Online ghostwriting doesn’t mean writing about ghosts online. But it simply involves writing for someone who gets the credit by putting his own byline instead of that of the real writer. In other words, a ghostwriter is simply a writer for hire who relinquishes all rights to his article to somebody who pays him for writing it. Like a ghost singer who remains anonymous behind the voice, a ghostwriter stays in the dark while his client gets whatever credits, critiques or accolades his articles incur.

I have been a freelance ghostwriter for almost a year now, and I can say that I have gained a considerable amount of experience pertaining to this type of writing. To those who may be interested, or already doing some freelance ghostwriting for web content, I hope that this article will help you in your desire to be an online ghostwriter.

Look for websites that offer freelance writing jobs or projects.

There are a lot of websites nowadays where you can register to be able to bid on their open ghostwriting projects. Most of these websites offer free memberships that come with a limited number of free bids. Naturally, paid memberships come with more number of free bids and other benefits. You have to make sure that you have read and understood the terms as well as the rights and privileges associated with each membership type before opting to be either a paying or a free user.

However for starters, it is always best to avail of the free membership as you need to get the feel of the site first, be familiar with its users and project owners, and the kinds of projects it usually has.

Among the most popular websites providing ghostwriting projects include:

Getafreelancer.com

This website offers thirty free bids per month for free members; and charges $5 project fee for every awarded project. However, if the project is a featured one, no project fee shall be charged to you.

Elance

A free member here gets only three connects per month. Each connect may be equivalent to 1 bid depending on the project. If the project pays high, it usually requires 2 to 4 connects per bid – so your three connects would fall short. This site offers lots of great writing projects, but again, competition is tough.

Guru

This website has a very limited number of works for basic (non-paying) members. But if you are a professional writer, then, you migt as well try this as the projects here are usually for professional writers and therefore pays well.

Remotegurus.com

This website is new therefore competition here is not that stiff – but projects are very lmited at the moment too.

Eufreelance.com

A sister company of GAF (the first site mentioned here), projects here are paid in euros, and free members are also allowed to bid on several projects. But projects are limited too.

Create an impressive profile.

This is very crucial as you’re in a way selling your writing experience and skills to prospective clients. Make your profile as complete and impressive as possible. But above all, it should be true. You may also include your values and etiquette as a writer such as reliability, timeliness, eficiency, and adherence to quality and deadlines.

Some sites such as elance and guru, also provide a space for you to build your portfolio. You can then upload your sample articles, or put links to your online publications.

Browse through open projects.

Sites such as GAF, elance, and guru, have hundreds of open writing projects at any given time. If you find a project that interests you and you think you can handle it, open it and view its complete details to know if you meet all its requirements.

Be sure to bid on a project if and only if:

• You’re sure you can handle it
• You can complete it within the set timelines
• You’re agreeable to the payment and other terms. Although this can be negotiated if the project owner is interested in your bid and writing skills enough to contact you.

There may be some requirements which you can circumvent such as language. Some project owners only hire writers whose first language is English, but you can still bid on their projects and try to convince them that you can speak and write the language as fluently as any other English speaking writer can. If they are convinced, they can still consider you. That’s the case of my first ever won project.

Create a credible bid that stands out.

You need to choose carefully the projects you’d like to work on as you would not want to waste your allowable bids especially if you’re on a free membership. Bear in mind that you are competing against many other writers, some of whom have years of professional writing experience. Therefore, make your bid stand out to be noticed.

You should make your bid as direct, honest and credible as possible. Be sure to address the specific needs of the project owner, and give him a sound assurance that you can deliver unique, valid and interesting articles within the specified timeframe. If your bid is poorly written, and you offer lofty promises that are incredible, the project owner will surely ignore or explicitly refuse your bid.

Negotiate wisely and honestly.

If the project owner considers your bid, he/she will contact you through the website’s private message board. Depending on your bid and the projcet specifications, the client will negotiate with you. Be open in your negotiations, state your concerns, raise your questions, and clarify any ambiguities before accepting the project.

During this time, payment method should be agreed upon as well. Some clients will only use certain payment methods so you need to be flexible in this regard. Others though are willing to pay through any method of your preference.

Maintain an open communication with your client.

Clients generally require their writers to keep an open communication with them, as they like to be updated with the progress of the project. Emails or instant messages are important so be sure that you can be online at least 3 hours a day to be able to respond quickly should your client contact you for updates. Some clients though do not bother you just as long as you deliver the articles on time.

Complete the project within your committed timelines.

Once all has been settled and the project has been officially awarded to you, you are all set to work on the project. A project is usually composed of several articles for a given topic; and you may be required to submit the articles in batches. Some clients may provide keywords, keyphrases or even titles; while others only provide keywords or topics.

Be sure to deliver the articles within your committed timelines. If you deliver the project on time, your client will be pleased especially if your articles pass Copyscape and are free of errors. Satisfied clients will usually contact you again if they have another project in the future. So long-term relationship is possible if you prove to be a good, reliable, and efficient writer.

It is always wonderful to finish and deliver a certain project, especially if you have done your best in writing the articles. And the fact that payment is coming up always gives something to look forward to.

More articles on online ghostwriting will be coming up during the next few weeks so watch out for them. Meanwhile, hope this article will be of help in your online writing endeavors – ghostwriting or not.