Ghostwriting - Making Money by Being Invisible-Part2
FOND OF AUTORESPONDERS? WRITE 'EM RIGHT!Autoresponders are one of the most popular forms of marketing
today. The reason for this is a simple one: they work. However,
writing a truly effective autoresponder .....
...... your work is as close to perfect as you can make it: DEFINITELY no typos or grammatical errors. Sample articles, book outlines, reports etc should be attractively presented and easy to read. As soon as you start getting work, make sure you MEET YOUR DEADLINES. This is crucial!
Invest in quality equipment. With a computer, a high-quality word processor and a laser printer, you can produce not only books and articles, but also proposals, fliers, and an attractive letterhead for your business. For fast, efficient online research: a broadband connection is well worth the additional expense. These days, an entry-level broadband connection is almost as cheap as dialup anyway.
4. Organize Your Material.
As your client base increases, you will find yourself speedily becoming an "expert" on a dazzling variety of subjects. Keep your subject matter organized by client, by subject or both. Eventually you will be able to save time by looking up previous articles - but always give it a new slant.
5. How to Decide What to Charge for Your Services.
Initially, I suggest you charge modest fees and concentrate on building up your client list and your reputation. As a rule of thumb, decide on what you would like to earn in an eight-hour day, then derive from that an hourly rate to use as a basis for costing work. If you start working for online outsourcing agencies, you will be able to get an idea of what to charge very quickly - you'll be able to browse the jobs posted and the bids being made.
6. Time Management - a Dual Writing Career'
You can tackle ghostwriting full time, or create a dual career (use ghostwriting to give you a part-time income while you write your novel). You will find that mastering the art of writing pacy, entertaining business articles and books pays off in all your writing. Your editing skills will improve as you get used to cutting articles and copy; your fiction-writing skills will help you in writing anecdotes for articles. The essence of managing a writing career in different fields is forward planning. Keep a desk or computer diary, a pocket diary and a wall planner. Write in deadlines, assignments and consultation times (and make sure you transfer the information from one to the other). Always have a mental map of what is due in the next week or two. Write out a 'to-do' list each morning, and rank jobs in order of importance.
7. Different Clients, Different Styles.
Different clients like to work in different ways. I had one client who cheerfully admitted he "couldn't even spell, let alone write". For him, I worked from audio interviews or a few brief points on a page, and did a lot of research. Other clients sent me each chapter as it was finished, then I set to work fixing elements of style and tone; re-writing or adding anecdotes, and making suggestions about structure. When it comes to Internet clients, you're likely to find that they want a swift turn-around (2-4 weeks for an e-book of between 50-80 pages with straightforward research). Information marketers will often provide you with a list of questions to be answered or points to cover, and require you to do the research.
8. Confidentiality.
If you want to be a successful ghostwriter, it is VITAL that you maintain confidentiality. Unless your client gives you permission to use his or her name as a reference, don't do so. Some people are happy to acknowledge you as a 'consultant', but not as a ghostwriter. That's their decision. As a ghost, you're supposed to be invisible.
You'll find plenty of work out there a good ghostwriter if you set about looking for it. You don't need to work from 9-5 outside the home in order to pay the mortgage or put food on the table. If you need to earn an income, why not choose a job in which you can use your skill with words' You could find that ghostwriting is the perfect solution for you.
(c) copyright Marg McAlister http://www.TheEssentialGuidetoGhostwriting.com