Being a Ghostwriter – 5 Years of My Life

Last month I completed five years being a freelance ghostwriter and content writer on the internet and I am quite thrilled about it, but in some ways I still see some struggles and challenges that I still have to overcome. I am not really a Plan-My-Career type, so I moved into various job sectors until all my options crashed in 2009 – when the global recession hit the world. Like millions around the world, I lost my job. I was terribly scared about the entire situation mainly because I had very little financial backup in my bank account. There were jobs in the market, but the companies were paying peanuts which I wasn't happy with. After around three months of struggle, I finally found someone who was willing to offer me a job based only on my talent, and not on certifications. This was the moment I've been waiting.

The Initial Resurrection after Recession

I won’t mind if anybody called me an accidental writer because I never really planned to be one. Those days, I was desperately seeking out for options to make money and to explore the creative side of me and when I got the opportunity; I grabbed it with two hands. Since then I am into this work-from-home content and ghostwriting business that allows me to write on wide range of topics. To be honest, early on I had little confidence in my own articles. It took me almost a year to get that confidence. I made mistakes and knew things about SEO and keywords and all that. It was a tough phase for me, although I was sitting home. Of course, many of my friends never really understood the darker side of this profession and neither did I.

The Ghost Image

The funny part about being a ghostwriter is that everybody believes you are doing well. Financially. Mentally. Physically. How? Well, I am earning in US dollars, so I am financially well off. I have no mental stress because I am always home and have international clients just an email away and guess what I don’t have to commute on a daily basis. For many around me, I was enjoying the dream job of my life, while the truth is that it was quite a challenge having no prior experience and information about how to write and impress clients. I was equipped with passion and talent, but no guidance. I was home, yes, but I was typing and creating content for hours at stretch sometimes exceeding more than 20 articles a day. Gradually, I moved into a comfort zone where I was quite good at writing articles, but I was quickly losing my steam writing the same stuff over and over for multiple clients. I became a Human-Printer. The only difference between me and a printer was I had the intelligence to write the same content in multiple ways thus abiding to CopyScape guidelines. Thankfully, for me the initial launch was quite easy. Thanks to one of my friends Jyotsna who brought me enough projects and help me sustain and survive all these years. However, like any other profession, online writing has its own challenges that took me completely by surprise.

The Realization Part – I am a Ghost

When you are into ghostwriting you might be happy that you are being paid well, but you still don’t see your name anywhere. Almost after three years of ghostwriting, I realized that I really don’t exist on the internet. I was a ghost. Paid for writing skills, not for the name. So, if you are opting for ghostwriting as your career you have to realize that you need to put your name out without actually putting your name all over the content you write. Hope I am making sense here.

The Dilemma – Being Ghost, Being Visible

Most freelancers would agree that in the world of online writing it is all about “Being Visible” and that is something I am not good at all. I am not much into social networking sphere. I don’t meet too many people. So I had to start something afresh. In a desperate attempt to make my mark, I started my new travel blog and I have worked hard to get better visibility. I am not sure if I have achieved that amount of visibility, but in this process I have made some good blogger friends, true and supportive and creative genius in their own way. I would consider myself lucky that they allowed me to be a part of their group and that they read my blogs and articles I write. On a better note, they inspire me to write on different topics and let me keep my sanity.

There Are More Ghosts – Be a Ghost-Hunter

While online writing sounds exciting it can be extremely challenging especially in a developing country like India. Freelance writers are human beings that live as per jungle code. Find-A-Prey-and-Live-Another-Day. Other writers here are hungry for more work and clients and that means they are going to slash their rates and that will only make your quest for work harder. On the other hand, you have to live up to the expectations of the clients and ensure that you offer them what they want. Now that Google has modified the search algorithm, international clients are hunting for US writers that speak native language which means Asian writers are stooping lower making it harder for quality writers to make a living.

Being More than a Ghost

Content writing and ghostwriting sounds like a great way to earn passive income and to explore the creativity in you, but you need to put in more than just your passion and creativity. You need better social networking skills and you need to engage with more people that can help you out with your efforts, or you might just feel left out like me. You also have to be communicative and sort of stubborn about the rates you charge from your clients rather than stooping extremely low like most do. Create your own blogs and sites that works like your resume so that you can display the quality of work you do. However, the most important thing you will need being a ghost-writer is patience. Don’t expect overnight or short term success and focus on the quality of work you do. Ultimately, when you love what you do, things begin to roll the way you want it.