How Ghost Writing Articles And Booklets Can Earn You Big Money!
Do you want to make $5000, $10,000 or more every month as a freelancer? Does your current published materials earn you that much or are you still struggling looking for new jobs every month? Well, ghost writing articles and books for businesses could earn you a lot of money and end your painful quest for writing jobs.
Making money as a freelance writer can be tough especially for newbies with no samples or prior experience. Most editors want published writers with a proven track record. And the few acceptances you will receive may get you paid $50 or $100 an article. With these figures you can only imagine whether you can make a living freelancing.
Well, its not all doom and gloom as there are other better alternatives. One of these, is ghost writing of articles, books, manuals, e.t.c. for business for fees ranging from $500 to $5000 or even more for big work. A single how-to article could be ghost written for businesses for a fee of $1500 or $3000 depending on the work involved writing and the publications placed in. Surely this is much more than many magazine and newspaper editors pay for single articles from newbies. Sell four or five articles per month and you can consider going full time into freelancing.
GETTING STARTED
To begin with, you need to identify a niche area of you expertise .It could be in medical writing, business writing or a narrow area which you are knowledgeable in or you can make easy inroads into. Not that this limits your market potential but having a niche area of specialization would make it easier to operate, as you will be constantly drawing ideas from a rich and ready knowledge base.
Next, you should research a few ideas and convert them into a few how-to articles in your market niche. Post the finished articles to article submission databases such as:
- http://www.ideamarketers.com
- http://www.marketing-seek.com
- http://www.goarticles.com
- http://www.ezinearticles.com
- http://www.articlecity.com
Use the published articles as samples of your writing ability and work. At the same time the articles will be picked and published in hundreds of ezines and high traffic sites, thus gaining free publicity for you and your business.
FINDING BUSINESS
To get business you will need to send letters or e-mails to your local businesses and even those beyond with proposals to write articles for them. Explain to them the benefits of your business such as boosting their business's image and credibility as well as generate leads for later follow - up. Enclose a few samples, a tentative contract agreement and a cover letter.
You can also purchase or rent business names and addresses from direct mail list brokers, fish out names from your business and yellow pages directory.
Before writing to them, you could do some background check and find out the status and details of the business. If they have a website, you could check it out and get the name of their marketing executive. Address your letter to him/her and offer to call or visit for a detailed business presentation. For businesses which are far away, you could refer them to you website or offer to send them more information by post or e-mail.
WRITING THE ARTICLE
Once you have secured the business's acceptance and you have signed a contract, you should ask them to send to you brochures, press releases, manuals, e.t.c. Write down a list of questions and send to the marketing executive seeking answers about the business or industry.
You can also do further research at the local library, online libraries and databases and read trade and industry publications for further information to write an outline for a how to-article.
However, do not make a mistake to think that the article will be about your client or load it with so many facts that bore you reader. That could be suitable for a custom -made booklet, manual or newsletter for the client. For articles, it is a different matter. Offer tips, solutions to consumer or business problems or give a valuable insight into a common issue or problem. The article could be about self-improvement, making more money, improving health, planning finances, training e.t.c.
The article would contain the client's by line and bio. The bio would explain briefly who the client is, the client's websites URL and e-mail address. This is very useful and will be the centrepiece of the credibility and viral marketing campaign.
Once you have written the article, you need to send a draft to your client for suggestions and revisions. Adopt the suggestions, proofread it and prepare a final draft. Send the final draft to your client and post it to article databases, ezines and syndicates online and offline. In the course of time, the article will be distributed and circulated online and off generating wide publicity for you client.
How long should the articles be? For how-to articles 500-750 words is the standard but where the subject needs exhaustive treatment 1000 to 1500 words is good length. For a higher word count, you should advice your client to consider an ebook, booklet or book. Of course, the longer the article, the higher the fees.
SETTING YOUR FEES
There is no standard way of pricing your article writing services. You should set your fees based on the research work involved, the hours you spend on the work, and expenses involved in producing and publishing the article and a profit.
For a 300 to 500 words article $200 to $300 is fair but as the word count leaps into the hundreds, figures of $1500 to $5000 are reasonable. To convince your customers to cough such amounts, you will need to tell them the benefits of your service and business promotion through articles. You could also offer them various packages laden with bonuses and offers. For example, I offer a package, which includes paid placements to article databases and syndicates, ezines solo ads and press releases writing and posting. All this is done to assure the client cheap maximum and wide exposure no matter what. For booklets and ebooks of less than 50 pages, rates of $3000 to $10,000 are not uncommon. For books a ghostwriter may be paid anything from $20,000 to $100,000 depending on expertise, length and research involved.
At those rates obviously, you will not get everybody in, but for prospective clients who are used to paying hundreds of thousands in advertising dollars they would see it s reasonable and beneficial in the long term.
To ensure that you do not miss business from those who have small budgets to spend on promotion, you can structure your packages according to ability to pay. Those who pay less would get good exposure with no assurance of leads while those who pay more will get an almost guaranteed response.
BENEFITS
Everyone wants to know how he/she will benefit from a product or service. For yourself as a freelancer, you will get booming business and enjoy making money as a freelance ghost writer. You will get more business by collecting and showing testimonials of your satisfied clients and establish a reputation as a prolific writer.
For the clients, you will need to explain to them the benefits of your service. Here are some benefits you can tell them:
- Free publicity to millions of prospects online and offline.
- The published articles may be used by the client to mail to existing and prospective customers as a free service, building credibility and a positive image of the business in the process.
- Leads will be generated for future follow -up. Enquiries will be made about the business and some sales will be made.
- The publication of the article online which contains relevant keywords with the clients website URL will increase its link popularity and improve its search engine ranking. This may bring in more targeted visitors to the website.
- The client will be given progress reports for at least six months on the places where the articles has been published .You can inform him/her to also search for it on search engines using his/her by-line or article title.
The article could provide spin-offs for other article ideas, which you could slant for various businesses and markets. You could also write new articles every month, post them to article databases and send to prospective clients with a cover letter to market your services.
This ghost writing service could be very lucrative. You could earn tens of thousands of dollars every month from it. You could even get clients worldwide through your website and e-mails to direct response mailing lists.
Only the sky the limit!
About The Author
Abdallah Khamis Abdallah is a freelance copywriter and ghostwriter. To learn more about how you and your business can benefit from our viral and credibility marketing solutions, and how your business can benefit from infinite publicity visit his website at: http://www.qualitywritingsolutions.com.
 Google News Updated : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:44:32 GMT As Rays Come of Age, Torre Likes Their Look - New York Times
New York Times - By TYLER KEPNER LOS ANGELES - For the first 10 years of their existence, when they never won more than 70 games in a season, the Tampa Bay Rays faced Joe Torre more than any other manager. Rollins leads off Game 5 with homer Rollins, Phillies lead Dodgers in Game 5 of NLCS Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:11:08 GMT Feds investigate failure of Washington Mutual - International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune - AP SEATTLE: Federal authorities said Wednesday they have opened an investigation into the failure of Washington Mutual Inc., the largest bank failure in US history. Federal Investigators to Examine Washington Mutual Washington Mutual's Failure Under US Investigation (Update2) Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:10:47 GMT Maddon Sticks to ‘Plan,’ Giving Ball to Kazmir - New York Times
New York Times - By JOSHUA ROBINSON BOSTON - Tampa Bay Rays Manager Joe Maddon has always disliked last-minute adjustments. So when he threw the Boston Red Sox a curveball on Wednesday by announcing that he was changing his Game 5 starter, Maddon said it was always ... Rays will go with Scott Kazmir in Game 5 Rays continue Cinderella story Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:11:08 GMT FCC report: White space devices work as "proof of concept" - Ars Technica
Ars Technica - By Nate Anderson | Published: October 15, 2008 - 06:08PM CT The FCC's Office of Engineering Technology has released its long-awaited technical report (PDF) on "white space" prototype devices, and the conclusion comes right up front: "At this juncture, ... FCC Chairman backs use of "white space" spectrum FCC Gives Whites Spaces a Boost Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:12:55 GMT McCain, Obama get personal in final debate - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - HEMPSTEAD, NY (AP) - John McCain told Barack Obama to his face Thursday night, "You didn't tell the American people the truth" about a key campaign pledge as the two presidential rivals slung accusations at close quarters in the final debate of their ... McCain, Obama tussle over backing Bush’s policies Obama Widens Lead as Americans See `Serious' Crisis (Update2) Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:02:37 GMT Paramount to release fewer films, cut 25 DreamWorks employees - Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times - By Claudia Eller, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Looking to cut overhead and operating expenses after the recent departure of DreamWorks co-founder Steven Spielberg, Paramount Pictures plans to release fewer films, consolidate operations and slash 25 ... Spielberg back in fold Paramount cuts films, jobs Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:58:16 GMT Omar grows into Category 2 hurricane in Caribbean - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - CHRISTIANSTED, US Virgin Islands (AP) - Heavy rains and winds pummeled St. Croix on Wednesday as the outer edge of powerful Hurricane Omar drenched the island, stranding motorists on flooded roads and forcing workers to shut down a giant oil refinery. Video: Hurricane Omar Nears Caribbean Islands Omar Strengthens in Caribbean, Aims at Virgin Islands (Update4) Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:42:51 GMT Amazon Associate Store |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... It's true, we were all taught in school to express... Read More I want to tell you how I go about writing... Read More Several correspondents to our newsletter, AdBriefing, say that they are... Read More You only have an instant to capture your prospect's attention.... Read More Having worked as a digital publishing specialist at a large... Read More As with any business, becoming a freelance business plan writer... Read More I know, I know. Times are tough. You have to... Read More Knowing how to write, and write well, is a skill... Read More Sometimes learning what not to do is as important as... Read More One of the biggest challenges a copywriter faces is to... Read More Think you have what it takes to be a freelance... Read More 1) Don't just hire a good designer. Hire someone who... Read More Would you like to get more sales from your online... Read More You've done it. Gotten that press release written. Now you're... Read More I confess--I'm a marketing heretic! I've built my career on... Read More Most of the sales pieces people ask me to rewrite... Read More Looking for inspiration for your next marketing communication? Try the... Read More Freelance children's writing positions are always advertised. Rather, the schooling... Read More If you write for a living, you deal with deadlines.... Read More Most of us spend our days persuading others to buy... Read More The single most important element of your website's copy is... Read More Every salesperson and fledgling copywriter hears the harangue: DON'T SELL... Read More When you are going to write a press release probably... Read More When you're writing or evaluating copy for a B to... Read More Is it out there? The chance to be a freelance... Read More
Adsense
websites
Is Your Web Copy Plain Talk?
How To Write Powerful Headlines
Kick-Starting Body Copy
The Lead: Sinking The Hook Into Your Prospect
Designing for a Non-English Audience
How You Can Become A Freelance Business Plan Writer
Six Reasons You Don?t Need a Technical Writer (and Why They?re Dead Wrong!)
How Writing Radio Can Help You Become a Better Writer
Common Mistakes That Can Kill Your Web Copy
Copywriting FAQs
5 Critical Mistakes Most Freelance Copywriters Make
9 Tips for Great Design of Your Marketing Materials
7 Easy Tips on How to Improve Your Sales Letter Instantly
Are You Making These Press Release Mistakes?
Can Honest Copywriting Succeed?
The Biggest Mistake Copywriters Make
A Copywriting Lesson from Dr. Seuss
How You Can Find Freelance Children?s Writing Positions That Will Last
When Panic Attacks Writers
Better Copy: The Interview is the Key
3 Tips For Writing Better Headlines
How to Build Benefits from Features Fast and Easy with the Solution Approach
How to Develop a Killer News Hook
Boost Your B to B Marketing Copy: 3 Major Copywriting Blunders and How to Correct Them
Can You Become a Freelance Copywriter in Los Angeles?
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Are You Asking the Right Questions in Your Copy?
It's a common approach to writing copy. You begin by... Read More
Freelance Writers: Double Your Income
Freelance writers are a strange group of people when it... Read More
How To Really Connect With Your Customer In Your Copywriting
One of the least talked-about areas in copywriting education is... Read More
Is Your Content Provider Selling You Ripped Content?
Ripped content: well the term itself is self explanatory. Content... Read More
10 Keys to Copy That Sells!
Whether you're selling a product or service, the 10 tips... Read More
Copywriting: Secrets of a Freelancer
Lately, I've been getting emails from other copywriters who ask... Read More
Copywriter Rates, Getting The Facts Beforehand
Have you ever had the experience of hiring a freelance... Read More
Grammatical Mistakes DONT Sell
When you receive a sales letter with typos or grammar... Read More
Who is Your Customer?
When you want to sell something?anything? you need to first... Read More
Write Benefits in Your Headlines to Deliver the Dream!
When you create headlines, do you put benefits into your... Read More
Is Your Web Copy Plain Talk?
It's true, we were all taught in school to express... Read More
Dont Be Satisfied With Your First Draft
Sometimes it's a struggle to figure out what's the best... Read More
Impulse Writing for Better Ad Headings
Writing headlines for your ads is the most important part... Read More
Stop Chasing Away Customers! Bad Copy is Your Worst Enemy
Every day, more and more of us begin new online... Read More
Magic Words That Sell and What Words to Avoid
We all know words are powerful. Whether written or spoken,... Read More
5 Deadly Copywriting Mistakes That Kill Sales
Chances are that you are making many, if not all,... Read More
Six Reasons You Don?t Need a Technical Writer (and Why They?re Dead Wrong!)
I know, I know. Times are tough. You have to... Read More
Four Simple Steps to Improve Your Sales Copy
You know what it's like, you're reading the sales material... Read More
Website Promotion: 10 Secret Motivational Triggers That Make People Buy
Unless you know the secret motivational secrets that make people... Read More
Writing Tips for Your Website
Now that your website is up and running, it's time... Read More
Organizing Your Data to Write Better Copy
Last quarter I talked about interviewing / gathering data. So... Read More
On Copying and Stealing Designs
The notion on the great artist, Pablo Picasso's quote, "Bad... Read More
Kick-Starting Body Copy
Several correspondents to our newsletter, AdBriefing, say that they are... Read More
Top 7 Things To Do Before You Hire A Copywriter
Now that you've decided to hire a copywriter, how do... Read More
Freelance Copywriters on the Internet: How to Tell the Difference Between Heaven-sent and Hack
If you're hunting for a good freelance copywriter and have... Read More
Copywriting |