For a couple of months now I’ve had a box in the sidebar (update: I’m now encouraging people to ask their questions either on my Facebook page or Google+ profile) where people can ask questions for me to answer. I was inspired by Anne Wayman’s regular ‘Dear Anne’ posts on her blog. People are starting to use the feature more regularly. Here are some of the questions that have been asked and answered since the feature started. As it turned out, many of the answers were already on this site.

How do I write online and make money without it costing me money?

I answered that question here.

Where do I start? I have a ton of topics to talk about – where do I begin?

How do you get started if you’re new?

I’ve written a post on Starting out in Freelancing and the rest of the freelance writing questions series has some useful info on starting a writing business.

How do I find work as a beginning sales letter writer?

I’m not an expert on sales letter writing, though I have written a few, but check out this advice from Chris Bibey.

Can teenagers write and get paid?

Yes.  As well as teen writers, there are a lot of teen bloggers. Check out CarlOCab, who was running a successful blog at the age of 13 and there’s some more inspiration in this Guardian article.

How can I publish without revealing my name?

The answer is simple – use a pen name. Even if you sign a writing contract, you can have a pen name.

Here’s some info I found that might help with your decision:

http://www.essortment.com/should-writer-adopt-pen-name-34689.html

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/why-pen-names-suck-can-make-us-crazy/

A follow up question dealt with the legal requirements of using pen names. I found some answers here:

US Copyright Office

Writer’s Relief Copyright Info

Which sites actually pay, even minimally for people to generate content for them? I enjoy writing and if I can “blame” 2$ for my efforts… I’d love it all the more!

Here are a few posts I’ve published on the issue.

http://www.getpaidtowriteonline.com/where-i-get-paid-to-write-update/

http://www.getpaidtowriteonline.com/best-freelance-writing-jobs/

http://www.getpaidtowriteonline.com/how-to-write-online-and-make-money-without-spending-a-dime/

What is a ghostwriter?

Answers are here:

Ghostwriting: A quick guide

Ghostwriting: Money matters

I, Ghost Blogger

Tips on being a great ghostblogger

How do you find sources to write for?

Check out Where I Get Paid to Write.

Ghostbloggers need to have more than writing abilities. They’ll also need some acting abilities if they’re going to be successful at taking on the (writing) voice of someone else. There are some great ghostwriting opportunities out there and if you’re good at it, it can be very lucrative.

Some ghostwriters are very good at this, as is evidenced by the James Chartrand’s underpants discussions happening throughout the blogosphere.   Sharon Hurley Hall’s response post about identity gave me goosebumps. You should read it (What Defines You? More Thoughts on the James Chartrand Story).

James is a female with a male online personality and like James, I have to pose as a man at times for my ghostblogging clients. Yes folks…I, too, am a Canadian online cross-dresser. Just a few minutes ago I donned some britches, as a matter of fact. I’m a white Canadian woman who, just ten minutes ago, was writing as a black British bloke. Yesterday I was a male internet marketer with an Aussie accent. Then I was an Australian female relationship therapist. Later today, I’ll be a white guy in a suit who lives in Florida and that has a very specific specialty (a specialty I don’t, in reality, actually possess.)

Some people are down on James for pretending to be someone else. I find it funny that a lot of those people are ghostwriters. They pretend to be someone else to earn a living, too.

When I was a little girl I wanted to be a lot of different things. Mostly I wanted to be a writer so my reality has worked out well because I sort of get to be  other things, too.  I get quite a variety of subjects and writing styles in a day at times.  My 13-year old son makes me laugh. The other day, after I described my writing topics for the day, he said, “Smack the piñata!” It feels like that some days. A whole whack of various things fall onto my calendar at times and sometimes there are pretty big extremes in a single day.

So, how do I jump from voice to voice?

-I work to understand my client’s desires. What outcome do they have in mind for the piece of writing? I need to write as them and know what message they want to convey.

-I research their niche so I can write with authority. I don’t just need to sound like their character, I need to also sound like I know what I’m talking about.

-I read their existing work so I can use some of their phrasing and try to “sound” like them.

-If I’m writing for someone in a different country, I try to familiarize myself with some local slang and catch phrases so that I can sound local when I write.

-I get feedback from clients so that I can continue to work at capturing their voice and helping them to meet their objectives.

It’s not always easy to jump from voice to voice and I don’t have to do it every single day. Some days I’m writing for several clients. Sometimes I don’t have to attach a voice as I’m writing a dry piece or an article that doesn’t need a personality attached to it. It can be difficult at times but it’s typically fun and with regular clients, I find I can slip in and out of their character easily out of habit.

Oh, and another thing that I suggest, if you’re a ghostwriter: I also make sure that I continue to write as me for my own projects. By writing with my own voice regularly, I won’t lose my Dana-ness.

Last week , in Article Writing Research and Idea Tips – Going Beyond Wikipedia – Part 1, I talked about the importance of doing more than cobbling an article together for pay when you want to build a writing career. Today I’m going to share some of my own sources of inspiration and research.

I often preach that writers should carve out a writing niche for themselves so that they can make more money and research less but there are times when you might take a writing assignment on a subject you know nothing about. And even if you do have an established niche, there are times when you’re going to run out of steam on a topic.

In either case, here are some (hopefully) helpful ideas that work for me for researching:

• Read Wikipedia, yes, but don’t just read the info in the first few paragraphs to help you cobble an article together. Read the whole page and click through to the resource links on that page, which can often give you further detail.
• Go beyond Google.  I do love Google (dearly. I really do) but take a look at other search engines to help you delve deeper into a topic, too. You’ll notice that Google, MSN, Bing, and others often have different page one results.
• Delve deeper into Google. Go beyond page one. I also like to go through Google Blog Search or Google News. I search with words related to a topic matter and the News search tells me what’s being said in news circles about the topic. When you write an article for syndication purposes, it’s much more likely to get picked up when you write it as a news item and relate the topic to current information.
• Search for videos. There’s a vast world of how-to and informational videos out there on just about any topic. I’ve often watched a few videos to help me grasp a new topic by jotting down notes while the video played.
• Search social media. Check out Technorati or mine Twitter for information and links related to the topic at hand. You’ll often find a goldmine of information on other people’s blogs that can provide details, subject inspiration, and further links that you can use.
• Article directories. Directories can sometimes be no better than Wikipedia but they are often worth a look. They  can provide info, facts, and inspiration.  And if you’re writing an article for a client who plans to use it in a directory, it makes sense to see what your article will be up against on the site. Searching sites like Ezinearticles for a topic can be a great idea. Because there aren’t internet cops that delete bad articles, you can’t absolutely trust that information you find will be 100% accurate but there may be useful facts and ideas for you to draw from. Chances are that if you’re getting paid to write on a topic, others may have also written on that topic and you can search Ezinearticles. Don’t forget to skim the resource box and check those links out for further info, too.
• If I write on a topic regularly, I subscribe to Google Alerts for keywords so that I get information delivered to my inbox. This is a great timesaver.
• The library.  Oooh, researching the old-fashioned way!  I love the smell of books and there’s just something about libraries that wakes up sleeping parts of my brain and make me feel inspired.
• Ask your client for help. The client might have ideas for topics that they’d like you to cover and they may have previously published articles on your subject that they can share to help you trim down your research time.

What about you? Where do you get your article research information and idea inspiration?

(photo courtesy of: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/nkzs)

It’s not often you get to find out all about ghostwriting from an industry veteran, but that’s just what The Secret World of Ghostwriters: And How to Work With One offers. The book aims to demystify the profession for writing clients, by telling them exactly what ghostwriters can do for them. It offers 120 pages of inside information on the world of ghostwriting.

If you are thinking of hiring a ghostwriter, but don’t know where to begin, this book is a great starting point. You can find out about what ghostwriters do, what skills they should have, how much you should pay them and much more. The book also explains what types of content ghostwriters might write for clients in order to benefit their business. Each chapter starts with a beautiful illustration by Nancy Houser.

Although it’s aimed at clients, the book also has a lot to offer budding ghostwriters. It will help you ask the right questions so that you get a good brief from clients. It outlines the parameters of different types of ghostwriting jobs and gives guidance on appropriate rates. The Secret World of Ghostwriters: And How to Work With One is written in a simple and easy to read style and is chock full of information. Whether you’re planning to work with ghostwriters or as a ghostwriter, it’s worth a read.

It’s while since I’ve done a round-up post. Here are some of the posts that have caught my eye over the last couple of weeks. One of the issues for many bloggers and writers is how to bring in additional income. Many of us are in search of passive income, which is why Daniel’s list of 28 Ways To Make Money With Your Website is useful. Daniel lists both direct and indirect methods, proving again why DailyBlogTips is one of my must-reads. You can also find out more about making money in Kristen King’s post on Working Towards $100,000.

Of course, if you’re going to make money, then you have to get visitors, so you might find it useful to explore 20 Ways To Promote Your Freelance Writing Services Using Forum Marketing Techniques. Problogger Darren Rowse tells us How To Write Posts That Set StumbleUpon On Fire, which is definitely worth studying, while Daily Blog Tips advises on Extending Your Reach From Blogger To Influencer.

As always, I’m interested in what’s going on in the freelance world, so I was fascinated by the results of the FreelanceSwitch survey. One of the cool things there is information on average charges for different types of freelancing work. The report is available if you make a donation. There were also plenty of useful posts on writing including:

• Who Owns Your Words?, a guide to the rights you might be asked to give away.
• Top Five Tips When Bidding For Freelance Work (my favorite piece of advice is ‘watch out for pirates’)
• 8 Ways To Kick Start Your Freelancing Career (I found a link to a new bidding site)
• Getting Creative With Your Content (if you aren’t reading Men With Pens yet, why not?
• Are Your Words Like A Tornado? (all about having energy in your writing)

Finally, here are a few posts I bookmarked to blog about later (I guess the time has come):

• Wayne Gretzky’s 8 Tips For Freelancing Success
• Who’re They Gonna Call? Ghostwriters!
• Why Freelance Writers Should Have Blogs

Enjoy.

Technorati Tags: blogging,freelance writing,get paid to write,make money online,ghostwriting,monetize

I get a lot of emails from people who want to know how to get started as a freelance writer. It’s one of my favourite topics and I never mind giving a few tips. My advice is based on more than 20 years in the writing business. I have worked as a reporter, sub-editor, and more. In my role as an editor, a few years later, I worked with a lot of staff writers and freelancers. I’ve given advice to journalism students, and I’ve had the chance to see how that worked out. Most importantly, I’ve done it myself, making the switch from being an employee to being a successful freelancer.

It’s been a couple of years since I published my first set of tips for freelance writers. Rather than force people to browse the archives, I thought I’d start again, giving tips with the benefit of hindsight. I plan to blog about the process I followed to raise my profile as a freelance writer and get steady writing work. I’m not saying I know it all. In fact, I learn every day from the writers I work with.

Because of that, I don’t just want to blog about what I think new writers need to know, but about what they actually want to know. So I’m inviting readers to post their questions here – and bookmark this post in case you think of something later. I will answer all the questions that I can – or draft in some of my freelance writing buddies to answer the others. I know that some people are shy about asking questions in an open forum. If that’s you, use the contact form to send your question directly to me. Looking forward to hearing from you. And, hey, if you’re an experienced writer just looking to compare notes on how I do stuff with your own methods, that’s ok too.

Update: Follow this link to find answers to your freelance writing questions.

When it comes to making a success of freelance writing, two simple rules will take you far.

Rule #1: Follow The Brief

The brief is there for a reason. It’s meant to tell you how the client wants the job done. It’s true, not all writing briefs are as detailed as you might like. Some people don’t know exactly what they want until they don’t get it. With experience, you learn (most of the time) to spot the briefs with large holes or potential pitfalls. Then you move onto the second rule.

Rule #2: Ask Questions

I ask lots of questions before I start a job. Sure, I’m an expert writer, but I am not a mind reader. The purpose of asking questions is not to tell me how to do my job, but to make sure I know what job the client wants me to do. Questions you might ask include:

• Is this a rewrite of the example you supplied or is the example just source material?
• What length should the article/ebook be?
• Do you want me to stick to your outline or to add content I think is necessary?

There are many other questions to ask, depending on the actual writing job. I find that most clients appreciate the fact that I take the time to ascertain what they need. For them, it provides the security of knowing that I understand the job. For me, it prevents me from wasting time writing something that doesn’t meet the brief.

Read more on freelance writing at Inspired Author.

If you do a lot of writing, then it’s essential to get organized. Planning is very important, but tracking is equally important. Someone asked me the other day how I kept track of my writing life.

I’m not a spreadsheet wizard, but Excel is the best way to keep track of all the pieces. What I normally do is think about what I need to include, then ask someone who knows their way around Excel to create it for me. After that, I tweak it. Between us, we come up with something that works very well. So, what’s included in my spreadsheet.

A New System

This year, I have changed my main tracking from an invoice number system (where I kept track of jobs by the invoices I sent) to a job numbering system. Each job I accept, whether for me or my writing team, is allocated a number, starting at 2008-001.

Project Management

The next column, titled Project, is where I describe the job in brief. I also used to have a column titled client, so I could track who I was working for, but I found I never needed to refer to it, so now I just include the client’s initials in the project column.

Deadline Tracking

Next is a column for the writer (only necessary because I sometimes outsource and need to know who to chase), followed by several columns for dates – the client’s deadline, the deadline I give the writer (if it’s different) and the date the job is sent to the client. I try to be rigorous in filling out this column as I want to be certain that I’ve done the job and submitted it if there’s a client query.

Getting Paid

The next few columns are for keeping track of invoicing and payment. Column titles are Invoiced client, invoice number, writer invoice received, writer paid. Then I have a section for the payment. There’s a payment amount column, a writer payment amount column and a commission column for the jobs I pass on. Finally, I track the date that payment is received.

Reviewing The Process

This is still a work in progress. At the end of each year – and sometimes during the year – I review the sheet to see how I am using it and what I need to change. I have the sense that this may be the final version, unless I get any good tips as a result of writing this post.

Finally, there’s another sheet in my spreadsheet which I use to track my monthly income. That just has the date, job and amount, with a total at the end of each month. I also (when I remember) track cash flow, but I think I might do that more easily in the first sheet, as all the figures are there anyway.

Inspire yourself to do more writing or read this great post on kickstarting your writing career.

Technorati Tags: writing,freelance writing,ghostwriting,spreadsheet,excel

Someone asked me the other day about ghost blogging. She wanted to know about what it was and how to get started in it. Here are my answers. Ghost blogging is like ghostwriting. While ghostwriting is writing where you get no credit or byline, ghost blogging is blogging where you get no credit or byline. It’s work for hire, just as any other ghostwriting job.

Where do you find ghost blogging jobs?

I find these in the same places that I find other ghostwriting jobs. I go to the Freelance Writing Gigs site as my first port of call. I also get updates from the Writer’s Bridge and from a number of other sites that offer blogging jobs, one of the best being Problogger’s job board (most of these are bylined jobs, but a few may not be). There’s also Craigslist, where you need to weed out the ones that are worth bothering with. Finally, I set up a Google Alert for ‘blogger wanted’ and see what it brings. This gives me a long list of jobs to choose from. Of course, because I am a ghostwriter, clients often ask me about writing blog posts for them, so I get a lot of work through referrals.

How do you prepare for ghost blogging?

The best preparation is to have a blog – or several blogs – of your own. This proves that you know how to blog. If you know the ins and outs of WordPress and other blogging systems, then that helps too. And you need to have some expertise in the topic that the client wants or be willing to learn.

I also find that guest blogging is good preparation, because it forces you to think about writing for other audiences, which you have to do when you ghost blog. I’ve blogged on a number of sites and these have helped me to further develop my blogging skills and to meet new readers. I also use these for my portfolio so that I have a range of published posts to show to potential clients.

How much does ghost blogging pay?

That’s a how long is a piece of string question. Pay rates range from a couple of cents a word to a respectable rate. Variables that affect the rate include:

• whether it is bundled with other writing services
• the client’s budget
• the ghost blogger’s experience

Some people only want short posts that take 10-15 minutes to write, so if they offer me $10, I might accept it. On the other hand, I would want more for a researched and well thought out post. My policy is to ask for what I want but to know what I’m prepared to accept. What I’m prepared to accept might depend on how busy I am and how the rate compares with the rates for other work.

Can you use your ghost blogging posts on your resume?

No, it’s work for hire. I tend to describe the gigs in general terms, like: ‘Here’s a list of topics I’ve blogged about.’ However, ghost blogging is confidential so I can’t put links to the posts in my resume.

Is it weird to blog for someone else?

I approach it like any other writing job, but it’s fun, because I don’t have to think too much about keywords and I do have to make it an enjoyable read. I love blogging, and ghost blogging gives me the chance to blog about topics that I might not blog about on my own blogs. As a born again blogger, this really appeals to me, and making money from it is the icing on the cake. If you want to make money from blogging, then this is certainly an option to consider.

Technorati Tags: blogging,ghostwriting,get paid to blog

Someone said to me recently: ‘Freelance writing is not like other jobs; you never really get away.’ She was referring to the fact that I work at home, and it’s always easy to think about the jobs that are waiting for me – or to work instead of doing something social. But her comment also made me think about planning for the Christmas holidays – and other holidays – for freelance professionals. For those of us not in the US, the whole of the Dec 24th to Jan 1st period is a holiday, so being able to join in the fun takes some planning.

Challenges For Freelance Writers

As freelancers, if we don’t work, we don’t earn. Not for us the luxury of knowing we’ll get a paycheck or a Christmas bonus. Instead, if we want to buy presents and enjoy the holidays, we’ve got to do a lot of work – and can sometimes end up taking on too much. I know that’s happened to me in the past. I spent most of last Christmas working – and I vowed that I wouldn’t do that again.

As work at home parents, there are also challenges relating to the school holidays. When our little darlings are at home, much as we love them, we get less work done. Less work means less money and less spending power, which is bad news for everyone.

Achieving Balance In The Writing Life

So how do you balance the demands of parenting, writing and enjoying the festive season with the rest of your family? Here are a few things to try.

First of all, if you don’t already have one, invest in a laptop. This means you can travel to any festive family occasion and still sneak off for an hour to do a little work. Failing that, arrange to grab some computer time anwhere you go. If you have work to do, this will allow you to keep up with it and still enjoy the holidays.

Talk to your clients to find out what their writing needs will be. Some of them may not want to bother uploading content during the holidays, which may let you off the hook. If they do want content, see if you can split it so that you do a bit extra just before the holidays and postpone the rest till after the holidays. Most people expect you to have some down time at this time of year, so make the most of it.

Budgeting Writing Time And Money

Set a cut off date for finishing your outstanding work. Mine is December 21st for new work. If it can’t be delivered by that date, then that’s it till after Boxing Day (December 26th). I plan to spend a couple of days doing the regular weekly writing and blogging tasks ahead of time so that I can take a full week off.

If it matters, let people know that you will be unavailable. For me, this consists of telling people who send me work regularly when I’m working over the Christmas period. I will also put a Christmas vacation responder to let others know that responses to email will be slightly delayed.

Of course, there’s an even easier way to handle holiday time, and that’s to budget for it. When you are setting your earnings targets for the year, assume that there are some times when you won’t be working. That will help you to get a more accurate picture of what your take home should be. If you manage this successfully, it won’t matter too much if you take a week off from time to time.

Finally, don’t get stressed about it. I decided that it was important to make time for my friends and family instead of being attached to my laptop with an invisible – and very short – leash. Sometimes that means that I’m a few dollars short of my target, but I’m happier because of it. Remember to keep things balanced and you’ll have fun during the holidays. You might even find that you’re more successful.