Ghostwriters: The Spirit Behind the Pen
Relatives I never knew existed attended my family's latest
annual reunion. All those rosy Irish complexions in one house?we
could have lit up an airport runway.
One of the relatives bravely attempted to break the ice by
asking what I do for a living. I told her I am a ghostwriter.
She blinked, furrowed her brow, and then politely asked, "Have
you seen actual ghosts?"
Instead of explaining what a ghostwriter is, I led her to
believe my work is that of a ghost hunter. Soon other relatives
crowded around to listen in awed silence to the amazing tales of
paranormal adventures.
The many beer bottles in the trashcan made them believers.
Unfortunately, my stuffed shirt older brother overheard. He told
them I write online articles for other people, the spoiled
sport. Nevertheless, the relatives and I had a good laugh.
People with online businesses use articles as free long-term
advertising to market their products. The article is not used to
directly sell the product. That job is left to the copywriters
and their magic words. The article discusses a topic related to
the product in question.
For example, say you sell a weight loss product on your Web
site. You have a great idea for an article topic: How an under
active thyroid gland causes weight gain and the best ways to
solve the problem. Being a brilliant person, you decide to hire
a ghostwriter to write the article for you. You give the writer
any information you have on the topic. The article is written.
You love it!
Here is the kicker: Your name, Web address, and a brief pitch
for your product is in the byline. You are the official author
of the article. You own the article. You can circulate this
article online and offline for as long as you wish.
An experienced ghostwriter is familiar with the mechanics
involved in producing a high quality article that you, the
businessperson, can use for years as an effective marketing
tool.
Keep in mind a good ghostwriter will cost you money.
Ghostwriters who specialize in writing book manuscripts charge
hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars.
A writer of articles costs much less. The average estimate is
between $50-$200, sometimes more.
I prefer to keep the small businessperson in mind. Who am I to
squeeze blood out of a client? I charge a flat fee of $40 per
quality article.
Thinking back, I wish I told my relatives my ghost stories were
not all made up. Spirits do haunt my home, usually late at night
while this ghost is hard at work at her keyboard.