What Is Ghostwriting on the Web?

You may have noticed a change in our title banner… Yes, drum roll, please: Writing on the Web is now Ghostwriting on the Web.

This renaming reflects my career shift from Blog Squad and Content Marketing Specialist to Professional Ghostwriter. As the demand for quality content for professionals has skyrocketed and shows no signs of letting up, so has the demand for professionally trained ghostwriters.

Let’s face it, if you’re any kind of consultant, coach, trainer, author, or speaker, you probably tell yourself all the time how much you need more online content. Here’s what else you feel pressured about:

1. I really should publish a book, at least an ebook
2. I need to blog more often; once a month isn’t getting me traffic, I need weekly posts
3. I really must stay in touch with my newsletter subscribers
4. I need a system to manage my social media updates
5. My website pages could use an update
6. I could use a special report viewers could download so I can build my subscriber list
7. I’m so busy I don’t have time to write

Whoever said “Content is king,” didn’t mention that writing content is time-consuming, brain-busting, and burdensome. It also is a requirement for anyone with a website or online presence who needs to impress viewers and readers that they are credible experts in their field.

Solution: hire someone to do it for you. That’s what ghostwriters do. They write for you. The most common ones are called freelance writers and you can find them on any of the online sites. The big ones write books for Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump and may command $500,000 fees to start.

In between, there is a plethora of writers calling themselves ghostwriters with little training, because there aren’t any schools that teach such skills (except the one I found). So it’s really hard to pick the right one for your business.

I suggest that if you’re considering hiring ghostwriting services, read up on how they work and what you can expect. A starting point is Wikipedia, for general information on ghostwriting.

Everything I’ve been doing for the last 20 years has been ghostwriting for other professionals, even if I didn’t call it that. When I researched ghostwriting, I never found any sites that trained people until last year. I completed a year’s professional course through Cal State University at Long Beach and am now a Certified Ghostwriter. Not that a certification transforms one automatically to a whizz-bang writer. But I learned a lot about the book publishing industry, both traditional publishers and independent ones.

You’ve heard me frequently mention ContentforCoaches.com, the business I founded that offers subscription and customized writing services to executive coaches. This is an example of how professionals can acquire quality content at a cost-effective discount.

I’ll write further posts about professional ghostwriting and how and why you should seriously consider hiring a ghostwriter. For now, I’m simply announcing the shift in what services I offer. More to come, stay tuned.

Oh, I did want to share something with you. Whenever I tell people I’m a ghostwriter, they assume I write entire books for people. I do. But professional ghostwriting includes much more than writing full books as if in the author’s shoes. It also means professional editing and content expertise.

Sometimes people come to me with a vague idea, sometimes an outline, and other times a fully developed manuscript. As a ghostwriter, I step in and help make it more compelling. Ghostwriting services operate on several different layers, depending on the needs of the project. Therefore, fees can vary widely. The fees mentioned on the Wikipedia article are good guidelines, but every project varies, as you can imagine.

If you’re interested in learning more, give me a call at 858-224-5886. Tell me about your book, or your project. Let’s talk!