Message from Mary Anne
Greetings:
I’m delighted to welcome returning and new subscribers to this issue of “Invisible Ink.” It’s been fun watching the list grow as word gets out about this new association—I feel like I am part of a very special group of writers.
As I write this, I can look up to see the steady snowfall that is blanketing my backyard. Unlike other parts of the U.S., Central New York has actually had a mild winter so far. While I am not exactly a fan of this season, I’ve actually missed the cozy feeling of sitting at my keyboard, writing away as the snow piles up outside. In other words, I find today’s scene strangely comforting…for the moment, at least, and probably because I don’t have to go out in it!
I postponed the free teleclass on how to use Twitter to attract clients to your ghost writing business to allow myself more time to promote it. If you don’t currently use Twitter because you just don’t get the appeal, or you think it would be a time waster, I hope you will register for and join me on the call. I, too, initially found the site to be more than bizarre. Since I have learned to utilize it, I’ve made it my primary networking tool. I’m excited to share what I’ve learned with fellow ghost writers, and hope you’ll join me on this free call. Details on how to register can be found on http://iapgw.org as well as below. Oh, did I mention the call is free?
To your success,
Mary Anne Hahn
IAPGW Executive Director
P.S. Just four days left to take advantage of the IAPGW’s charter member offer. Join between now and March 1 in order to receive the following special benefits:
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$50 off professional level membership and $30 off associate level membership dues for the first two years;
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A one year, no questions asked refund policy if you’re not totally satisfied with your membership;
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A six-month members-only partner program, where you alone will be able to earn referral fees for bringing new members to the IAPGW.
Membership fees will never be this low again, so I urge you to take advantage of this offer right now. To join, go to: http://iapgw.org/member-benefits
Feature Article:
The Case of the Disappearing Client
© 2010 by Mary Anne Hahn
Recently, I landed a ghost editing assignment for which I felt especially suited, one that held the sweet promise of ongoing work. The client worked for a professional organization in a field where I possess a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience. She needed someone to edit articles that she received from contributors for the association’s newsletter that, while technically correct and filled with information her members needed, required serious revamping.
Someone who was familiar with my work and her need introduced us via e-mail. The client filled me in on what she was looking for, I quoted my price ranges depending on the amount of editing needed, and she accepted. She e-mailed the first two articles to me. I rolled up my sleeves, went to work, and sent them back to her within the specified time frame. At her request, I invoiced her using PayPal. I sat back and waited for payment, and more assignments, to roll in.
Knowing that the reason she’d hired me was because she was swamped with work, I waited a week before sending a follow up e-mail. I asked her if the work I’d done was satisfactory and, if not, what could I do differently? I reiterated my interest in doing whatever it took to maintain an ongoing working relationship with her.
Bottom line: I eventually received payment for the two articles, but nothing else. No feedback, no new work. My e-mailed questions above went unanswered.
The fact is, as with any endeavor, we ghost writers will not be able to please everyone all the time. Some clients will be difficult to work with, period, and others might envision something totally different than what we give to them. Like receiving a magazine rejection letter, we may find ourselves a bit stung and demotivated when a relationship with a client doesn’t work out as we’d hoped.
Rather than give in to discouragement or question our writing ability, however, we need to look at these occurrences as learning experiences and use them to improve the ghost writing services we offer to future clients. In my situation, for example, I now see that I could’ve/should’ve asked the client for examples of what she considered to be good articles, or samples of articles she herself had edited, rather than assuming my knowledge of the subject matter would suffice. Or I could’ve/should’ve requested back issues of the newsletter. I also could’ve/should’ve set up one exploratory phone call, rather than handle the entire relationship via e-mail.
Even huge corporations need to learn from setbacks and mistakes, whether their own or the published accounts of others. Ghost writers are no different. I’ll know better when similar opportunities come my way and hope that, by sharing this experience, I can help you avoid similar pitfalls in your own ghost writing business.
February Poll Results
What kind(s) of ghost writing do you do/are you interested in doing?
Autobiographies/Memoirs 33%
Nonfiction books 21%
Ebooks 17%
Article Writing 17%
Fiction 13%
Other 0%
Stay tuned for a new poll in March!
Upcoming Events (New Date!)
Announcing…our very first IAPGW teleclass, “How to Use Twitter to Get Ghost Writing Clients.” Twitter is something I’ve used extensively to promote my ghost writing services, my WriteSuccess blog (http://writesuccess.com) and the IAPGW, of course; by following some specific list building and “Twittiquette” guidelines, I believe you’ll find this social media site to be an immensely powerful online networking and promotional tool for your ghost writing business. I plan to give you a step by step guide on how to use it, spending 15 minutes a day or less!
The details for this event are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Time: 3 PM Eastern (2 PM Central, 1 PM Mountain, Noon Pacific)
Cost: Free!
To register for this class, simply send a blank e-mail to:
MaryAnne.Hahn-498454@autocontactor.com
You will then receive follow up e-mails confirming your reservation, and providing you with call details and the dial in number.