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.