6 Keys That Differentiate Professional Ghost Writers From The Amateur

Everybody writes. And if everyone writes, what is the difference between professional ghost writers and amateur writers? It’s a tricky question because what are professional ghost writers? Does such a thing exist?

Many would define professional ghost writers as someone who makes a living from what they write. It could be a fiction writer, a content creator, or a journalist. Others would define it as someone who only writes. That is, they have no other occupation. And others would be content to define professional ghost writers as someone who receives money for their writing. We have tried to find the keys to what separates someone who writes as a hobby from someone who writes professionally. And we are saying something other than writing as a hobby is severe. If you write when you can, because you like it, without many aspirations, that’s just as valid, but your goals will be very different. We differentiate here between those who write simply because they like it and professional ghost writers with aspirations to publish and get paid for their work.

Here we go. Ready for the first difference? Indeed you can guess it because we keep repeating it:

Habit

Yes, that’s how it is! A professional ghost writer writes! He writes every day. And when he doesn’t write, he corrects, thinks, advances structures, and documents himself. There are exceptions, of course. Some writers write two weeks at a time and then spend another two weeks proofreading. Some writers spend a month out of the year going far away on a trip and rebooting their brains. Each person has a different process. But what all professional ghost writers tend to have in common is that they’ve found a working system that works well for them and sticks to it.

Professional writers have a routine, a set of goals, or a system and stick to it. Maybe in pajamas, but they comply.

A platform

It can be a website, a blog, a YouTube channel, or a Twitter account. But the contemporary writer trying to become a professional has a virtual home, a point of contact with readers, already obtained and potential. There are also exceptions, of course. Some writers managed to get into a large publishing house and, little by little, have been publishing and making a name for themselves. But the chances of publishing at this level are slim, and we have reached a point where publishers look for authors who already have a trained following since it implies a minimum of guaranteed sales.

Everything is changing. We see authors who lived with some comfort thanks to the traditional publishing system and who did not even have a website, and for them, the situation is no longer the same, not even remotely. Advances are lower, sales are fewer, and money has dwindled. The authors standing out right now and staying in the market usually have a well-established platform and a significant virtual following.

Does this mean you must run to eight accounts on Pinterest, LinkedIn and Instagram? No. Find the platform you like the most and focus on it. Study it, see how it works and work on it. 

 A considerable investment of time

This is horrible because the writer’s job is now wider than writing. Now we all have to be experts in social media, marketing, new technologies, editing, design and a thousand other things. There are fewer and fewer intermediaries, so professional ghost writers do the work of the editor, the designer, the proofreader, and the promotion department.

Start writing and practicing, creating a book, two or three, and it doesn’t require too much time, just dedication. But to go further, to become a professional ghost writer, one has to be a kind of one-person band who, in addition to playing all the instruments in the world. 

They know when to work for free (and when not to)

Many professional ghost writers agree that working for free is a bad thing. First, it encourages clients and others to take advantage of your talent and effort. Second, it lowers their perception of the value of a job, so other professionals will have to lower their rates or even offer the same services for free. We understand that things are going on regularly, and we are all desperate, but falling prices affect you and the rest of us.

Professional ghost writers who have been writing for years know they already have a proven quality and do not usually accept proposals for free work. Professional ghost writers do a better sale potential in the time invested in carrying out that commission without remuneration.

 A professional attitude

Professional ghost writers have no problem saying, “I’m a writer” when asked. They can submit proposals to publishers and prepare synopses and work plans. Professional ghost writers know precisely what tone to use with an editor, between serious and kind. 

The contact list

You have already heard of networking, that word. It doesn’t sound terrific, and it can be. Seriously, some people die from networking. That list of contacts that all professional ghost writers need should be something other than something synthetic, hunting and capturing people who can help us. That list must be organic. That is why, when you want to submit a manuscript to a publisher, you may already know the person you need to contact or at least one person who knows them.

So now you know why professional ghost writers stand out? If you are looking for professional writers, contact our team at WriterCosmos.