Most days, I LOVE being a ghostwriter. I mean, I LOVE it!!!! I get to write about a lot of topics. My clients are happy because they get top-notch writing with their voice and notes and vision…

Among my various marketing efforts, I do belong to a couple subscription freelance sites. It’s a way to find new clientele and fill in time between other projects. So, among these freelance sites, I am on Elance and Guru.

I don’t bid alot. I wait until I see a project posted that 1) I know I can do a superb job on, 2) is typically in my niche (the real estate, mortgage and credit industries) in order to build that section of clientele and 3) isn’t a nickel and dime job. My rates aren’t cheap. I’m negotiable…but I’m not cheap.

Several posted projects have me scratching my head lately. In one, the poster wanted an experienced ghostwriter (I’m talking NY Times bestseller ghostwriter) and wanted the writer’s resume. Details about titles, etc. Uh, hello?? Most ghostwriters sign NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) and can’t divulge that information. My clients want to be seen as the author of the material. Some clients give me copious notes, outlines, research and more. Some clients give me the minimum…an idea, a sketchy outline, some direction for research. But in either case, the clients are the author of note. Not me. 

Ask me what I’ve written. Go ahead. Ask me. 

I’ll tell you what topics I’ve written on. And I’ll tell you that I’m seriously proud of many of the projects and how they’ve gone on to sell. It’s pretty cool to go to the Amazon page of a book I’ve ghostwritten and see the comments mentioning the great writing. That’s how I get my proverbial pat on the back.

But I will not tell you the titles I wrote, either for ebook or print. And I won’t tell you who I wrote for. In fact, If you look at my testimonials, you will see I use initials only. Not names.

Why the soapbox monologue? I lost a bid on a project today. A credit ebook. I could have written it with one hand tied behind my back and my puppy walking all over my laptop. I could have hit that one out of the park! But the guy declined my bid due to lack of examples. Sorry, buddy, but I’m not giving up the goods on my work or clients. Come look at my testimonials. Ask me to whip up a page to see what I can do for you…I won’t mind. Really. But don’t expect me to cough up work that is covered under a NDA…especially when your own project demands an NDA.