Saturday, June 03, 2006
[Website Marketing] Say boo to the ghost writers
| You’re struggling to write an ezine, an e-book and a handful of articles. Even if you’re a good writer, it’s tempting to think, “Wouldn’t it be nice to hire someone to do this? A ghostwriter?! Then my To Do List will stop haunting my dreams.” Let’s consider 3 sources of help for the time-challenged (and it’s possible that some readers would rather scrub floors than write, too). (1) Ghostwriters complete the project from start to finish. You never see their names on the final product. Ideally, you created your contract to establish that your Ghost was writing “for hire,” i.e., you own all the rights to the finished product. Good ghostwriters don’t come cheap. For published books, they can get 50% of the advance and royalties – sometimes more. After all, they get no glory. Often they can’t list your project on their resumes and you won’t give them testimonials. That’s the whole idea: they’re invisible! So they must be compensated for the lack of track record. They’re known by word of mouth. You can hire low-cost ghostwriters at eLance. But you have to develop the assignment, write an ironclad contract, and hope your ghostwriter actually wrote what she submitted, rather than help herself to the Internet smorgasbord. Talk about being haunted. Needless to say, I rarely recommend hiring a ghostwriter. Instead, consider hiring a writing coach, preferably someone who also understands copywriting. That way you’ll learn how to create selling points along the way -- and your sales letter will practically write itself when you’re done. (2) Editors take your work and create good products. Ideally, you’ll write everything you need and your editor can check spelling, tighten the prose, repair grammar errors and polish. Good editors also don’t work cheap, but for straight spelling-and-grammar, you can easily find help. And often hiring an editor can be a wise investment. You may get lucky with a virtual assistant who can edit, proofread and produce your publication. (3) Copywriters create sales letters, web pages and sometimes press releases, ezines and e-books. Good copywriters will insist on obtaining strategic information so they can write to your target market, stressing your unique advantages. Like ghostwriters, copywriters actually create your message. But we’re usually more than a shadowy presence: most business owners are proud to tell the world they hired a copywriter. You may feel that you spend as much time working with your copywriter as you’d spend writing your own copy, although the result will (hopefully) be far more effective and professional. Actually, you’re using your time wisely. A copywriter forces you to assess your strategy and actually write out success stories, target market descriptions and a benefits-features list. Most of us (even copywriters!) tend to skip these steps when writing our own copy. We’re usually sorry afterwards. Best resource to create your own e-book: Jim Edwards: E-book Secrets Exposed. Click here. Ready to turn your lazy, good-for-nothing website into a powerhouse profit center that works 24/7? You've come to the right place. Download your valuable 10-page fr*e Report: 7 Best-Kept Secrets of Client Attracting Websites. and enjoy weekly tips to energize your website marketing. Click here. |
# posted by Cathy Goodwin @ 1:24 PM 
