You enjoy writing, but you want to make money with it. Why shouldn’t you?
Five years ago, I didn’t feel confident enough to publish my own material, but I have always been a fast typist. I thought, “Maybe I can write for someone else.” But who would hire me, someone who hadn’t published anything, to write for them?
Now, I have more than enough work to keep me busy, and I’ve even had to turn some clients away so that I have time to work on my own projects. Now that I’ve been doing it for a while, I earn anywhere from $30-$75 a writing hour which gives me the chance to spend time writing my own books to publish under my name.
Here are the steps I took to build a successful ghostwriting business, and hopefully you can use them to start earning money as well.
Research the market
You need to understand what type of ghostwriting is available before you start trying to make money.
First of all, there is fiction and nonfiction. Nonfiction typically takes longer to complete because there is research involved, and you need to make sure you get the facts straight. Fiction (at least for me) is much easier as I am provided with an outline and just need to help the stories play out by putting the words together.
Next, there are long-term clients and short-term clients. Some clients only have one project that needs to get done. Maybe they’ve always dreamed of publishing a book and need someone to help them with the writing portion. Other clients use ghostwriters for their business, and they will provide a steady stream of income. I’ve found that having a mix of both keeps me supplied with work but not bored from writing similar stories.
See what type of work is available or what clients are seeking before you go on to the next step.
Create sample work
You need sample materials that you can show potential clients to draw them into your business. This should not be something you type out in 20 minutes and post on your profile. You should take your time creating something thought-provoking or memorable.
Think of this as a showcase of your talent. If someone opens up your document and you have spelling errors in the first paragraph, they’ll be less inclined to hire you than if you can provide an error-free document.
Provide sample work that is relevant to the type of writing you intend to do. For example, I much prefer fiction writing, so I typically have sample chapters of different genres as well as juvenile fiction so clients can see that I have experience in that area. It doesn’t mean I’ll never take a nonfiction job, but it helps my clients understand what I prefer to do.
Set your prices
This step goes hand in hand with step one. When you have had the chance to research what sort of work needs to be done, it’s important to research your competition. What prices are other people asking? Ask just below what they are asking.
Writing projects typically pay in two different categories: pay by the hour or pay by the word.
Pay by the hour is a set rate per hour you work on the project, no matter how fast or slow you work. This type of pay is beneficial if you’re doing a nonfiction project that may require a lot of research. Maybe you only write 400 words that hour, but you had to look up a lot of information in order to do that. You spent time working on the project, so you wouldn’t want to only be compensated for 400 words.
Pay by the word is beneficial if you are a fast typist. I usually choose this option because I can write 2,000 words per hour. However, people might not want to pay by hour what that would be. In my experience, the usual rate per word is $10 per 1,000 words. This is not a great rate and not terrible, but it’s what many clients will offer.
If you’re great at math, and you compare my numbers in the introduction with the numbers in the last paragraph, you would see that doesn’t add up. Over the years, I’ve raised my price per word, and as I’ve come across clients who pay more per word, I take them on and stop working with clients who pay less.
However, at the beginning, I recommend shooting low. Get a few clients in your pocket, as well as a few reviews. You can always decline to work with them further in the future (as long as you’ve completed the set project. NEVER leave in the middle of a project. I beg this of you as a fellow writer who picked up a project in the middle).
At the beginning, I took a few nonfiction pieces that paid only a few dollars per piece. However, I had daily work, and I got a few ratings from that. Soon, I was able to move on to writing things I enjoy more for more money.
Create your profile
Now that you’ve done all the research and know what to expect, it’s time to let others know that you’re ready to write. You can do this in one of two ways – either work with a platform that has a ready base of clients or create your own website.
I chose to work with a platform that already had clients. I used Upwork (and no I’m not being paid to mention their name), though I’ve heard of people experiencing success with Fiverr as well.
Creating a profile on Upwork doesn’t mean I have to exclusively work with them. I can always find clients on my own time. However, after I received my first few reviews, clients began inviting me to apply to their jobs. I no longer had to seek out new gigs.
Even now, I’m not taking on new clients, but I have people reach out with invitations. I read each one, just in case, because I would never want to miss a really good offer.
The second option is creating your own website. This can lend you an air of professionalism if your website is well-made. Once you have a website, you need to bring people to your website.
Here are three suggestions to bring traffic to you:
- Join relevant social media groups and comment on posts (do NOT spam the group with information about yourself and what you offer). Remember to give more than you take from groups.
- Offer current clients a referral bonus if they bring you new clients.
- Post some of your writing samples to draw people in and leave your freelancer information as a comment or at the bottom of the post.
Be personable
Please, please, please don’t apply to a hundred potential jobs using the same form letter. Spend time reading their job post and catch the person’s name if you can. Sometimes, they include information like “use the words ‘I’m ready’ at the beginning of your application so that I can tell you have read this whole post.” Don’t lose out on an opportunity because you didn’t read.
Be kind and considerate with all your clients, and get to know them. Building clients for life means caring about them as people, not just as clients. If they tell you something about themselves, make a note. Remember it.
Start now!
Get to work on these five steps to build your ghostwriting business, and when you need a break from ghostwriting, I would appreciate you checking out my upcoming middle grade fractured fairy tale, The Land of Fake Believe, a great book for all the kids in your life or those who are young at heart.
Author bio
Children’s book author Laurel Solorzano has been creating stories since she first learned how to write, completing her first full-length novel while in middle school. Her love for fairy tales is what inspired her to write The Land of Fake Believe, a twisted fairy tale for middle-grade readers about the real lives of amusement park characters and the siblings who uncover this incredible truth.
Laurel believes a great book is one that includes likable characters getting into difficult situations and how they handle it. She hopes that her young readers come away from her stories having escaped the real world for just a while, and return to them again and again.
Hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Yader, Laurel is a teacher and ghostwriter. When she’s not penning creative stories for young readers, Laurel enjoys reading and spending time with her two dogs. Also the published author of five young adult books, Laurel’s book The Land of Fake Believe is the debut book in a series of twisted fairy tales.
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We loved learning more about ghost writing and how the field actually works. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, it was definitely helpful for me as well. Thanks for reading!
I so loved this in-depth post on ghostwriting! It is definitely a way to do what you love while providing for what you love. 🙂