What Is Ghostwriting? Definition + How to Make a Career Out of It

Many brands, companies, and nationalist figures employment ghostwriters to make content. This signifier is besides communal among publication authors and publishers.

But what is simply a ghostwriter?

In this article, we specify ghostwriting and outline its pros and cons. We’ll besides research however to take it arsenic a career, positive tips and tools to marque you a palmy ghostwriter.

What Is Ghostwriting?

Ghostwriting is the signifier of creating written contented for idiosyncratic else. But dissimilar different writers, ghostwriters don't person recognition for their work. 

Ghostwriters are professionals who nutrient articles, blog posts, achromatic papers, oregon different types of contented nether idiosyncratic else's name. Simply put, they don't get an writer byline.

For example, a CEO whitethorn prosecute ghostwriters to trade thought enactment pieces, achromatic papers, oregon concern books. The CEO past publishes the contented arsenic their own.

Similarly, a wellness institution whitethorn employment ghostwriters to trade articles and societal media posts. The byline goes to a physician, nurse, therapist, oregon aesculapian professional. The writer receives fiscal compensation for their work.

Ghostwriting tin beryllium a lucrative career, depending connected your skills and expertise. Some ghostwriters are highly specialized successful a peculiar area, similar wellness oregon technology—which allows them to complaint premium rates. 

Who you enactment for matters, too. It's 1 happening to ghostwrite for Fortune 500 companies and different to trust connected contented mills.

But wherefore would idiosyncratic prosecute a ghostwriter?

For starters, galore radical deficiency the clip to make content.

Returning to the supra example, CEOs and different leaders pb precise engaged roles. They often juggle aggregate projects and teams, and penning is not a priority.

Plus, they whitethorn not person bully penning skills. Someone tin beryllium a large talker oregon an accomplished person portion being incapable to constitute professionally.

No substance the reason, these radical and companies volition wage for your services. You conscionable request to enactment yourself retired determination and beryllium you're the close idiosyncratic for the job.

The Benefits of Ghostwriting

Most ghostwriters are self-employed. They make their ain docket and hand-pick their clients.

Ghostwriters besides acceptable their rates—according to PayScale, the mean basal complaint successful the US successful 2024 is $26.40 per hour. Some writers reportedly complaint up to $83.69 hourly, depending connected their acquisition and the task requirements.

Carol Tice, the laminitis of Make a Living Writing, says it's communal to complaint $35,000 to $50,000 for a publication ghostwriting project. The process usually requires moving with institution leaders, doctors, attorneys, oregon governmental figures.

That's a batch of money. And you tin enactment remotely. 

Other imaginable advantages to being a ghostwriter include:

• Building relationships with manufacture leaders
• Working connected a wide assortment of projects
• Writing antithetic types of content, from editorial pieces to movie scripts
• Getting paid whether oregon not the contented makes money
• Anonymity, which tin beryllium adjuvant erstwhile penning astir delicate topics

It's besides worthy mentioning that you often won't request peculiar credentials to participate this field. A grade whitethorn springiness you a competitory edge, but it's not needfully a requirement. But this volition often beryllium connected the industry. 

Drawbacks of Being a Freelance Ghostwriter

One of the biggest disadvantages of ghostwriting is that you don't get recognition for your work. You could constitute an award-winning publication for a client, and nary 1 volition ever cognize your name.

Plus, you whitethorn conflict to find work. The manufacture is precise competitive, with thousands of writers vying for the aforesaid portion of the pie.

You should besides see the pursuing downsides:

• Making a sanction for yourself tin beryllium difficult
• When the enactment is scarce, you whitethorn person to constitute astir topics you're not funny in
• You indispensable travel directions and whitethorn not get originative control
• For the astir part, you won't person royalties
• Your enactment whitethorn ne'er get published

As a freelance ghostwriter, you're besides liable for the concern broadside of things. Meaning you person to physique your portfolio, marketplace yourself, and bash your taxes.

There are besides concerns regarding ghostwriting ethics. Which brings america to the adjacent point.

Is Ghostwriting Ethical? 

Most employers necessitate ghostwriters to participate into a nondisclosure statement oregon contract. By signing, you hold to support confidentiality and person your enactment published nether the client's name.

From this perspective, ghostwriting is some ineligible and ethical. The lawsuit uses the contented with your permission, and you springiness up your copyright.

However, ethical issues whitethorn originate successful immoderate situations.

For instance, world ghostwriting is often considered a signifier of plagiarism. Students who edifice to this signifier prosecute idiosyncratic other to bash their work, similar penning an effort oregon a dissertation paper. 

The discourse matters, too. Consider these 2 scenarios:

In Scenario A, the entrepreneur takes undeserved recognition for idiosyncratic else's work. Both parties got what they wanted, but John's actions were ethically wrong—none of the ideas successful the publication belonged to him.

In Scenario B, John gets actively progressive successful the penning process. The ghostwriter helps him convey his connection accurately and successful a mode that resonates with the people audience. The last enactment demonstrates the client's ain experience.

As a writer, you tin take the projects you privation to enactment on. It's up to you to determine what is ethical and what is not. 

Further reading: Most Common Legal Aspects of Blogging and Content Marketing

How to Become a Ghostwriter

Now you cognize the reply to “What is ghostwriting?,” let’s see however you could marque a vocation retired of it. 

There isn't lone 1 way to becoming a ghostwriter. Your nonrecreational background, penning experience, and concern goals tin each play a part.

Generally, the archetypal measurement is to physique a contented portfolio. If you’re a freelance writer oregon editor, you astir apt already person one. 

Here’s an illustration of freelance ghostwriter Satta Sarmah Hightower’s portfolio, organized by manufacture types: 

Set up a website, blog, oregon dedicated level to showcase your work. You whitethorn besides adhd a abbreviated bio and different applicable information, including your skills and the industries you serve.

Next, scope retired to imaginable clients connected freelance websites, societal networks, and different platforms. For example, connected LinkedIn, Indeed, oregon Glassdoor. 

Building a beardown online beingness is conscionable arsenic important. One mode to bash that is to perpetually stock meaningful contented and prosecute successful conversations connected societal media. 

Let's sermon successful item the cardinal steps to becoming a ghostwriter.

Assess Your Skills and Qualifications

As an autarkic ghostwriter, you won't usually request a ceremonial degree. Unless you take to enactment successful method fields like:

• STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)
• Medical/pharmaceutical industry
• Grant writing

For example, science writers often necessitate a bachelor's grade successful subject oregon engineering. Medical writers whitethorn request a postgraduate grade successful a applicable tract oregon nonrecreational acquisition successful healthcare, wellness sciences, oregon related industries.

It's besides indispensable to person beardown writing, communication, and probe skills. A originative mind, adaptability, and captious reasoning are important, too.

Create a Writing Portfolio

Important: You can't stock ghostwritten enactment to your penning portfolio without your clients’ consent. That's wherefore you should see a portfolio support clause successful your contracts.

Also, purpose to make further penning samples that bespeak your work, interests, and/or expertise.

If, say, you constitute blog posts for wellness brands, people akin contented nether your sanction connected your tract oregon third-party portfolio platforms.

For instance, Clippings.me, Journo Portfolio, and Authory alteration writers to make an online portfolio. Here you tin adhd a abbreviated bio, enactment samples, and links to your societal media pages.

Below is simply a portfolio illustration from Clippings.me:

Alternatively, acceptable up a portfolio website utilizing a content absorption strategy (CMS) similar WordPress, Squarespace, oregon Wix.

To turn your reach, taxable contented to Medium, Thrive Global, oregon LinkedIn Publishing. These online publishing platforms person an established assemblage and tin assistance you summation exposure.

Moving forward, present are immoderate adjuvant tips to physique a beardown portfolio. 

Only see your champion work. There's nary request to stock each portion of contented you create, particularly thing that falls extracurricular your niche.

Let's presume you privation to ghostwrite for tech companies. Showcase your apical tech articles successful your portfolio to show your expertise.

For instance, publication ghostwriter April Tribe Giauque shares contented samples accompanied by writer testimonials. 

A imaginable lawsuit won't attraction astir that effort you wrote backmost successful college. And they won't work those posts you wrote for a landscaping concern erstwhile enactment was scarce.

Keep It Relevant

When gathering your portfolio, inquire what is simply a ghostwriter’s circumstantial intent for your manufacture and people audience.

Why would a imaginable lawsuit wage for your services? What benignant of contented would they expect to see? How volition they usage it—and why?

Returning to our supra example, a tech institution whitethorn people contented to make leads, physique marque awareness, oregon nurture its customers.

So, marque definite your enactment samples align with your audience's needs.

Expand Your Reach with Guest Blogging

Guest posting, oregon impermanent blogging, involves publishing contented connected different sites. Writers tin usually see a bio and 1 oregon much links to their websites, portfolios, oregon societal media pages.

If done right, impermanent blogging tin assistance you summation exposure, get a byline, and scope a wider audience. Over time, you tin marque a sanction for yourself and thrust postulation to your tract oregon blog.

The cardinal is to people contented connected high-authority websites—like Entrepreneur, Forbes, Inc., AllBusiness.com, oregon VentureBeat. These person a bully estimation and a ample readership, making it easier to get your ft successful the door. Plus, the links you’ll get from them could boost your SEO efforts. 

Consider utilizing Semrush's Domain Overview to measure these sites’ show successful hunt results.

First, you’ll request to place ones that judge impermanent posts. Ideally, absorption connected those successful your niche. 

To compile a database of imaginable sites, benignant a keyword related to your manufacture positive 1 of the pursuing presumption into Google's hunt bar:

Next, spell to Semrush’s Domain Overview tool. If you don't person a Semrush account, you tin make 1 for free. Or opt for a escaped trial.

Enter immoderate domain sanction oregon website URL into the tool. Select your market’s determination and click "Search."

Semrush volition make a show study with the applicable stats.

Check the “Authority Score,” which estimates a site's wide prime and SEO show from a people of 0 to 100. The higher the number, the better.

Further reading: Semrush Authority Score Explained

For example, Forbes has the highest Authority Score of 100, meaning visitors and hunt engines spot it.

Now, click the "Compare domains" tab adjacent to the "Overview."

Let's accidental you privation to spot however Forbes compares with AllBusiness.com. Enter the URL successful the "Add competitor" field" and click "Compare."

As you tin see, AllBusiness.com has an Authority Score of 44 and little postulation than Forbes. 

Use this information to find wherever you should people your content. Returning to the supra example, scope retired to Forbes and different sites with a higher Authority Score (50+) first.

Leverage Social Proof to Build Credibility and Trust

Reviews and testimonials service arsenic societal proof, showing imaginable clients that radical find worth successful your services.

Ask your clients for their feedback. Then, stock it connected your portfolio tract and societal media pages to physique credibility.

Here are immoderate examples from Emily Thompson, an experienced copywriter and blogger:

Joni Rodgers, a palmy ghostwriter and novelist, worked intimately with the likes of Paris Hilton, Don Lemon, Elizabeth Smart, and Ndaba Mandela. Many of the books she wrote became planetary bestsellers.

Her portfolio website features publication images and reviews from satisfied customers.

If you don't person a portfolio website, stock lawsuit reviews connected your LinkedIn oregon Facebook page. Link to the reappraisal leafage from Authory, Clippings.me, oregon different platforms wherever you showcase your work.

Find Ghostwriting Opportunities

Once your portfolio is live, look for ghostwriting gigs connected freelancing marketplaces similar Guru oregon ProBlogger. Set up a illustration leafage highlighting your expertise and links to published work.

You could besides connection ghostwriting services connected cheaper platforms. Gradually summation your rates arsenic you summation reviews from satisfied clients.

Here’s what established nonrecreational ghostwriter Nick G charges:

An adjacent amended enactment is to scope retired to imaginable clients connected LinkedIn oregon via their websites. 

Focus connected firm executives, pb editors, and heads of marketing. For lawsuit Arianna Huffington, the laminitis of The Huffington Post. Or Roula Khalaf, the main exertion of the Financial Times. 

Craft a missive of instauration (LOI) oregon a abbreviated transportation to present your skills and experience. Write a fewer words astir however your services could payment the companies. 

Think of yourself arsenic a merchandise and item your unique worth proposition (UVP). Which could be:

• Expertise successful a circumstantial field, specified arsenic aesculapian ghostwriting
• A unsocial penning dependable (think of Toni Morrison, Stephen King, and different celebrated authors with distinctive voices)
• Experience with circumstantial lawsuit types similar fintech startups oregon realtors
• An quality to make audiovisual contented that complements your writing
• Your inheritance successful SEO, integer marketing, oregon circumstantial technologies

Add a nexus to your portfolio and societal media pages. Don't disclose your ghostwriting fees yet—wait for a reply and sermon rates privately.

Should You Join a Content Mill?

Content mills are online platforms that supply companies with blog posts, articles, oregon societal media content. They employment hundreds of thousands of ghostwriters, offering dependable work.

The downside is that astir contented mills wage precise little. They purpose to churn retired arsenic overmuch contented arsenic possible, adjacent if that means sacrificing quality. It's not uncommon to gain $0.02 to $0.05 per word.

For example, Textbroker pays $0.011 to $0.055 per word. That's $11 to $55 for a $1,000-word article.

Other platforms wage more, but inactive little than the manufacture average.

Content mills tin beryllium an enactment for galore writers, depending connected their terms. An vantage is that galore connection dependable enactment and person debased introduction requirements. 

As a novice writer, you tin articulation these platforms to make your skills, marque other money, and find a niche you’re passionate about. 

It’s besides worthy mentioning that immoderate contented mills let you to prime the assignments you privation to complete. Others volition delegate you 1 oregon much topics arsenic they rotation in. The erstwhile usually let much flexibility. 

If you're a skilled writer with immoderate years of experience, besides see tapping into different enactment avenues.

Reach retired to selling agencies oregon media outlets, registry connected occupation hunt sites similar Indeed oregon Glassdoor, oregon motion up connected FlexJobs, People Per Hour, oregon Toptal to link with imaginable clients. 

Examples of Successful Ghostwriting Projects

Did you cognize that immoderate fashionable books are ghostwriting projects?

Carolyn Keene, the authoritative writer of the "Nancy Drew" enigma stories, is fictional. A group of ghostwriters wrote the series.

James Patterson, a bestselling writer of over 300 publications, collaborated with Maxine Paetro, Mark Sullivan, and different talented writers. All books appeared nether his name. 

After the "Flowers successful the Attic" writer Virginia Andrews died, "The Devil's Advocate" writer Andrew Neiderman completed her last unfinished book and published respective others nether her name.

Singers, actors, politicians, and different influential radical enactment with ghostwriters, too.

For example, rapper Jay Z wrote the opus "Still D.R.E." for Dr. Dre. While writer and screenwriter Elise Allen wrote the caller "Elixir"—credited to histrion Hilary Duff. 

5 Tools to Help with Ghostwriting Content

Running a ghostwriting concern doesn't person to beryllium difficult. 

The key? 

Create high-quality content, physique nonrecreational connections, and continuously amended your skills.

You tin besides usage contented tools to fine-tune your enactment and get much done successful little time. Here are a fewer options:

You tin entree astir each the supra contented instauration tools with a escaped Semrush account. Sign up contiguous to marque your penning basal out.