We’ve finally reached the last post of my ghostwriting series. I want to thank you all for reading along; I hope you got something of value out of it. I’d like to close the series with a few extra tips to help your own ghostwriting efforts. The four final tips aren’t part of any unifying theme other than, here be some good things you should
I read a lot of blogs. But my time is limited like most people, and that means I can’t always comment as much as I’d like. When I do take the time to write a comment for one of your posts, it’s because I thought you had something interesting to say and I wanted to engage in the conversation. But sometimes in the process of trying to
Are you a new freelance writer looking to write online? When you’re just getting started as a freelance writer, you probably have a lot of questions. And one of those questions is probably about what kinds of gigs are actually open to new writers. If you want to focus on writing for the Web, there are several types of gigs you can find, no matter
I hate issuing absolutes, but I am a devoted believer in the power of specializing in order to create a thriving freelance writing career. I also believe that choosing to be a specialty ghostwriter is the quickest, easiest way to achieve lasting career success. Specialty ghostwriting is all about hyper-focusing your business. That means choosing a specific topic (or group of topics) to provide ghostwriting
In traditional e-book publishing, authors sell their e-books predominantly on their own websites (mostly in .pdf format, although you aren’t limited by that). Despite changes in the publishing world and Amazon’s perceived takeover attempt of all things e-publishing, selling your e-books on your own site can still be important. That’s especially true when you have an existing author platform with a built-in audience interested in what you
You’ve probably heard this advice before: to protect yourself professionally, you should set up your freelance writing business as a limited liability company (LLC). The basic idea is that an LLC will protect your personal assets if claims were to arise against your business. But registering your freelance business as an LLC might do little more than give you a false sense of security. This
In today’s post I’ll answer several reader questions recently submitted by Wendy Komancheck, a freelance writer who specializes in writing for landscapers and related businesses. These questions came as a follow-up to my recent post, “How Writers Can Stay Productive Even During Sick Days,” where Wendy brought up the issue of not being able to take sick days because she doesn’t get paid time off.
Believe it or not, getting started in ghostwriting is almost exactly the same as getting started in non-spooky freelancing. It’s about coming up with a plan, announcing your service, and preparing for follow-through. Coming Up with a Plan You need to consider how ghostwriting fits into your business. Will it be your primary focus, or something you do on the side? How will you fit
So far this year, I’ve had one normal work day. One. Just a day after returning to work from my holiday break, I needed a sick day. That turned into a “sick week.” And it’s now going on week two. Surprisingly though, those sick days have still been productive days. I launched several new features here on this site. I published several blog posts on various
A contract is every writer’s best friend. There are tons of posts out there that can help you build your basic client agreement, so today I just want to focus on four specific points that your ghostwriting contract should include. 1. Multiple payments. Ghostwriting a book is a big, long project. If your clients pay everything up front, they’re taking a big risk. If they
When I launched this blog in 2006 (under the name SixFigureWriters.com at the time), one of the biggest issues being discussed by new freelance writers was the “global writers’ market.” Writers in English-speaking countries would routinely blame this supposed global market for the fact that they couldn’t find decent-paying freelance writing jobs. They blamed non-native English speakers in countries with lower costs of living, as
We all have goals for our freelance writing careers. And many of us are probably gearing up to make changes in the New Year. But what happens when you feel stuck — like there’s no time left in the day to actually work on growing our businesses? No matter how busy or even overwhelmed you might feel there’s always one option open. Change your current