The very best products to sell on line are e-books and software. This is because you have no production or shipping costs and the whole sales process is automatic.

On top of that, it's fairly easy to outsource the creation of the product. This releases you to concentrate on where the real money is: marketing your product.

Want proof?

I'm sure you would agree Bill Gates hasn't done too badly, yet he has software written for him. Sure, Bill can write software, but he sensibly allowed another experienced professional to write the Windows operating system, whilst he got on with the more important task of marketing the product.

So the result is that Bill Gates is just about the world's richest man. The latest edition of Forbes Magazine's 400 Richest People In America reports he's back on top with $51 billion. And, whilst the software writer was well paid, he's only worth a fraction of this.

Fortunately, there are some great writers out there, happy to sit for hours tapping away, whilst others get on with figuring out how best to sell what they are writing. Put these two groups together and you have a marriage made in heaven -- provided you (as the commissioning editor) do certain specific things properly.

Having your book ghost written is not a new concept. But the internet now allows us to commission work from writers in any part of the planet, via one of the many on line sites, bringing together writers and publishers. The even better news is you will own the copyright, as if you wrote it yourself.

Probably the most popular website is: http://www.Elance.com.

Similar sites include: http://www.ContactedWork.com http://www.Guru.com http://FreelanceWorkExchange.com.

If you want to become the next Bill Gates, try: http://www.RentACoder.com.

These sites allow you to post details of your project, for which their panel of writers will then bid.

Take care to frame your post from the point of view of the writer and give full details, such as the subject of the work, the approximate length and the price you have budgeted. Your aim is to appear businesslike and reliable, so that you attract the good, experienced writers.

For the same reason, don't specify an immediate start. That could stop good writers from bidding, because they're currently involved in other projects. It might also attract bids from wanabee writers in little demand, whose sole merit is being able to start immediately.

One of my students thought he would give such a new writer a break and never heard from them again.

A good tip to eliminate inexperienced writers is to describe your project as a simple task for an experienced writer.
As a preliminary safeguard, these sites grade writers, based on publisher's feedback. Take care though, because they also grade publishers, based on the writer's feedback!

Here's an even more specific way of checking out writers -- and seeing if you can work in harmony with them. Initially, only ask for writers to write a series of two or three 600 word articles on the subject you plan for your e-book.

Remember, a book is little more than a series of extended articles, called chapters, so this will be a good test to demonstrate that the would-be writers understand how to structure an article or chapter and follow an idea in a logical manner.

Then evaluate each article on quality of writing, timely delivery and ease of working with the writer as a person.

The cost of the articles won't be wasted, because you can eventually use them to generate interest in the book and you'll probably find it actually saves you time and money by eliminating false starts and rewrites.

Always send the losing bidders a brief note of thanks. It keeps the door open on the relationship, because you never know when you might want to commission work from them in the future, even if your chosen writer is a rip roaring success.

For example, you may want to work with another writer, if you have a very specialised subject -- say for a niche market. You'll always get a better job from a writer with some experience of the subject, rather than a writer who has to research everything from scratch.

You might even find it so profitable having books ghost written, your existing writer's output can't keep pace with your ideas and you need to hire extra capacity!

In the second article in this two part series, we'll look at how to work effectively with your chosen writer.