Last year saw the advent of the Corona pandemic that saw almost all countries go into lockdowns that caused a change in how people work and run their normal lives.
Just like everyone else, Nigerian Glory Adeoye found herself in the house with nothing much to do and it is at this point that she discovered a new way of making money; ghostwriting.
Basically, ghostwriting simply means writing a literary work such as fiction or non-fiction books, articles, blog posts, etc for someone else whose name will appear as the author and claim the copyright to the literary work written.
“I have been writing my own book for quite a number of years now. I only started ghostwriting for others 2020 during Covid 19 period when I realized I could use my passion to earn even while at home,” Adeoye told BAKE in an interview
“Presently, I work with clients who need me to ghostwrite for their articles or blog posts on several niches like Health and Wellness, Love and Relationship, Motivational/self-help, lifestyle, Parenting, Etc,” she said
So what are some of the best tips to employ in ghostwriting? According to the seasoned writer, the first tip would be to be willingly committed to being a ghostwriter, no matter the disappointments that might happen in the beginning.
Having said that, the other tips would be:
- Follow like-minded people and learn from them.
- Join writing groups and possibly a mentorship class.
- Research and discover your strengths on a particular or several niches in writing.
- Read more books.
- Join a platform where you can offer your services as a ghostwriter like Fiverr, Upwork and other social media platforms like LinkedIn
- Get samples of your work ready for potential clients.
- Start a blog or be extremely active with your skills on the social media platform you are using. You can always direct your clients to your blog and social media page.
- Source for clients.
- Stay focused and continue to make daily progress
Cost is usually a very important aspect in such undertakings and in this regard Adeoye says, “Ghostwriters cost their work based on the number of words that will be written. These could range from $1000 and above, depending on the negotiation between the writer and the client.”
So far, the ghostwriting business in Africa is growing but it is not as big or as common as it is in American or European countries. Many Africans are not very enlightened that it could very much be possible for an individual to sit at home and earn money as a ghostwriter.
“In Nigeria, the Nigerian parents might be concerned that their child is doing something illegal online to earn money. Although ghostwriters in Africa are now fast-rising, and there are companies that offer ghostwriting services to clients. I believe Africa can do extremely well in this service, “said the blogger
According to Adeoye, ghostwriting is a service that can never lose value. Many companies out there will always need this service to attract clients. For example, a CEO of a tech company is not a writer, and so does not know anything about content writing. Yet this particular service will be needed by the company to give details about how their tech products can be beneficial. So ghostwriting in Africa is a service that can never die but will only continue to increase.
In some instances, you may end up working with foreign clients and the Adeoye offers a first tip: Have good customer relationship management. That means treating your client in the same positive and friendly way irrespective of whether the client is foreign or local.
“You might not know some of the things your foreign client knows or want, so learn to be open-minded and be ready to satisfy the requirements of the client. Make sure to deliver a great job so as to maintain the client and to also attract recommendations,” said Adeoye
Truly, the world is fast becoming a global village. People have actually been operating globally over the years but the 2020 lockdown was an eye-opener and more people joined the global village. Ghostwriting future will still remain stable because writing is a skill that never dies. There will always be writers, there will always be clients. It’s actually already a competitive service but still, every writer will still always have that one or more steady client.
Apart from ghostwriting Adeoye writes her own books, Own a website and you can follow her on Knightroyale.wordpress.com. When she is not writing she stays indoors to read a book or watch a movie both of which give her great ideas and storylines for her books.