At certain levels the very skills ghost writer profession can even print up to thousand dollar for one project. Ghost writer salaries with an amount like this are of course tempting for many people. It is not surprising that many people are starting to be interested in pursuing this profession.
However, to be able to earn a high income as a ghost writer, there are some skills that you absolutely must have.
So, what skills are they?
7 Mandatory Skills for Everey Ghost Writer
In simple terms, the meaning of a ghost writer is a professional writer who is paid to write books, journals, articles, speech scripts, novels or other written works on behalf of other people.
Based on this definition, there is a consequence that a ghost writer has that whatever is the result of his writing, fully belongs to the author, or people who use the services of a ghost writer.
So, if in the future the book you write becomes a best seller and the author becomes a millionaire, you have no right to demand anything even though you are the author. Or vice versa, if the book you write turns out to have a negative impact on the author, then you won’t be related in the least. At least from a legal and customary point of view.
How Big is the Potential Income of a Ghost writer?
Admittedly, the services of ghost writers in Indonesia are still very concerning in terms of the income they receive. I’ve even seen an advertisement on a digital services marketplace platform that offers a wage of only IDR 450,000 for a book written by a ghost writer.
This difference is like heaven and earth, especially when compared to overseas ghost writer rates such as America and Europe. Professional ghost writers like Elna Cain can even earn from 140 million to 250 million rupiah for one book they write.
So fantastic, right?
If professional ghost writer rates can be that high, novice ghost writer rates may experience a significant difference. In Indonesia alone, ghost writer rates for books that require research range from IDR 30,000 per page. Quite interesting actually, especially if you already have experience in this job.
Sometimes there are also ghost writers who charge up to 20 million or 40 million for a book they write. This rate is usually determined by the level of experience and fortpolio of the ghost writer himself.
What It Takes to Be a Ghost writer
To become a high-paid professional ghost writer, you must at least master some of the basic skills of a ghost writer.
With these skills and good branding, you don’t even have to look for ghost writer jobs to write and land a job. Precisely people who need your own services will seek and find you.
Then, what are the mandatory skills of the ghost writer profession that you must have?
These are 7 of the most essential.
1. Multi talented
The first thing you have to have as a ghost writer is all-around ability.
But don’t get me wrong just yet. All-in-one is meant here as all-in-one in writing any theme, type and genre. Even though, for example, you really know one topic very well, to become a ghost writer you are also required to be able to write other themes well too.
In addition to the theme, you are also required to write the various types of writing needed. Besides books, for example, you are also required to be able to write journals, essays, write SEO articles, write speeches, write fiction novels and others.
2. Creative
If you open ghost writing service, the second skill you must have is creativity. Creative and innovative are common parts of a ghost writer’s job.
Ghost writer meaning in Indonesian indeed is a shadow writer. But in consequence as a ghost writer, they sometimes have to be able to exceed the portion as a mere shadow.
There are several authors or clients who do not provide a specific description of the book you should write. Well, in cases like this you have to be creative to find the right point of view, effective delivery method and so on.
With this kind of creativity, you can write more freely, more comfortably and produce quality writing that is more interesting to read.
3. Good at Adapting
The toughest and most difficult challenge for a ghost writer is this skill, adapting to the writing style of the client who uses their services.
In writing, a ghost writer must be able to adapt their writer’s style to the author’s writing style. Professional ghost writers need to be able to spot and identify a style of writing that best suits their client’s writing style.
Even further, a ghost writer must also be able to represent the thoughts and personality of their clients indirectly in the writing they produce.
This process is certainly not easy. Especially if you have a strong writing style that is not easy to change. But with more experience, it will be easier for you to adapt from day to day.
4. Able to Do Research
In the most common writings such as ghost writing for books, journals, essays and the like, research is one of the main things and cannot be left behind.
This research is needed by ghost writer services to produce authentic, factual and coherent writing. So, a ghost writer is not only required to be able to imitate the client’s writing style, but they must also be able to dig up as much information as possible on the topic of writing.
You can sharpen this ability by reading a lot and studying various relevant sources. Once you feel you have enough, you only need to process and mix it up to become an interesting piece of writing.
5. Flexible
The next skill that a professional ghost writer must have is flexibility. You may in one condition experience a difference of opinion with a client which allows debate to arise. In this situation, you are required to be more flexible.
Professionally, you are asked to always put what the client wants before your own opinion. You can write independently if you really need it. However, basically this cannot be separated from the outline requested by the client.
Always remember that you are writing on their behalf. Consequences that occur in the future will concern the reputation and credibility of clients who use your services as ghost writers.
6. Responsible
Like other professions, ghost writing also requires a high level of persistence, responsibility and consistency.
As a professional ghost writer, responsibility in terms of deadlines, honesty and being able to build effective communication is the key to the success of a ghost writer. You must have some of these skills not only for you to be successful as a ghost writer, but also as a shaper of your own character.
Keep in constant communication with your client to help him know the process of writing. And try to always provide any information honestly about the writing process that you are doing.
7. Be Open to Criticism to Improve Yourself
Anyone who is unable to adjust to change will lose and be crushed by the times. For this reason, the attitude of stagnation has no place in a world that is constantly changing.
You will get the same conditions in the world of ghost writers. At one point you might be criticized, either by the client or by whom. It is important for you to respond positively to criticism like this and make it a way to learn and improve yourself.
To become a successful ghost writer, you must always learn new things that are relevant to the ghost writer profession. Keep up with world developments and as much as possible learn the skills that will bring you to the pinnacle of achievement as a high skills professional ghost writer.
READ ALSO:
- HOW TO CREATE CONFLICT IN NOVEL WRITING
- HOW TO KILLING CHARACTERS IN NOVEL
- HOW TO MAKE CONFLICT MAN VERSUS DESTINY
Do you need a professional Indonesian ghost writer?
Anton Wan Bong
I am Indonesian book writer, content writer, ghost writer, copywriters and also an email marketer. I have written 23 books, fiction and non-fiction, and thousands of articles since mid-2018 until now.
With the experience that I have, you can invite me to work together and produce works. Feel free to contact me via email, contact form or get updates on my writing by joining this blog with thousands of other friends.
My other writings can also be read on this website;
Fortopolio of some of my writing can be seen here:
