic where I want my name attached as an “expert” source.

Another possible benefit would be for those who prefer being generalists (you know by now that I don’t). You can write about new topics without having to worry about public perceptions tied to your author name attached to them.

Along those lines, ghostwriting can be an option for people with more than one specialty. Let’s say you’re a teacher, and your primary specialty is writing about secondary education issues. Most of the work you publish in that niche is bylined, and you’ve build a reputation around your writing in that area. However, you also have a “secret” passion for politics. You know enough to write about political issues, but maybe you’re afraid that your political views would alienate readers familiar with your more formal writing on education. You can still follow that passion with your writing without having the two areas associated with each other by working as a ghostwriter for your political pieces.

What do you think of ghostwriting? Do you refuse to take on ghostwritten projects? Do you exclusively work as a ghostwriter? What challenges have you faced in ghostwriting, and how can similar writers work around them? Are there other reasons you love (or hate) it? Share your thoughts.