Message from Mary Anne
Greetings:
I’m not what you might call a “techie” person by nature, and I do get help with the association Web site and this newsletter from my wonderful WordPress and HTML guru Christina Milburn (she’s going to blush when she sees this—hi, Christina, you patron saint of non-techie people like me!). But because this association so far runs on a shoestring budget, I manage some of the technical aspects of running it myself.
So imagine my dismay last week when I discovered that not one, not two, but three different tools at the IAPGW had for some god-awful reason decided to stop functioning properly. Here I was, excited to tell you all about upcoming teleclasses and new member benefits coming down the pike, and I found that you couldn’t register for the class OR join the association even if you wanted to!
As Christina will attest, I was not my best self last week. I abandoned the thought of getting “Invisible Ink” out to you on time, halted my normally tireless promotion of the association and its members, and buried myself in system support FAQs at 1shoppingcart and sent multiple S.O.S. e-mails to WordPress (where I discovered another saint named Jen, who patiently walked me through that particular issue).
All in all, though, I learned (or re-learned) some extremely valuable lessons last week. First, no matter what the setback, you’ll get through it if you keep your head and remain persistent; and second, you never know where you might end up finding a patron saint to help get you through whatever you’re struggling with.
That’s really why associations like the International Association of Professional Ghost Writers exist, as a matter of fact. Or why there are coaching clubs, which I discuss in this week’s article. How nice to know that none of us is in this alone. 
To your success,
Mary Anne Hahn
IAPGW Executive Director
P.S. Today’s my birthday, but I’m giving the gifts! Join IPAGW before May 1, 2010 and receive a free copy of ghost writer Eva Shaw’s book, Ghostwriting: For Fun & Profit (this is the first and still the best book I’ve ever read on ghostwriting, from someone who created a highly successful career doing it). So hurry to http://iapgw.org/member-benefits and join today!
P.S. Don’t miss the next f-r-e-e IAPGW teleclass, “Why People Hire Ghostwriters—or Not” with veteran ghost writer Kim Pearson. For more information go to http://iapgw.org/upcoming-events and register now!
New Member Welcome
Karen Cole
Professional Member
Seattle, WA
http://www.rainbowriting.com
Kim Pearson
Professional Member
http://www.primary-sources.com
Come join us! http://iapgw.org/member-benefits
IAPGW News
The IAPGW is in the process of forming an advisory board of professionals in a number of fields. The board’s purpose will be to provide guidance to the development of the association and its services, as well as assist in promoting the association to both potential members and those who might seek the services of a ghost writer.
In our quest to support and advocate for ghost writers around the world, as well as to become the future “go to” place for those in need ghostwriting assistance, we feel that the creation of an advisory board will assist us in both endeavors. Stay tuned for more information in upcoming issue of “Invisible Ink.”
Feature Article:
Can Coaching Help Your Ghostwriting Career?
© 2010 by Mary Anne Hahn
In order to succeed as a freelance writer, you need to wear many hats in order to launch, run and grow your business. Besides doing the actual writing for your clients, you most likely perform your own marketing, do your own filing, serve as a one-man or one-woman research department, act as your own project manager, save your own business receipts and maybe even do all your own accounting. Some of these hats that you wear probably don’t fit you as well as others, right?
Of course, the ideal world would be one where we could outsource all those functions that we don’t do well or find distasteful—much like why other people hire us to write for them. But for those business functions that we either keep because we can’t afford to hire someone to do them, or hang onto because we really want to do them better, there exist some pretty affordable options out there to get coaching on them from experts.
One of these options is to join what are known as monthly coaching clubs in the area of expertise where you want or need help. While many business and success coaches can and do charge some eye-popping fees for their time and programs, the ones who form clubs put coaching within our financial reach by holding sessions with and providing tools to multiple clients simultaneously, and by charging palatable monthly rates.
While the concept has grown tremendously on the internet, it’s by no means new. Weight Watchers, for example, is a type of coaching to help people learn to change their approaches to food and exercise. Toastmasters International has provided people with a place to hone their public speaking skills for nearly 90 years. On the Web, I performed a quick search and found a coaching club to manage and eliminate debt (http://www.debtfreecoachingclub.com/), increase productivity (http://www.theproductivitycoachingclub.com), learn how to write for children (http://www.cwcoachingclub.com), and even one with the intriguing name of “What You Know Is Worth More Than You Know™ Coaching Club” (http://www.whatyouknowisworthmorecoachingclub.com). As you can see, these clubs pretty much run the gamut.
I personally belong to a couple coaching clubs and have found them to be worth every penny. First of all, not only do I get the opportunity to learn from and ask questions from some pretty successful people, I also get to expand my professional network with the other members in the club. You never know whose ears might perk up when they hear that there is a ghost writer in their midst! The two I belong to are:
Robert Middleton’s Action Plan Marketing Club (click the “Marketing Programs” tab at the top of the page). Robert targets independent professionals trying to market their services both on- and off-line. Not only are his twice monthly 90-minute coaching calls worth their weight in gold, the club includes a step by step marketing tutorial, recorded interviews with other marketing experts, help with forming your own mastermind group, and a place where you can upload your professional profile so that others can find you and your services. At $29 a month, which you can cancel at anytime, I can imagine a better bargain.
Stephanie Frank’s Success IQ Inner Circle. While I can only make every other one of her weekly coaching calls, I still get more than my money’s worth from my membership (besides, I can always catch the call I miss afterwards because they’re all recorded). In fact, I still can’t believe she coaches every week for only $27 a month! Stephanie’s program focuses on ways to eliminate any roadblocks we place in the way of our own success, and I find her enthusiasm contagious. Besides the calls, the club contains a library of audios on topics ranging from peak performance and goal-setting to self-confidence and time management. I always walk away from the Tuesday calls feeling pumped up and motivated.
So if you find there’s an area in your life where you and your writing career can use a boost, perhaps joining a coaching club is a way that you can get the help and guidance you need within your budget.
March Poll Results/April Poll
March Poll Results: What do you find is your greatest challenge as a ghost writer?
Breaking in and developing a reputation as a ghost writer 42%
Finding clients 17%
Charging what I think my services are worth. 17%
Balancing multiple projects simultaneously 17%
Meeting deadlines 7%
April Poll: If you have or would join a monthly coaching club, what would the purpose of it be?
Register your vote at http://iapgw.org
Upcoming Events
May 5: Free teleclass: “Why People Hire a Ghost Writer—or Not” with Kim Pearson at http://www.primary-sources.com
Seems obvious: in order to market your ghostwriting services effectively, you need to know why people will want to hire you. But ghostwriting is often misunderstood, by non-writers and writers alike. In this teleclass taught by an experienced ghostwriter, we’ll explore the following:
Why people think they want to hire a ghostwriter
Why and when people should hire a ghostwriter
Why people don’t hire a ghostwriter – and how to convince them otherwise.
Date: Wednesday, May 5 10, 2010
Time: 2 PM Eastern (1 PM Central, Noon Mountain, 11 AM Pacific)
Cost: Free!
To register for this class and receive an e-mail with call in information, go to
http://iapgw.org/upcoming-events
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May 18: Free teleclass: “Painless (No, really!) Negotiating” with Mary Ellen Bates at http://www.batesinfo.com
Details coming soon!
Living as a Ghost Program Discount
Until June 1, 2010, IAPGW members can receive a $75 discount on the program Living as a Ghost, a comprehensive program on how to establish and grow your own ghostwriting career. Developed and offered by Kim Pearson, herself an established ghost writer with more than 10 years of experience, this course will help aspiring ghost writers get their careers off the ground, and established ghost writers move to the next level.
This discount is ONLY available to IAPGW members (at both the associate and professional levels). For details on the course, and to find out how to qualify for the discount, visit http://iapgw.org/living-as-a-ghost-program.
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Message from Mary Anne
Greetings:
Part of the vision of the IAPGW is to “raise global awareness of ghost writing as a profession.” As executive director of this association, I see it as one of my primary duties to educate the world-at-large as to what ghost writers do, and how we help others get their stories, knowledge, messages and philosophies in writing and out to their clients or audiences.
To that end, I’m excited to announce a couple of interviews that I have been doing. On Monday, March 29, Heidi Richards Mooney of the Women’s Ecommerce Association, International (http://wecai.org) interviewed me on how ghost writers can help women entrepreneurs write books or develop info products for their businesses (the recording of that interview will be made available on the site next week). Then in May, Patricia Fry at the Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network (http://spawn.org) will run an interview she conducted with me via e-mail about my own ghostwriting experience, ghostwriting in general and how this association came to exist.
That makes this an excellent time to join the IAPGW, especially at the professional level, as your listing in the membership directory will be available to anyone in search of a ghost writer. Because I have been so busy and haven’t had an opportunity to change them, you’ll see that you can still have time to take advantage of the low membership fees for charter members. But this opportunity will only remain available until April 15, 2010, so don’t delay!
http://iapgw.org/member-benefits
To your success,
Mary Anne Hahn
IAPGW Executive Director
New Member Benefit!
I am excited to announce the first of many new benefits that will be added to increase the value of your IAPGW membership.
Until June 1, 2010, receive a $75 discount on the program Living as a Ghost, a comprehensive program on how to establish and grow your own ghostwriting career. Developed and offered by Kim Pearson, herself an established ghost writer with more than 10 years of experience, this course will help aspiring ghost writers get their careers off the ground, and established ghost writers move to the next level.
This discount is ONLY available to IAPGW members (at both the associate and professional levels). For details on the course, and to find out how to qualify for the discount, visit http://iapgw.org/living-as-a-ghost-program.
Feature Article:
Need Ghostwriting Clients? Get Interviewed
© 2010 by Mary Anne Hahn
As with any business, in order to get you and your ghostwriting services noticed, you need to step out from the shadows. One of the best ways to get powerful publicity is to get interviewed by someone else.
Why is getting interviewed such an awesome marketing strategy? For a multiple of reasons, including the ones listed below:
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You don’t need to create an audience. Your interviewer (or the publication or Web site carrying your interview) has already done that for you.
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People loyal to certain interviewers often extend that loyalty to people or products that the interviewer recommends (think Oprah).
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You get five, ten, fifteen or whatever number of minutes of exclusive attention and exposure. You’re fortunate to get even five seconds’ attention via any other type of (legal and/or moral) publicity.
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You get to showcase what makes you and your service special—your experience, your niche, etc.
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Outside of possible travel expenses or the cost of a phone call, getting interviewed provides you with no- or low-cost exposure that you’d pay a fortune for through other advertising and promotion methods.
Moreover, the ability for you to get interviewed has grown increasingly easy. Besides traditional media such as television, radio and print publications, the Internet offers a tremendous array of opportunities for you to get your name and services out there. Venues in which you can get interviewed include Internet radio sites, a plethora of blogs and online magazines, doing teleclasses or becoming part of a telesummit event (during which several speakers give interviews or presentations over a three-to-five day period), creating and posting video podcasts—the possibilities seem endless.
So how do you find people who will interview you? The following list contains only the tip of what is a very, very large iceberg, but should be enough to get you started:
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BlogTalk Radio (http://www.blogtalkradio.com) “allows anyone, anywhere the ability to host a live, Internet Talk Radio show, simply by using a telephone and a computer.” Literally thousands of hosts here seek interviewees to talk about an enormous spectrum of topics to satisfy a wide range of audiences. Look for shows that appeal to the kinds of people you would like to write for, then pitch the show’s host with an interview topic related to how the audience could benefit from using the services of a ghost writer. You can even host your own regular show if you wish.
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Podcast (http://podcast.com) is a place where you can submit your own audio or video podcast, or submit a feed from another site such as BlogTalk Radio.
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At Help a Reporter Out (http://helpareporter.com), or HARO, you can list yourself as an interview source for reporters. Once you register, you receive regular e-mails listing the kinds of things journalists are looking for, and respond to those that match your expertise.
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Look for professional or business organizations or associations in your target client markets that provide regular teleclasses or teleseminars to their members. Many of these organizations are in constant need of new people to interview and new topics to present. Pitch the idea of how a ghost writer can help their members get more business, get greater exposure, etc.
You may feel intimidated about being interviewed at first, but as with most things, your confidence will grow over time. And once you see the exposure and results you’ll get, you just might make getting interviewed your number one method for finding new clients.
March Poll
What do you find is your greatest challenge as a ghost writer? Register your vote at http://iapgw.org.
Upcoming Events
I have nothing lined up for April yet (that can change any time, though) but I have two teleclasses scheduled for May—“Why People Hire Ghost Writer,” which will help you understand better how to market your services to potential clients, and “Scary Ghost Stories,” about problem clients and how to deal with them. Both calls will be with Kim Pearson at http://www.primary-sources.com/ , the ghost writer I mentioned in the article above. You won’t want to miss the experience and insights she’ll share with us. These calls will be f-r-e-e for anyone who calls in to them (with recorded downloads available for IAPGW members only).
Stay tuned for dates, times and how to register for these calls.
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Message from Mary Anne
Greetings:
This past Wednesday, I held the first of what will be an ongoing series of teleclasses for ghost writers, “How to Use Twitter to Attract Clients.” I chose that topic because of the relative ease I’ve had in building an awesome network there, and in promoting the International Association of Professional Ghost Writers, my WriteSuccess.com site, and my own writing services.
Right now, there’s just no beating Twitter when it comes to getting immediate and widespread publicity for yourself and your writing business—in fact, I even received a request to do a March 23 interview about ghostwriting at the Women’s ECommerce Association International (http://wecai.org) from someone who found me via Twitter, an opportunity I never would have gotten otherwise. If you missed Wednesday’s class and would like me to give it a second time, please email me and I’ll set something up.
On a different happy note, the “disappearing client” I wrote about in the last issue (http://iapgw.org/2010/02/25/invisible-ink-the-case-of-the-disappearing-client) has decided to give me another opportunity to work with her. The fact that I virtually threw myself at her feet and begged for mercy no doubt helped! Yes, I’m kidding, but I did follow up with her, admitted how I hadn’t done due diligence before tackling the first articles she sent me to work on, and reiterated both my experience and desire to show her I can deliver the level and style of writing she’s looking for. Another lesson learned (or relearned, I should say)—a little persistence can go a long way.
To your success,
Mary Anne Hahn
IAPGW Executive Director
P.S. Need clients? I’ll be mentioning the IAPGW in that interview on March 23. If you’re a professional-level member, you can list yourself on the member directory and be there when women come looking for ghost writers to hire. Hop on over to http://iapgw.org/member-benefits and join today!
Feature Article:
Boo! Are You Afraid to Charge What Your Ghostwriting is Worth?
© 2010 by Mary Anne Hahn
One of the scariest aspects for many ghost writers involves setting rates for our writing services—and standing behind those rates when potential clients balk. As a result, we might tend to undercharge just to get the work.
We do this for one of any number of reasons. Maybe we’re just trying to get our foot in the ghostwriting door, and are a bit desperate to get those first assignments. Maybe we see how little other people are willing to charge on job bid sites like Elance or Guru, and think we need to low-ball our offers as well. Maybe even you think that asking for what others say is the going rate sounds too high.
If you really want to make a living as a ghost writer, you need to approach it like a business and learn how to develop a comfort level with setting and sticking to your rates. Not doing so will only leave you feeling frustrated and undervalued; moreover, if you try to increase your rates over time, your bargain-hunting clients will simply seek new bargains elsewhere.
Here are some tools you can use to determine what your writing rates should be:
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Determine what your annual salary needs to be (remember to figure in income taxes, health insurance and other benefits you might receive if you worked for someone else). Then use this nifty little freelance rate calculator at http://allfreelancewriting.com/freelance-writing-rate-calculator , which provides calculations based on dollar, pound, euro, rupee, yen and yuan.
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Do some research to see what other ghost writers are charging for their services. On her ghost writing Web site, for example, Kim Pearson offers ranges for different kinds of work, and explains how the range is determined. You can find her rates here: http://www.primary-sources.com/rates.html.
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Still feeling uneasy about asking for the going rate? Maybe what you need is mindset coaching. I personally belong to Success IQ coach Stephanie Frank’s very affordable inner circle, and have learned a great deal from her during her once a week coaching calls in areas such as confidence building, time management and other success principles. You can find out more about her program here: http://budurl.com/iqsuccess.
The bottom line is, you do yourself and other ghost writers a disservice when you settle for too little compensation in return for your writing and editing work. Don’t be afraid to quote—and get—the amount of money your skills deserve. You’ll find that it’s much easier to pay your bills when you do.
March Poll
What do you find is your greatest challenge as a ghost writer? Register your vote at http://iapgw.org.
Upcoming Events
I’m looking to set up an April interview with Kim Pearson at http://www.primary-sources.com , the ghost writer I mentioned in the article above. You won’t want to miss the experience and insights she’ll share with us. The call will be free for IAPGW members, and $17 for nonmembers. You can learn more about IAPGW membership benefits here: http://iapgw.org/member-benefits
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