GHOST-WRITING (in two parts)

1/ ghostwriting

Ghost-writing as a paying hobby (part one)

Judging by the number of Blogs on most chat sites many people enjoy writing, but don't realise the opportunities for turning these into a well-paid hobby. In fact, Ghost-writing could be the safest and easiest way of testing the water if you are contemplating starting a new career path.

Right now, on line, there is a huge market for good ghost-writers - and with the continuing growth of the internet - this demand will become even greater.

You can specialise in writing items on topics familiar to yourself for a niche market which can actually work to your advantage. Through specialising you become more valuable as a writer which is reflected in the price you can expect for any article you might submit.

Is Ghost-writing for everyone? No, ghost-writing is not for everyone and it would be misleading to say otherwise.

Most writers like to see their name in print - but the big BUT is - as a ghost-writer, you don’t put your name on anything. You will be writing for internet marketers or other content publishers, who put their name on everything you write for them. So it’s a case of swings and roundabouts.

But, not everyone who writes wants to be anonymous, some want their name out there, and would not fit well into the ghost-writing business. However this is a great ‘behind the scenes’ career for those who enjoy writing, and like to see their work in print, but perhaps for contractual or some other reason are happy remaining anonymous.

Do you need a degree to become a ghost-writer? Again no. People of a certain age never had the chance of a college education , so fortunately you don’t need a degree to become a ghost-writer, nor do you have to worry about going back to school. Initially it will mean working hard at your own subjects and bags of practice on structuring as well as reading up on similar work at likely sites for your type of submission.

What sort of project might I be offered ? Ghost-writing in the past was mostly assisting authors of books. In today’s world the ghost-writer really does come into his or her own and has a lot more options.

Internet marketers, for instance, need new content (and lots of it) for their websites and will pay you to turn your knowledge (in for form of articles) into what becomes their Product. This market also requires freelance writers working from home to write reports for their sites.

With the increasing growth of eBooks, competent ghost-writers are also very much in demand. You might even be paid to put together a complete eBook for an author, using your niche information.

Another growing market for the freelance writer is in writing family histories compiled from family pictures and diaries or old audio tapes.
MF



2/ghostwriting
Ghost-writing as a paid hobby (part 2)

What Could I Write About?
Many of those considering ghost-writing, or contemplating making it a home business, imagine they might run out of ideas. They worry about not knowing enough about any given topic. Think about it for a moment!

What books or magazines have you been reading lately? What subject type or articles do you enjoy reading? What specific subject do you have first hand knowledge of? List any situation you’ve had to deal with or still dealing with.

Your real-life experiences can form the basis of your niche subject or subjects.. Through struggles in the past, you have probably discovered many solutions and gained an inside knowledge of many things others lack.

Equally, because you enjoy particular topics, you’re naturally drawn to reading articles and books on the subject, so anything you have taken a keen interest in, can become ammunition for your output as a ghost-writer.

If you haven't a Book of Lists to hand, write your own list of subjects, either write on-screen (handy for printing out at a later date) or on a sheet of paper. It can be anything from Depression to Time Management or Health to TV Soaps , in fact, you will probably find you have sub-consciously told yourself where your strengths lie.

Use a bullet for each item on your List keeping each on a separate line i.e.
depression
exercising
family finance
fashion
One of the advantages of doing it this way is being able to write any last minute thoughts into the blank spaces. So now your only worry is - not the lack of subjects - but whether you have enough room on the page for all the subjects tumbling into your brain!

Finally, review as many articles or tips pertaining to your subjects, especially in your potential niche. This is what really tells you what the hot topics of the moment are.


Find A Special Niche
Because you have read up and studied the different topics, you gain that special knowledge and probably know much more about these topics than you realize. That gives you an “in” and, over time, you can concentrate on specialising. The demand for good ghost-writers is a large one, and steadily growing.

It can’t be said often enough, ghost-writing isn’t for everyone. You have to learn those things you must know in order to make a success of a full or part-time homebiz career. Always keep in mind the main requirement is an enjoyment of writing.

First Steps
Start any project off as though it were preparation for an interview. Write up a crib sheet with ten or twelve questions on a specific subject you might ask an interviewee Then by answering the questions yourself, you can expand on them to create your first rough draft. What follows is tight sub editing on each expanded question and then re-jigging their order of preference to convert them into your full-length article.

And, that’s how you create your career writing from home. You simply begin to meet the growing need for articles and reports. Whatever it is you write, a reputation based on the quality of your work, and the topics you ’specialize’ in, will, by word of mouth get around in the internet marketing circles.

You’ll develop a reputation based on the quality of your work, and the topics you ’specialize’ in. You can become part of the circle in creating content for these internet marketers who need more and more to place on their sites or send out to their e-mail subscribers.

You can start right where you are, and grow into your ghost-writing home business part time, choosing if and when you are ready to take the final steps into a full time career.

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