Become an Author Without Writing a Word: Use a Ghostwriter

So you want to be an author but don't want to write? I'm here to say you don't have to. Stop worrying about what to say and find a ghostwriter who can say it for you (and probably better). With that out of the way, your challenge is to find a good freelance writer to produce your books and articles for you.

It's important to keep in mind there are many types of writing, and each writer has special skills. Writing categories include novels, how-to, self-help, biography, news, general informational, copy writing, poems, technical, medical, special reports, sports writing and others.

As a ghostwriter and book editor myself, I typically work with national speakers, trainers, and consultants writing books for back-of-the-room sales. My specialty is what I think of as "personal experience/lessons learned" books. These are books with a personal narrative-a boy growing up in a depressed area of Chicago, several generations of doctors struggling with an increasingly profit-conscious health care industry, a executive recruiter who makes good-and blend these personal stories with the lessons learned along the way and how a reader may apply those lessons.

Finding a Ghostwriter or Freelance Writer

To find a ghostwriter or freelance writer, research a handful of good freelancing Web sites-Elance and Guru.com are two of the best. These sites allow you to post your writing requirements and your budget and invite professional freelance writers to bid on your project.

These sites encourage competition. They are typically flooded with talent but scarce on jobs, which is good for you. When a good gig gets posted, it's mobbed with bids. Twenty to fifty people may bid on each project, and everybody low-balls just to get the job.

It's critical that the freelance writer you choose can produce the type of content you need. Make sure you choose a writer who offers one or more writing clips of the type of book or article you're looking for. If you need a copywriter, don't hire the writer who sent you a clip of a cool sports story. He or she may be an outstanding sports writer, but copy writing is about selling. How-to writing is about educating. Novel writing is about entertaining. You get the idea.

Pay What You Can Afford, If Not a Little More

The more you can pay, the more bids you'll get from quality writers. These higher priced writers can entertain while they inform readers. If you need a ghostwriter to create content for your Web site, this type of edgy, insightful writing will help surfers keep coming back. If $50 for a 500-word Web article sounds like a deal, it's not. Internet readers are savvy and they hate sloppy writing. They'll read the headline and a sentence or two and click to another article or Web page.

Top-tier writers are more likely to charge a $1 a word for Web content, and in my experience, they're worth it. Look, this article or book we're talking about is going to have your name on the cover. Focus on quality first and plan to make up for any upfront costs on the back end when you sell your book or other products. Hard advice to swallow, I know, but good advice, nonetheless.