Seven Fruitful Tips To Ghostwrite Books Fitted Clients As A Freelance Member of the fourth estate
Posted on Feb 20, 2011 07:13:19 PM
Serious freelance writers be versed their income may draw near from other sources, not just now essay articles for magazines or clients. After all is said, their freelance poetry leads to novel books or e-books as regards themselves or as ghostwrites. If you settle to ghostwrite e-books and calling paperbacks due to the fact that clients, mull over the following:
If a patron hires you as a “work-for-hire” ghostwriter, then the patron pays you since your pressure, and he owns all rights. Occasion dependable: 1) You receive a 50% retainer previous to you in the toil; and 2) You undergo the steady at or righteous beforehand delivery. That’s it. If the volume turns out to be a excessive attainment, great! That’s wonderful! You should be unusually proud — but from a footage! To be a loaded ghostwriter, you must from your glory as a ghostwriter in the shadows. Innumerable ghostwriters prefer it that way.
I skilled in a great spieler in the perseverance who commands $10,000 or more per speaking engagement. He is miraculous to hear to and orderly more dynamite to read. Anyhow, he doesn’t disparage his books alone. He contributes to them but he not in a million years writes any of them himself. His ghostwriter, Shelly, is known only to a infrequent writers in a close-knit hack’s group. Why does Shelly frustrate this keynoter pick all the refulgence since her work? She is distressingly shy and exceptionally talented as a writer. She at one go said, “I am where I impecuniousness to be and he is where he should be.” If you are current to ghostwrite, stay where you associated (invisible) and accede to payment for the pain in the neck as payment enough free essays great depression.
FOREWARN #1: As a ghostwriter, you should always try to chance on the needs of the true “inventor” of the work. Front the contentment they lust after and do your largest to make out the patron happy.
ADVICE #2: As with writing any book, ghostwriting involves a heap of revisions and changes as more remote visible as two months, firstly if the book needs to go from stem to stern an reviser or publisher. You should create changes as needed. However, don’t wait on settled payment if your client hasn’t received decisive countenance from his publisher.
TIP #3: Evermore write your ghostwrites as if they are your own. Make out with blue blood and professionalism in mind.
PRESENT #4: Never sign a non-compete come down with on the enslave of the book. It is bats representing the customer to ask but crazier for you to do it. If a client asks for everybody, walk away. You arrange your own function to protect as extravagantly as the client’s work. Recollect the saying, “to thine own self be verifiable”? Grammatically, in theme, there’s no truer statement.
POINTER #5: You thanks to the shopper singular job and the shopper you wield suitable owes you bills repayment for a function well done.
LITTLE SOMETHING #6: If your customer is displeased with the culminate result, ordered after he’s paid you, make it bang on for the client. Satisfied clients as a rule change rehearse clients; they will pen up you steady work and referrals.
GEN #7: Ponder using a pen pinpoint as a ghostwriter. Jeanine Anne, a freelance wordsmith and ghostwriter, said she uses a confine appellation when she ghostwrites. She said, “I’ve written most of my ghostwrites and presented them to my clients secondary to my impound pre-eminence, Jeanine Anne. In the beginning, if someone decides to spam me, there’s no badness done to the reputation as a service to which I make a note my own moil under. Secondly, when I record recompense a client, I possess no point what the shopper determination do to the hold down a post, after all it is his creation in days of yore it leaves my hands. The client may augment glad which I may not like or he may put in black something that is not my latest thing of writing.” This is something to recall if you make out in behalf of clients as ghostwrites. The client hires you to do a job and the client owns the wield after it leaves your hands.
Seven Useful Tips To Ghostwrite Books For Clients As A Freelance Writer
Posted on May 12, 2009 12:52:19 PM
Serious freelance writers know their income may come from other sources, not just writing articles for magazines or clients. Ultimately, their freelance writing leads to writing books or e-books for themselves or as ghostwrites. If you decide to ghostwrite e-books and trade paperbacks for clients, consider the following:
If a client hires you as a “work-for-hire” ghostwriter, then the client pays you for your work, and he owns all rights. Make sure: 1) You receive a 50% retainer before you begin the work; and 2) You receive the balance at or right before delivery. That’s it. If the book turns out to be a great success, great! That’s wonderful! You should be extremely proud — but from a distance! To be a successful ghostwriter, you must enjoy your glory as a ghostwriter in the shadows. Many ghostwriters prefer it that way.
I know a great speaker in the industry who commands $10,000 or more per speaking engagement. He is phenomenal to listen to and even more dynamite to read. However, he doesn’t write his books alone. He contributes to them but he never writes any of them himself. His ghostwriter, Shelly, is known only to a few writers in a close-knit writer’s group. Why does Shelly let this speaker take all the glory for her work? She is painfully shy and exceedingly talented as a writer. She once said, “I am where I need to be and he is where he should be.” If you are going to ghostwrite, stay where you belong (invisible) and accept payment for the job as payment enough.
TIP #1: As a ghostwriter, you should always try to meet the needs of the true “author” of the work. Cover the content they want and do your best to make the client happy.
TIP #2: As with writing any book, ghostwriting involves lot of revisions and changes as far out as two months, especially if the book needs to go through an editor or publisher. You should make changes as needed. However, don’t wait on final payment if your client hasn’t received final approval from his publisher.
TIP #3: Always write your ghostwrites as if they are your own. Write with quality and professionalism in mind.
TIP #4: Never sign a non-compete contract on the subject of the book. It is crazy for the client to ask but crazier for you to do it. If a client asks for one, walk away. You have your own work to protect as well as the client’s work. Remember the saying, “to thine own self be true”? Well, in writing, there’s no truer statement.
TIP #5: You owe the client exceptional work and the client you work for owes you money for a job well done.
TIP #6: If your client is dissatisfied with the end result, even after he’s paid you, make it right for the client. Satisfied clients usually become repeat clients; they will bring you steady work and referrals.
TIP #7: Consider using a pen name as a ghostwriter. Jeanine Anne, a freelance writer and ghostwriter, said she uses a pen name when she ghostwrites. She said, “I’ve written most of my ghostwrites and presented them to my clients under my pen name, Jeanine Anne. First, if someone decides to spam me, there’s no harm done to the name for which I write my own work under. Secondly, when I write for a client, I have no idea what the client will do to the work, after all it is his work once it leaves my hands. The client may add content which I may not like or he may write something that is not my style of writing.” This is something to remember if you write for clients as ghostwrites. The client hires you to do a job and the client owns the work after it leaves your hands.
You can find many ghostwriting gigs on .FreelanceWriting.com, Elance.com, Guru.com, GetAFreelancer.com, Indeed.com, .WritingCareer.com, and CraigsList.com. The other way is to create your own ghostwriting gigs by networking and marketing.
The Reality Of Publishing Your Book
Posted on Apr 1, 2009 02:26:24 PM
According to a recent survey, more than eighty percent of Americans want to write a book. This shocking statistic is somewhat puzzling because the National Endowment for the Arts estimates that only fifty-seven percent of Americans have read one book in the last twelve months!
What is it that makes people — even non-readers — want to put pen to paper?
Perhaps it’s the desire for fame and fortune. Maybe it’s the need to earn respect from others. Or maybe it’s the hopeful wish to leave some mark on the future, a permanent record of a life lived.
Whatever the reason, for those who actually complete a manuscript, the odds of seeing it published by a reputable book publisher are slim to none.
For the estimated two million manuscripts that authors complete, there are only 64,000 publishers of record, and only a fraction of those publishers actively seek new manuscripts.
So what are the millions of hopeful authors to do?
The first step would be to ensure their manuscripts are the best they can be. This is usually accomplished by re-writing, editing, and proofreading by an outside firm or by a well-read and literate colleague.
Even then, most of those two million books stand no chance of being accepted by a traditional publisher. Authors who do make the cut are not necessarily the best writers, but rather they are writers who can sell themselves and their stories most convincingly.
Some authors, after rejections from the trade, will find themselves victims of vanity publishers, who take advantage of the hopes and aspirations of writers to extract an exorbitant fee to publish their book. Writers are better off publishing through firms like iUniverse and Lulu. Although their books will likely never see wide distribution, at least their losses will be minimal.
Finally, there are the select few who decide to become publishers themselves, even if it is only to self-publish their own book. These self-publishers will find great obstacles, and a great deal of work in this route. The challenge and reward of having one’s success or failure entirely in one’s own hands is a powerful feeling.
Whether they choose to publish electronically, or use short run printing service like Lightning Source, or even to go full boar with a print run of 1,000 or more, their success depends on how well they sell themselves and their story to others.
There’s an age-old debate about which method is better; using a publishing company or self publishing your own book. You know your situation and you know what will work best for you. You’ll want to consider how much time or money you have to invest in the project. That should give you an idea as to which route to take. Using a publisher takes less time on your part, but you’ll forfeit some of the royalties by using this method. If you self publish, you’ll have to pay “up front” and do the initial work to get the ball rolling on sales of your book.
If you are about to embark on a new manuscript, educate yourself thoroughly about the industry, its scams, and potential pitfalls. More importantly, learn to market yourself well, for this, more than any other skill, is the determining factor in your success or failure.
How To Generate Repeat Sales With Your Self-Published Book
Posted on Mar 18, 2009 06:52:26 PM
The most valuable thing you can collect if you are selling your book from a website when a visitor comes to your book’s sales site is not their money… it’s their email address and/or other contact information.
If you have no clue how to create a website, do not worry about feeling intimidated. It is actually a lot easier than you think. There is a simple site that teaches people all about creating websites for free at .LissaExplains.com
You can also learn a lot by doing a search for a phrase at Google.com like “how to make a website” and “free html tutorial.” You will find tons of very good free training that way and can learn how in no time. Anyone can learn the basics of creating a website in just one day.
Ok, back to collecting your website visitors contact information.
I know, I know you’re probably saying… “I’m an author. I want to write my book, sell my book and become a recognized expert. WHY do I need to get their contact information?”
The simplest answer is: Because you will NOT become wealthy from the sale of your book. You will become wealthy and achieve celebrity status through the ongoing relationship you build with your readers.
If you don’t know who they are, how can you continue to keep in touch with them &ndash and they with you.
If you’re an expert on the subject and they already have your book, don’t you think they’ll want MORE information and MORE books from you?
ABSOLUTELY!
Your book makes you an expert on the subject, your interactions and relationships will propel you to a recognized expert and position you for long-term success &ndash not just a one-hit wonder.
The service you need to collect email and contact information and automatically respond to the person is called an Autoresponder.
There are paid autoresponders and free autoresponders. Normally the free autoresponders paste their own marketing message at the bottom of the emails you send out.
Not the best scenario, obviously, but if you want to do this will limited or no upfront investment then a free autoresponder service will work just fine until you start to see profits coming from your book.
The service I use is a paid service called Aweber. It is located at .aweber.com
Do your own research and find a company that meets your needs. I recommend this service because it’s been around for a long time and many of my high quality marketing friends recommend this to their clients and wouldn’t continue to do so if it was a shoddy service.
What should you do with your autoresponder service when you get it?
1) You should place at least 1 or 2 “sign up” boxes on your book’s sales page. You can offer an ongoing “newsletter” or “ezine” (as it’s called online). Or you can create a “special report” related to the subject of your book and offer it free to anyone who signs up.
The purpose of this sign up is to capture “visitor” information. This way even if the visitor doesn’t order your book, you still have their contact information and can keep in touch to promote your book and yourself to them on an ongoing basis.
Maybe they won’t buy your book, but because of your newsletter or special report, they might recommend your book to family and friends.
2) After PayPal.com and before your download page.
When looking at PayPal.com, we saw that after they took the person’s payment for your book, they would send them back to your website.
The first page the person &ndash now a client &ndash should see is a “register” page. This page can simply ask for their name and email or you can have optional fields like address, phone number etc. Obviously the more information they are willing to provide the better for future contact with them.
This is a different list than those in #1. #1 is a list of people who visited your book’s website who may or may not have purchased your book. These people are registered buyers.
History proves that it’s far easier to get current clients to order more from you than trying to get someone who hasn’t already ordered. Both lists are valuable &ndash but this one is the most valuable to you for ongoing success.
How To Become A Bestselling Book Author
Posted on Jan 10, 2009 10:44:27 PM
What IS a best-selling author?
You have to answer that in your own mind.
Technically, it’s any book that makes it into the Top 100 list at ANY online or offline bookstore.
However, what does it mean to you?
Is it someone who sells 300-500 books in a day through online bookstores like Amazon.com and makes the top 10?
Is it only the person who makes it to #1?
Is it the person who sells their book from their own website and makes $10,000 in a few months?
Or does it have to be a specific list… like the New York Times best seller list?
What does it mean to you?
It’s a tough call. But you CAN have it all.
Selling your book through an online or offline bookstore will mean less money for you upfront, but will provide you far more leverage in the long run.
Selling your book from your own website and taking your own orders will mean far more money in the bank for you initially, but you’ll have to work a little harder on the back-end to get the recognition you deserve.
Both ways work. Neither way is right. It’s really what’s right for you.
Let’s talk about the steps necessary to make your book a bestseller whether you want to do it through an online bookstore or from your own website.
1) Pick the specific day you want to become a best seller.
Focusing on a specific day is what provides you the leverage to sell a large amount of books quickly. Selling 500 books over 6 months is not as impressive as selling 500 books in one or two days.
2) Create your “what’s in it for me?” offer.
Your book is a valuable resource for your clients. But selling it alone puts it up against all the other books already on the market for your subject. I don’t like those odds.
What you need is something “extra” — something that really let’s the perspective buyer know that you want to help them.
If you were to sell your book (for let’s say $20) and then offered everyone who purchased your book on the specific day you decided on in step 1 around $200 in bonuses from experts… do you think they’d be more likely to buy? And buy on that day?
Of course they would.
This is the step where you stop thinking about you and start thinking about the group of people you want to help by writing this book in the first place. Think of everything you can possibly offer to add value to your book and build a powerful arsenal of tools and resources.
When the potential buyer asks, “What’s in it for me?” (which they always do)… give them TONS of answers.
3) Use the 12-step method to create a promotional sales letter.
Now that you’ve answered the “What’s in it for me?” question, use the 12-step process to build a sales letter site for your book that explains it to the potential buyer.
They have a problem in their life. Your book is going to give them a solution for their problem… and a whole lot of “extras” if they buy on the specific day you’ve selected.
Tell them &ndash using the proven 12-step process.
4) Leverage the relationships you’ve built.
Now, simply go back to the experts who provided you the bonus items for your book promotion, let them know the day you have picked as your bestseller day and ASK them if they would help you promote it on that day.
GIVE THEM A FREE COPY OF YOUR BOOK.
Don’t be stingy. These are experts who have earned the right to be called an expert. You are asking them for a favor. Be generous enough to let them read your book first.
If you can afford it, send them a physical copy. If you can’t, email them a digital copy with a short, concise explanation of what you are doing.
Pick a specific day to target your focused effort. Give an overwhelming amount of bonus reasons for people to buy your book on that day; and then leverage the relationships with experts to get them to help you promote your book.
Why would they want to? Some will want to give back for the success they’ve earned. Some will want to because by doing so their bonus item is getting in more people’s hands (and their bonus item promotes them).
What will these experts use to help promote your book?
You guessed it… the “list” of their current clients.
Authors 25, 50 or 100 years ago would buy out their own first printing to make it appear their book was popular. Many “best sellers” used this tactic to get the Best Seller status so publishers would contract with them for future titles.
Tricky? Maybe. Successful? Absolutely.
Now it’s your turn.
Now that you know HOW to become a best seller, let’s address where to become a best seller.
Right now the 2 most popular bookstores for running best seller campaigns are Amazon.com and BN.com (Barnes and Noble).
To get your book listed in Amazon.com you can either:
Purchase the $149.95 option from Lulu.com for Global Distribution. This will get you listed in all major online and offline bookstores or go to Amazon.com and do it yourself.
If you take the “do it your self” route at Amazon, be sure to join Amazon.com’s Advantage Program. They will walk you through the process of signing up and getting your book listed in their store.
If you want to get listed in Barnes and Noble (online or offline), then visit BarnsandNobel.com.
Lulu.com will make both of these a simple process because you’ll already have an ISBN and you can order just a few books initially to get started with Amazon.com and/or Barnes and Noble.
Let’s talk through a few examples of how the Best Selling promotion may work:
1.) Leverage experts
We’ve already covered this one.
If I was writing the Pet Name book, I could find experts who are currently providing products and services to pet enthusiasts. Ask for bonuses and/or content from them. Then let them know the day I’m going to promote it and ask for their help.
I would provide them a digital or physical copy of the book to review. I would also ask what I could do to assist them. I’ve got to make it worth their while to help me.
2.) Leverage businesses
Rather than relying on 1 sale at a time from individual readers, I could approach businesses that sell pet-related products and see if I could get a licensing agreement with them where they buy a large quantity of books at one time.
I could sell 500 books to 500 different readers or I could sell 500 books to 1 or 2 pet stores.
3.) Leverage home town support
If it’s a localized subject &ndash like a travel guide to North Carolina beaches &ndash you could focus on specific businesses along the North Carolina coast to promote your book.
You could also contact local radio and/or TV stations to get publicity for your book promotion.
The biggest key to your best selling book promotion… don’t just go through the motions. Make It An EVENT! And have FUN with it.
Should I Self-publish Or Pitch My Book To A Publisher?
Posted on Dec 29, 2008 12:15:59 PM
You’ve spent many nights working on your book. You’ve rewritten it, edited it, and you used a professional proofreader to proof it. Your book is done &ndash finally — and you’re ready to send your precious manuscript off to a publisher, thinking that writing it was the hardest part.
In reality, getting your blood, sweat and tears published may be the hardest part of the whole process. You’ll need to decide if your book requires a publisher, or if you’d rather self-publish your book. Both venues have pros and cons, some of which I discuss below.
To work with a book publisher, you’ll need to send out query letters and/or a book proposal. This is a letter or a few pages briefly describing your text, why your book is unique, characteristics of your target market, and how you can help market your book. Most publishers don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts, so you’ll need to convince them to read yours, or find a literary agent to represent you. If a book publisher requests that you forward your entire manuscript, you have one foot in the door. Be prepared to send more than one query and don’t expect a response next week. An excellent software program to help format your manuscript and create a book proposal is called Wizards For Word at .wizardsforword.com
Publishers look for three things: platform, hook, and execution. This means a writer should have a built-in audience (ideally, a national platform such as a radio or TV show or a column in a major publication), an interesting hook, and strong writing skills.
The problem if you’re an unagented author is that most publishers won’t take your call or read your proposal. Then even if they do, you’ll have a tough time creating a bidding war or running an auction to get the best offer, and you also won’t have leverage negotiating the important deal points, such as ancillary rights and royalties.
There are writer’s guides that serve as excellent resources to find publishers and literary agents who specialize in your particular genre. These guides list the percentage of new authors published as well as the percentage of sales they pay. You may find pay rates ranging from 5-10% of sales. Some pay on wholesale sales and others on the retail amount. Do the math. Perhaps your book will retail for $14.95 and the publisher will pay 6% on retail. This means you will earn 90 cents per book sold. Of course don’t forget that the publisher is doing all the printing, distributing, and marketing of your text.
Another route you may want to consider is self-publishing. Self-publishing requires you to print, distribute and market your book using your money, but you will also retain all profits. There are book printing companies as well as companies that specialize in assisting self-publishers through every step along the way.
Many authors debate which method is better, using a publishing company or self publishing your own book. You know your situation and you know what will work best for you. You’ll want to consider how much time or money you have to invest in the project. That should give you an idea which route to take. Using a publisher takes less time on your part, but you’ll forfeit some of the royalties by using this method. If you self publish, you’ll have to pay “up front costs” and do the initial legwork to begin generating sales for your book. Either way, publishing is your call. With persistence and hard work you can get your book in the marketplace.
How To Choose A Money-Making Book Subject
Posted on Dec 10, 2008 02:08:49 PM
People never change. Nor do their basic desires. They’ve existed for thousands of years and will continue to exist for thousands more.
Names of people will change. Technology will change. People’s desires won’t &ndash their desires are hard-wired into our DNA.
That’s good for you &ndash as an author. By knowing what people want, you can profit from their desires. And since their desires are predictable, your ability to make money from your book ideas just got a lot more profitable, as well.
So, you must be wondering what do people want to read.
The top three general desires revolve around: Food, Love, and Money.
There will ALWAYS be a market for new cookbooks, new books on love, and new books on ways to make money. Guaranteed!
This will never change. Ever.
So if you have an idea that fits in one of those categories – you are well on your way to celebrity status. It doesn’t have to be an original thought on the subject. It can just be a new spin on an existing topic.
NOTE: People do not buy books because they are bargains. They buy them because they have some hope that they will find something &ndash not matter how small &ndash that will positively add value to their lives.
What else are people interested in reading about…
* Security
* Sex
* Power
* Immortality
* Happiness
* Safety
* Health
* Recognition
Some more generalized topics would be things like:
To attract the opposite sex.
To keep their possessions.
To have more fun.
To satisfy curiosity.
To protect their family.
To be in style.
To have beautiful possessions.
To quench their appetite.
To emulate others.
To avoid trouble.
To avoid criticism.
To be an individual.
To protect their reputation.
To grab opportunities.
To make work easier.
When you brainstorm ideas for your book, keep these customer desires in mind.
NOTE: Although it is good to focus your topic, you should try to keep it in a general category that will be wanted by a larger section of the population.
For example: You don’t want to write a book just about “Love” because it’s far TOO general of a topic. But you also don’t want to focus your topic so much it becomes something like “Love between 20 &ndash 24 year olds in Northwest California.”
Yes, I know that was an exaggerated example and you’d never go that targeted but you get my meaning.
Maybe you could write something like “How to be a 20-something in Love.” More targeted than just LOVE but still part of a large group of people who would be interested.
NOTE: Go with a subject you’re already passionate about.
Don’t make this process harder than it has to be. If you’re already passionate about gardening, cooking, investing, pet health, etc. then look in that area for the subject of your book.
#1) You will WANT to become a recognized expert in the field. Nothing worse than finding a topic that will make you money but you’re embarrassed to be associate with.
I did some research and found a hot topic that could have made me thousands literally overnight… but then I realized I didn’t really want my name associated with that topic. Money is important but if you write your book about a topic you’re excited about and you become a recognized expert &ndash achieving celebrity status &ndash you will have SO much more than just money in the bank.
#2) Working on your project will seem like anything but work. When I chose a subject specifically because I think it will make money &ndash I’m less than happy to do the writing. When it’s about something I enjoy then I can’t wait to write and don’t want to stop. I’ve worked until the early hours of the morning because I just lost track of time.
Find something that really gets you excited!