Apr 9

Apr 9 How to Start a Ghostwriting Business

Valerie Ihsan

Main Topic: Starting a Ghostwriting Business

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Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates):

(Valerie) got my cover back!, started working with a business coach again, had a great time teaching at Wordcrafters in Eugene, client work

(Erick) writing, client work, interviewing,

What are you reading?

Valerie: In the Dream House (Carmen Maria Machado) Broken Open (Martha Gies)
(Not ready to give up on them, but struggling to finish them:) Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Year of the Puppy (Alexandra Horowitz) ; The Teller of Small Fortunes Julie Leong
Erick: The Woman in the Dunes (Kobo Abe) (anime horror)

Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits):

Tidbit #1:
Tidbit #2:
Segment 3 (Mindset-Craft-Biz Check):

Segment 4 (Main Topic):

Process as client vs starting own business

Finished manuscript according to client requirements with no credit.

Beginning is client approaches you, defines the project, educate client about your service, get the vibe from first contact/discovery call, talk money early on, decide on price, sign contract, pay on benchmarks: signed contract, outline, completed project. "Do you feel like you could talk to me about ...?" Provide referrals from other clients instead of work samples. Roughly $1/word.

Where does my own writing fit into this? (First question to ask self if considering starting a ghost writing biz.)

Have to say yes early on to establish yourself. Even jobs you don't want to do.

Mindset: How do you write something that you don't want to write? State your boundaries early on.

Voice: recorded conversations helps with knowing how to write. Listen to the person talk. Explain there is going to be a translation. Does it feel like you when you read it? Might not be your exact words.

Manuscript based on agreed upon outline, but you'll find 25% that you'll want to change.

Network, mentor, website, sub-contracting is a great way to start. Figure out what your ghost genre is. Probably not yours. Harder to treat as a product, because you HAVE to be efficient.

Learning the business as you go and juggle process.

Find resources/communities, join them with skepticism. A lot of people on forums bring a bunch of b.s. Learn to read between the lines.

Skills: flexible and confident (more of self than of writing)

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Next episode:

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