A beginner’s Guide to Ghostwriting

How to make money from your writing.

When I first got to the university, people were intrigued by the fact that I was a writer. They were even more intrigued when they realized that I was doing it for free and had no side hustle whatsoever. Everyone from my roommate to my friends, even distant colleagues had something to suggest. I took a lot of advice, had quite a lot of guidance, but I was still lost for the longest time. Now that I’ve managed to find myself again, I decided to share some of my “hacks” with you guys:

· Build a portfolio

· Carry your business on your head

· Create a blog

· Set up a LinkedIn account

· Watch tutorial videos or take a course

· Ask questions

· Be Patient.

Build a portfolio

Ghostwriting spans across various genres and art forms. You could end up being a ghostwriter for a blog, a fiction novel or a biography. But before you launch into the ghostwriting scene, you need to store up some evidence. You can write, can’t you? Definitely! But an employer isn’t going to believe you just because you say you can. You need proof that you can write beautifully and that’s where the portfolio comes in.

You can create a google drive link or have a google sheet where you keep links to your write ups, essays and articles. Write on your preferred niche and keep the writeups together in a folder. Whenever you do bump into a potential client you can just send them the link to these works. If you want to ghostwrite a billionaire romance novel for instance, write an outline and a few chapters that’ll correlate with that outline. Make sure you have at least two sets of samples before applying for jobs.

Carry your business on your head

No one ever became a successful ghostwriter by moving in silence. If you know you’re ready for jobs, then start telling everyone you’re ready. Tell your friends, say it on X, say it on snap as well. Make it clear in your social media bios that you’re a writer who is ready to work. You can add a link which contains your CV, portfolio, certificates and past reviews if you have any. If you’re looking to ghostwrite articles, you can design a flier and have your friends and family repost it until it reaches a potential client.

Personally, I got my first ever client through a referral. A friend of mine outsourced a job for me. I know it can be intimidating, being a novice in a world full of writers with long-term, high-profile clients but even they started somewhere. Don’t be scared to step out in faith. You’ve got this.

Create a Blog.

A lot of people get jobs because of their strong social media presence. If you’re really passionate about your niche and you’re looking to make money off of it, you can start a blog to advertise your work. There are a lot of different platforms you can use for this, but I suggest medium and Substack because they’re more popular these days and you’ll be exposed to a bigger audience. Post regularly and engage with your audience. You could also offer writing courses or collaborate with other writers who specialize in your niche. If you’re popular enough, your blog will speak for you, and you might not even need a portfolio. You could also post content on other apps such as X and Instagram.

Set up a LinkedIn Account.

LinkedIn isn’t just a good place to find ghostwriting jobs, it’s also an app where you can connect with other writers and learn from them. If you make it clear that you’re open to work, you’ll be exposed to various opportunities from different organizations, firms and publishers. Other writers can also refer you to jobs they think you’re qualified for and if you set up your profile nicely, employers will be drawn to your account.

Watch a tutorial or take some courses.

I understand that a lot of you here might be new to ghostwriting. You don’t know the techniques and you want to write on certain things, but you don’t know how to go about it. I’ll be covering more about writing styles and niches in my subsequent articles but for now you can learn more about ghostwriting on YouTube. You can also follow trusted writers on Instagram and other apps so you can learn from them as well. If you’re willing to go the extra mile, you can pay for a course on your preferred niche and get a certificate. Learning from someone else saves you the trouble of making numerous mistakes and it’s always nice to have someone guide you through something new. Even if you’ve been writing for years, I do recommend educating yourself on your niche before stepping into the ghostwriting world.

Ask Questions.

I promise, if you don’t ask anyone questions before you start looking for jobs, you will regret it later. The thing about writing is that on social media, we only ever hear from the people who have blown up or made it. No one knows what they actually went through to get there, we’re all just seeing the “five easy steps” they post on their socials.

Ghostwriting can be overwhelming for beginners and for pros. There will be jobs that’ll require you to write every single day for a certain period of time (maybe a month) with no breaks. There’ll be jobs where you can rewrite an outline twenty times and it still won’t be accepted. If you don’t want to have someone run off with your manuscript or steal your outline, then you need to reach out to experienced writers. You can join a writer’s community, message someone on LinkedIn or just ask in an X post. If you ask around, someone with a good track record will definitely answer you.

Be patient

A lot of people will tell you that it’s easy to make money from writing. Lmao, no, it is not. It’s easy for people who have been doing it for years and who have built their presence in their selected industry. And while it isn’t impossible, finding a job at first will definitely be strenuous and tiring. You will be frustrated.

Just like starting a business from scratch, ghostwriting will be tricky at first. Clients will ghost you (no pun intended), run you street, pay half your money and not agree to pay the rest, make inordinate demands or have you rewrite twenty chapters. It can take a while to hear feedback or get “reviews” and it won’t always be a pleasant experience.

But if you stick it out long enough, it’ll be worth it. You could be accepted into a company, find your own string of trusted clients and maybe you’ll be the one writing the “how to” articles someday. I’m rooting for you! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or send an email. Thank you so much for reading and Goodluck with your ghostwriting journey!