If you love writing and have tried to make a side hustle out of your hobby, you’ve probably noticed that it’s a real challenge to gain traction and start getting a lot of attention for your efforts. The problem is that there are just so many people out there writing already that your voice is one among a deafening background roar of others.
There is a way that you can sidestep that problem and potentially earn a good income writing, but it’s a rather unusual approach. It comes at the cost of personal notoriety, which might be just the ticket if you’re kind of introverted anyway. You could become a ghostwriter.
TL;DR
- Free – no cost to being a ghostwriter
- Work Anywhere – you can couple ghostwriting with a digital nomad lifestyle and work from anywhere
- Enjoyable – if you like writing already, it’s a great way to earn from your hobby
- Good Money – there’s the potential to earn a substantial income from ghostwriting
- Competitive – there are a lot of other writers out there, but you can still make good money once you’ve got your foot in the door
- High Effort – ghostwriting is definitely not a passive income. You will need to work for your money
What is Ghostwriting?
Put that ouija board away – we’re not talking about that kind of ghostwriting! Joking aside, the chances are pretty good that you’ve heard of the term ‘ghostwriting’ but, just in case it’s new to you, allow us to summarise:
Think of all those celebrity autobiographies you’ve read – do you really think that all of those entrepreneurs, actors, musicians, sports personalities, soldiers and politicians also happen to be first-class writers? Some possibly are, but the chances are pretty good that most aren’t. In many cases, they will hire someone who has spent much of their career developing the skills and experience required to write engaging content – someone who can take a celebrity’s life stories and craft it into an entertaining and memorable read. That’s the job of a ghostwriter.
Why ‘ghost’? Well, there’s the rub – the actual writer gets no credit for their work. Just like a ghost, the person doing all of the hard work is nothing more than a background shadow whose very existence can be plausibly denied. While they get paid for the job, it’s not their name on the cover because that’s not the name that’ll sell. The only thing that has the writer’s name on it is the non-disclosure agreement, which publishers will insist is signed to ensure that readers believe that it really was the celebrity that did the writing.
Of course, the chances of you being asked to write the autobiography of the latest celebrity icon are pretty remote. That’s not the put-down it might sound like – it’s not entirely impossible that you’ll get such an assignment when you’re freshly starting out on this side hustle. However, there are a lot of well-established (if largely unknown, outside of specific circles) names in the industry who probably have more experience and more contacts than you. However, other people need ghostwriters, too. Busy professionals who want a life of passive income may seek the services of ghostwriters to write their books and web content, especially if they’re pressed for time or aren’t especially gifted writers themselves.
Remembering that not everyone has the skill and experience required to be a compelling writer, think about the amount of written content that gets distributed each day. Business coaches, fitness coaches, lawyers, social media influencers – they’re all extremely good at what they do, but do they really have the time and talent to put out regular blog posts and books while still running their businesses and focussing on their strengths? Companies are even more prolific hirers of ghostwriters since an in-house content writer is very expensive compared to paying a freelancer to write their blog and then publishing it under the corporate identity.
The job can potentially extend beyond writing blogs and biographies, too. Ghostwriters can be used to write anything from fiction novels for well-known names to best man speeches, as well as press releases, pamphlets – even homework assignments, but that’s not recommended as it’s unethical and arguably illegal. Basically, a ghostwriter can be hired to write anything that a normal writer would be hired to write. The only distinction is that the writer has their name attached to the work and a ghostwriter doesn’t.
As that is the only distinction, why would anyone choose to be a ghostwriter? For one thing, the money is generally better. It obviously depends on the scale of the project, but the fact that you’re willing to have someone else’s name on your work is usually worth a bit of a bonus. It’s also a good option if you don’t particularly want fame and notoriety – for example, if you’re an introvert.
Finally, you’re far more likely to get bigger projects quicker as a ghostwriter than you would if you insist on being published under your own name. If you start your own blog, it takes a long time and a lot of work for it to start earning money, but you can start earning money ghostwriting blog posts virtually immediately.
How to Start?
As with being a normal writer, getting started as a ghostwriter takes a certain amount of luck and potentially a bit of grind. Of course, first and foremost, you need to be some good at writing – as we’ve said, it’s a not as easy as it might seem. However, if you’ve read this far, we’re going to assume you really like writing and already have that skill. The next step is finding your first writing gig.
This is the harder part. Most people hiring freelance writers want one with a proven track record of success. It’s the Catch-22 of work that employers want to hire experienced staff, but you need employment in order to get the experience. In terms of ghostwriting, it helps to have a portfolio of sample articles, even if they’ve never been published. Just write a few simple texts for each of the genres you are most interested in writing about so that you have something to show when asked about past experience.
As for where to actually find writing gigs, freelancing websites like Fiverr are an excellent place to start. Again, it’s going to be a challenge to get your first success because there are a lot of writers on most of these sites, many with lots of testimonials. You may have to take a few jobs writing about subjects you’re less interested in or perhaps take a few gigs at well below your ideal fee to get things rolling. However, with experience and a reputation, you can start to pick and choose your clients.
One thing that can help get started and earning bigger fees faster is having a few niche interests. There are countless travel writers on Fiverr, for example, but comparatively few technical writers since the work is less glamorous. If you can specialise in the subjects that have fewer skilled and experienced writers, the chances of finding well-paid gigs increases dramatically.
Things to consider
We’ve already talked about it in detail, but the biggest disadvantage with ghostwriting is the fact that you get no credit for your work and, in fact, it might be published under someone else’s name. This can be as much a pro as a con, but it does make it a little harder to develop a reputation for your writing. Of course, with Fiverr’s rating and testimonial systems, that’s less important.
As side hustles go, ghostwriting can be a lot of hustle. This is very much not a passive income – you will need to work to a deadline, often to strict specifications, with a lot of time spent on research and editing. Your earnings will inevitably be capped by precisely how much of your free time you are willing to sacrifice.
Another limitation to your earnings is the fact that ghostwriting is usually part of the gig economy. If you are good and you find the right gigs, you might manage to secure a repeat client who wants a regular flow of writing, but most of your early work is going to be individual assignments. This makes the flow of income very inconsistent and unreliable.
Cost to get started
The only cost to getting started as a ghostwriter is your time. There is no fee for joining freelancing websites like Fiverr as a contributor and there is no need to specific equipment or qualifications.