How to Become a Ghostwriter for Beginners (Ghostwriting Step-by-Step) - Elna Cain (2024)

Ghostwriter. Ghostwriting.

You saw that online and are interested in wanting to be a ghostwriter, but not sure what it is, how to ghostwrite, how much money you can make ghostwriting and if it’s a real way to make a living writing.

As a professional writer since 2014, I’ve had some ghostwriting clients. All of them were influencers in their industry or small business owners wanting to start a blog on their business site.

Let me tell you right now that the ghostwriting rates you see online are highly varied. Being a ghostwriter typically means you can rate that type of writing much more than your bylined content.

But, freelance platforms take advantage of the varied rates and rate a ghostwriter as a low-paying writer.

This is not true on my end.

So, if you want to be a ghostwriter that actually makes decent money, there are a series of qualities you absolutely need to be an effective ghostwriter and a profitable ghostwriter.

Let’s first look at what a ghostwriter is and does and then go into how to become one!

Ghostwriter Definition

As a writer something that you might be interested in is becoming a ghost writer.

But, what does a ghost writer do? And what kind of ghostwriting jobs are there?

What is a Ghostwriter?

A ghostwriter is someone that writes copy like articles, speeches, books, blog posts, email newsletters, web copy, etc. and isn’t credited for that work.

The credit goes to your client or someone in that company or business that hired you.

The ghostwriter definition states that none of your work is credited to you. This means you cannot publicly share your client writing anywhere (unless your ghostwriting client gives permission).

You might be thinking – But Elna, how can I build my business without proof?

I’ll share that with you in a bit!!

First though, understand that the writing you do for a ghostwriting client will never have your name on it. Because of this, it’s known that you can rate your ghostwriting services much higher – some writer’s rate is 100% more – than your standard bylined (credited to you) rate.

I personally don’t increase my rates too much for my ghostwriting clients since most are already my clients!

Anyone can hire a ghostwriter. I have! If you have the budget and need a ghostwriter, then you can hire one. Anyone from authors to business owners to teachers and solopreneurs, the need is there.

You might also be called a ghost blogger. Ghost blogging serves the same function as ghostwriters – you write content for someone else and they credit the writing under them.

Many bloggers hire out ghostbloggers for their ghostwriting content on their blog.

Why Become a Ghostwriter + How Much Do Ghostwriters Make?

If you aren’t allowed to showcase your ghostwritten work on your writer website or portfolio site, why become a ghostwriter then?

The biggest reason is that ghostwriting jobs are more lucrative than other jobs like I provide – blog writing. You can grow your freelance writing business or take the next level by going this route.

Another reason why you might want to be a ghostwriter is that once you’re done with the work (and the client likes it), that’s it. There is no need to promote your client piece on social media.

And another big reason to start ghostwriting is that there will be less research overall. Your client has to supply you with the research material. So, you save the time from doing all that research yourself!

Finally, being a ghostwriter can help you and your freelance writing business in many ways. You get to learn how to communicate with clients better and help them open up you. Your writing also becomes better over time since you have to learn how to write in other people’s voice effectively.

Okay, so now the question is, how do you become a profitable ghostwriter?

How to Start Ghostwriting

Let me say that since I’m not a ghostwriter, the steps I lay out are what I feel would help you become blog ghostwriters that can make money. The steps are more challenging than becoming a freelance writer as you will see shortly.

1. Be a Freelance Writer First

Yes, to be a profitable ghostwriter, it’s a good idea to be a freelance writer first. This is how I broke into ghostwriting for influencers.

My high-paying clients also hired me to ghostwrite or had colleagues that needed a ghostwriter.

Being a freelance writer builds your credibility easily. You don’t have to market much on offering ghostwriting services. Prospects can see the value of your writing easily.

Being established also helps with networking.

When you are attracting your ideal client, it’s easier to land that ideal ghostwriting gig. I can’t go into detail on how to become a freelance writer, but the general steps are in my free course.

Make sure you have a writer website set up so that you can start showing your value as a high-paying writer. This is ultimately the first step (once you decide you want to be a freelance writer or ghostwriter and know the niche topics you want to get paid for).

If you need help in the tech part of setting up a website, I have Writer Website in a Weekend for you!

2. Be a Freelance Editor First

Okay. If you feel you don’t want to market yourself as a freelance writer, why not become a freelance editor instead? Many freelance editors edit books, and it’s a great lead-in to your ghostwriting services.

Sometimes the client may add your name as one of the authors as a “with” notation or as the editor.

In any case, since you are editing your clients’ projects, it’s not a huge leap to let them know that you are more than happy to help them ghostwrite a book for them if they want to produce more books in the year or don’t have the time!

3. Get Comfortable Writing Big Projects

The most lucrative ghostwriter is one that ghostwrites books. Doctors, financial advisors or attorneys hire ghostwriters to write their books or memoirs. Kelly James-Enger is a profitable ghost writer, and she says, she makes a healthy living as a ghostwriter writing health books, business books and memoirs.

This is around $3k a month just for ghostwriting. If you mix this with your regular freelance writing clients, you can make a killing!

Writing books is a separate skill than writing blog posts or articles. Personally, I’ve only taken one book project, but it was only 10k words. I have a harder time writing more than that.

That is probably why my freelance writing course is a course and not an eBook. I enjoy writing shorter content vs. full books.

4. Write a Book or Two

Many ghostwriters are also authors. Many of them find that being a ghostwriter fits perfectly with their business. So, if you’re a freelance writer that also wrote a book, you can be a ghostwriter too!

Again, this gives you more practice on how to write a book and the steps involved in book writing.

And while there are ghost writer clients that seek out blog writing or other types of shorter content, it may not be as profitable than ghostwriting books.

5. Learn How to Write For Someone Else

This skill is one of the hardest skill for many writers. Crafting your own voice as a freelance writer or as a blogger is important for the success of your business. But, if a big chunk of your service is going to be ghostwriting, then you need to be a chameleon and fluid with your writing.

Being able to adapt to other writing styles is imperative to be a ghostwriter.

My writing voice is very conversational for my blogs and a little less for my client pieces. If I decide to hire a ghostwriter for one of my blogs, I usually give them links to the type of writing I want.

Some people or businesses will give you a writer guideline that gives you more information about the client’s voice.

As the ghostwriter, it’s up to you to familiarize yourself to the project and person. Read their content, follow them on social media, read their books, join their email list and get to know that person as much as possible.

From there, you might want to give that client a small sample of your ghostwriting to see if that client approves.

You don’t want to accept the gig and write out the first chapter in their voice, only to have them say that is not their voice.

It’s a big undertaking to adopt another person’s voice. If you don’t get it right, you run the risk of presenting your client (if it’s an autobiography for example) as more or less than what he/she is.

Take Donald Trump for example. He hired Tony Schwartz to ghostwrite ‘The Art of the Deal’. Schrawtz did a phenomenal job writing that book for Trump and it made Trump look like an expert negotiator. But, by the look at of how President Trump handles negotiations, you can see that what Schwartz wrote in that book isn’t reflective of the true qualities of his client.

I have not read the book and I don’t know the history of Donald Trump. But from the Tweets and newspaper articles of Schwartz ousting Trump, I can see how this ghostwriting project wasn’t authentic to the client’s true voice.

Just something to think about!

How Do You Market Yourself as a Ghostwriter and Gain Ghostwriting Jobs?

How can you market your services without showing your work on your writer website? There are some ways to get around this.

Guest Post Ghostwriting Content

Just like I let new freelance writers know that guest posting is the best way to build your portfolio, it’s the same for ghostwriters! Just make sure only to write content about ghostwriting.

Some blog post ideas might be:

• How to Hire a Ghostwriter
• How a Ghostwriter Can Create Their Writing Voice
• How Do You Ghostwrite a Book?
• 5 Mistakes New Ghostwriters Make

The list can go on and on.

The point is, if you want to start out as a ghostwriter, you can’t rely on your client pieces to market your ability to ghostwrite. But, you can market your education and knowledge about ghostwriting via guest posts.

Provide Help on Facebook As a Ghostwriter

Facebook is a great social media platform to connect with others. You can join Facebook groups for writers or solopreneurs/entrepreneurs and search ghostwriting threads or pay attention to threads about ghostwriting.

Here is one ghostwriter’s break into ghostwriting:

From there I would add my expertise as a ghostwriter if there are questions about hiring a ghostwriter, what a ghostwriter does, or if it’s beneficial to have a ghostwriter.

Say You’re a Ghostwriter for Hire

A great way to let everyone know is to market yourself as a ghostwriter for hire on social media.

From your Pinterest bio to your Facebook Page About section to your Twitter bio and more make sure to put ghostwriter in your bio. Tell others what you do on social media. This will help attract the right type of clients or just get the buzz out there that you are offering ghostwriting.

A plus is if you identify the exact service you provide like ghostwriting books for authors or ghostwriting content for small businesses.

Here is an example of using Twitter to market your ghostwriting services:

How to Land Gigs When Ghostwriting

Okay. Now, you might be wondering, how do I find work as a ghostwriter? Finding ghostwriting jobs won’t be difficult if you already laid the foundation like becoming a freelance writer or writing a book or two.

Leverage Your Existing Clients

If you are already a freelance writer, a freelance editor or an author, I suggest you look at your inner circle of contacts and network.

This is how many ghostwriters get their big break.

Don’t be hesitant to pitch to:

• Existing clients
• Friends
• Family
• Other writers
• Authors

Cold Pitch to Small Business Owners

Remember what I said about the types of clients that hire ghostwriters are? Many are doctors, attorneys, dentists, and other small business owners.

Maybe there are some new start-up app companies in varying niches like health apps, productivity apps, organizational apps, IoT apps, etc.

See if they have a website and if they need a ghostwriter not just for blog writing, but for their email marketing or landing pages.

You can also pitch to solopreneurs like someone who has an essential oil business, or a coaching business and see if they need help with ghostwriting a book or blog content.

The point is to reach out to these businesses and offer your services. It’s probably a good idea to follow them on social media first and sign up to their newsletters. This tactic is leaning more on warm pitching than a cold pitch, but since I prefer warm pitching, I feel it’s a better way to go.

Be Picky About Job Boards

I’ll be the first to say that while I feel job boards are a good entryway for a new freelance writer, it may not be for a ghostwriter. Jobs on many job boards may want a cheap ghostwriter.

You want to be selective in the type of job boards you go to.

Contena

Contena is a paid job board, but the gigs on this platform are usually higher-paying and are properly vetted. I have a post that talks more about using Contena, but I wanted to share with you how you can find ghostwriting gigs using Contena.

Now, Contena doesn’t have a ghostwriting section on their platform, but a great way to connect with brands is to use their leads section.

Contena tracks companies that hire writers. You can feasibly find some companies to collaborate with and pitch your ghostwriting services to them (since you know they hire writers anyways).

This is also a very fast way to find companies for cold pitching as a freelance writer!

All Freelance Writing Job Board

I like this free job board because it’s been vetted and it’s selective. You know you’re only getting the best gigs on this job board. The only thing is, it’s not frequently updated and there aren’t a lot of gigs available.

There might not be any ghostwriting gigs as well, but that shouldn’t stop you from pitching. As I mentioned, if you are already an established freelance writer, then you can pitch to these gigs and let them know the types of services you offer and mention ghostwriting as one!

Types of Ghostwriting Jobs

1. Fiction Ghostwriting Jobs

While this isn’t a popular type of ghostwriter, you may find some occasional fiction based ghostwriting jobs. For example, here is one on Upwork (which is a freelance marketplace platform that I don’t recommend, but can be okay for those first few writing jobs).

2. Song/ Rapping Ghostwriting Jobs

Did you know that you can be a ghostwriter for rappers or singer? This can be a lucrative type of ghostwriting job for you. While these types of jobs probably won’t be published on job boards, it’s best you network and get to know people in the music industry if this is something you really want to do.

3. Ghostwriting eBooks

As I mentioned before, the best type of ghostwriting job you can pick up is writing eBooks for others. Companies have ebooks, coaches, authors, teachers, etc… There will be no shortage of work if you decide to focus on eBook ghostwriter jobs.

4. Ghostwriting Speeches

One way you can land a ghostwriting gig is to write a speech for a family member. If someone you know has to publicly speak in their town, why not offer to help them write the speech?

You can ask them questions, get to know the ghostwriting project and create a heart-warming – or powerful – ghostwritten speech!

5. Ghostwriting Autobiographies

Most people assume that autobiographies are written about the person who “wrote” it – but the truth is, many people seek an objective perspective when penning the story of their life.

That’s where a ghostwriter comes in. They can take a person’s life story and write it in a way that’s not biased.

6. Ghostwriting Scripts and Screenplays

Scripts and screenplays aren’t just a Hollywood necessity nowadays. With more people making their own videos, they are seeking scripts written by outsiders.

As a script ghostwriter, you may be tasked with writing scripts for product announcements, how-to videos and website openers.

7. How-To Manuals Ghostwriting Jobs

If you’re more of a technical writer, you can land some pretty high-paying gigs writing how-to manuals for companies and manufacturers.

Oftentimes, companies will look for someone that can explain how to operate their product in a user-friendly manner..

8. Ghostwriting Newsletters

Whether in print or by email, many businesses and sites send out regular newsletters to their subscribers and audience.

This could involve providing updates, writing articles and coming up with tips and tricks.

9. Case Studies Ghostwriting Jobs

Case studies are an effective sales tool used by businesses who want to share their customer’s success stories.

You could be hired to take a customer’s positive experience and craft it into a case study that may be used on a site or product package.

10. Ghostwriting White Papers

White papers are documents that inform readers about an issue and how the company or business can solve it. They are designed to help the reader understand the issue, solve the problem or make a decision.

As a white paper ghostwriter, you will be tasked with taking company information and organizing it in a way that speaks to your client’s target market.

11. Ghostwriting Medical Documentation

Even the highest authorities in the field of science, research and medicine may not have what it takes to effectively write journal articles and medical reports – or they may just not have the time.

They will often hire ghostwriters to take their findings and ideas and create an article that will share their information with other professionals as well as the general public.

12. Ghostwriting Business Reports and Records

Businesses move at a fast pace nowadays and often don’t have time to write out meeting minutes and notes.

As a business report and records ghostwriter, you could be hired to type out meeting notes in industries from law to the government.

13. Social Media Ghostwriting Jobs

Although social media ghostwriting may be included in the role of a social media manager, some companies may simply be seeking someone who can write copy for their Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter accounts.

This type of copy is unique, as it is short, concise and must engage the reader quickly – prompting them to take some sort of action.

14. Ghostwriting Blog Posts and Articles

Perhaps one of the most popular ghost writing jobs is writing blog posts and articles for sites.

Many businesses are turning to blogs in order to improve their credibility and SEO ranking. Many of them, however, are not able to write their own content or don’t have the time.

Ghostwriting blog posts and articles involves being able to research a topic, provide solid sources and format the post so that it is readable and well organized.

15. Ghostwriting Online Course Material

In a lot of cases, those who want to teach online have the knowledge but struggle with creating the written content.

It’s often in their best interest to hire a ghostwriter who can write the material, which then can be easily compiled into an online course.

16. Ghostwriting Landing Pages for Business Sites

Landing pages are pages that provide information about a company, a course or a lead magnet. It is an informational piece that educates the reader and explains how that particular business or service can solve their problems.

First impressions mean a lot online, so companies are always eager to hire good writers to make them, and their services, sound good.

Can You Make a Living as a Ghostwriting?

I mean, how common is ghostwriting? You would be surprised.

There are just as many ghostwriters as there are freelance writers. Many freelance writers are ghostwriters and vice versa. Does that mean is ghostwriting common?

I feel freelance writing is more common in the online writing world, but ghostwriting songs might be hugely common.

But, is ghostwriting illegal or ethical? No it is not illegal and it is considered ethical. The only exception is if you are paying someone to take a test for you or do your homework for you as a student. It would also be illegal if you forged your writing when it was someone else’s. With ghostwriting clients they pay for your ghostwritten work and assume it as their work. That is not forgery.

So, can you make money ghostwriting? Yes, you can, but it may be harder to get to that point – depending on your clients.

In the beginning you may pick up ghostwriting gigs on writing blog posts or articles. While this may be lower-paying, it does give you experience writing in someone else’s voice.

If you can get in the author circle, then you can ghostwrite for authors. This is very lucrative. But, if you just look at job boards and find any ghostwriting gig, you won’t grow your business or make this a go for very long.

What I’m trying to tell you is to really hone down on the type of client that seeks out ghostwriters. While I do mention that anyone hires ghostwriters, only pair yourself with the ones that are high-paying!

I feel the most successful way to break into ghostwriting is to already be an established writer, editor or author.

This at least shows credibility in your craft and you may have a small network of clients you can lean on for more work or referral business.

Common Questions About Ghostwriting (Q/A)

1. How much money do ghost writers make?

The market for ghostwriters varies and the rates for ghostwriters fluctuate as well. For example, you may find a ghostwriting job to do blog posts but the pay is minimal – $50 a post.

Or, you may find a huge brand needed ghostwriters to write gift guides and the pay is $800 per gift guide.

So a lot of the time, it’s the type of client that dictates how much money you will make ghostwriting. Of course, as I stated in my post, the best type of ghostwriting job is ghostwriting books.

2. Is being a ghost writer worth it?

That’s a great question! For me, it’s not.

Why? Because I’m a freelance writer and a blogger and I want to grow a community or following. My brand is me and that means I need to be known.

As a ghostwriter you don’t disclose who your clients are, making it hard to show credibility.

But, if you want to be anonymous or just don’t care to be known all around the internet, then ghostwriting would be worth it for you.

3. Who uses ghostwriters?

Aside from celebrities or singers using ghostwriters to write songs or autobiographies, authors need ghostwriters, blog owners, entrepreneurs, coaches, dentists, lawyers, and other service providers.

If someone isn’t a great writer, they can hire a ghost writer to help them create content – a book, an online course, an email and more.

Ready to Ghostwrite?

The path to being a successful ghostwriter is similar to the path to being a freelance writer. The main difference is how to prove yourself as a great ghostwriter. In the post, I do mention some marketing tactics like calling yourself a ghostwriter for hire.

In any case, don’t shy away from taking freelance writing jobs with a byline! This is great for marketing your business that can even grow your ghostwriting business!

Over to you – are you a ghostwriter? Do you offer ghostwriting services?