Is ghostwriting the best for me?

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Hannah (real name withheld) has been into article and blog writing for two years now. As a matter of fact, she gets lots of jobs from clients whom she developed long-term working relationships with. Her hands are always full, and sometimes she outsources some of the jobs.

Hannah makes a reasonable amount of money from the writing jobs. But she has been in that cycle of; long-term clients reach out to her, send her writing jobs, she submits, and they pay her off. That cycle is starting to bore her as she wants to be seen. She wants her writing to be appreciated beyond the pay.

She sees other people talking about their published works and being applauded for their creativity, and she starts feeling envious.

“I don’t even know if I am a good writer”, she said to me.?

“But, I know I have a thing for writing. Some of the clients don’t even give me feedback after I submit a piece to tell me what they like or what they don’t like about my work.?

“Most times, I don’t know what my article looks like after it has been published. The last time I decided to find an article I wrote using a plagiarism tool, I saw my sweat proudly published in the name of another person”, her email to me read.?

“I feel I am missing out on something. I feel like I am being cheated out of something that rightly belongs to me. I know I agreed to this ghostwriting relationship, but what do you think I should do? Is ghostwriting the best for me?”

I know many writers like Hannah. I also know what it feels like because I was once like Hannah.?

Ghostwriting is a thing and will remain a thing way in the writing industry because not everyone can write their piece by themselves and many people are open to being outsourced writing jobs. While it might be a great option for some people, it might not be the best for others, like Hannah.?

First, let's clear your confusion on what ghostwriting means.

What is ghostwriting?

Ghostwriting is the act of hiring someone else to write for you, after which you pay off the person without having to credit them for the work - this means the work doesn’t get published in their name. The person paid to do the writing job is called a ghostwriter.

Many people hire ghostwriters to write their eBooks, scripts, blogs, web content, etc., after which they pay off the writers.?

Suffice it to say that most writers start their writing careers as ghostwriters. There is nothing wrong with that, especially if you only need to make some money. But, if you want something in your name, you may want to go beyond ghostwriting.

Who is ghostwriting for?

There is no “one-size-fits-all” answer to this question. However, ghostwriting makes a lot of sense for people who offer services like copywriting and people who write content like product pages and landing pages. Most times, copy, and pages like that don’t demand crediting the writer or an “author name”.

Ghostwriting may also be ideal for you if you are only doing writing as a side job (i.e., you already have a job and is into writing just to earn some extra cash and not to build a career in it).

But, ghostwriting may not be the best for you if:

• You want to build a solid career in areas like article/blog writing
• You want to be a well-known writer
• You want to write for bigger, popular websites

(Note that there are always exceptions, but it is important to think about the career path you want to take and start making plans on how to get to where you want to be in the future).

I always wanted my articles to be featured on the top big health websites one day. So, I had to take up a job with a smaller website even though it paid me lesser than my ghostwriting jobs and build my way up from there.?

Today, I am happy I took that decision because working with a website that published my works in my name and taught me a lot of things I didn’t know about writing helped shape my writing career. That decision has brought me much closer to my career goals.

What to do to break out?

I understand that you want to make a name for yourself in the writing industry; you want to have works published in your name, but you don’t seem to know how to break out. Here are some things you can do:

• Check out for websites that accept guest posts and publish in the writer's name; you may not get paid, but it is a good place to start having some works in your name (e.g., All Things Freelance Writing, KevinMD.com, SocialMediaToday, Mindbodygreen, Mailjet and MakingDifferent)?
• Create a simple personal blog and publish your content
• Take up writing internship roles that are open to publishing your content in your name; you will most likely improve your writing skills while at it.?
• Look out for new websites or smaller blogs accepting writers; it is easier to work your way up from there
• Write your own books and have them published in your name (check out Goloko Dairies a publishing company or reach out to @Denu (Vour) Bon).
• Some websites accept articles and pay for them while still crediting the writer; you can submit pitches to such websites (e.g., Giddy and Smashing Magazine)?
• Write and publish on platforms like Medium

It will also help to learn some basic SEO skills because most websites will require that their writers understand the role SEO plays in the content they create. If you also decide to create a personal blog, you will need SEO skills to grow your blog site and have it rank on Google.

What next?

When you build your portfolio, you may want to start applying to write for your dream websites. Once you have some great works published in your name, it makes it easier to have the bigger websites accept you to write for them. From there, it becomes a more seamless ride for you!

Last Note: Have you read our previous edition on what to do when you can’t find a writing internship? You may want to read it. It offers a practical guide for people who want to improve their writing skills but can’t afford to pay for a writing course and can’t find writing internships either.?

Also, please read, comment, like and share this newsletter!

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