Ghostwriting can be an incredibly fruitful business provided you know where to find the work. If you want to be a ghostwriter or you’ve had a taste of it and want more, there are loads of places where you can find the work. Here are some of them:

Go to Literary Agents and Acquisitions Editors

They can often find you some work. It is sometimes down to the editor or literary agent for an author to suggest ghostwriters and if your name is on the list, you stand a chance of being picked. This tends to a case when an author has got a fantastic idea for a book or they have a decent platform but don’t have the skills or the time to write the book. Seasoned ghostwriters often rely on agents or editors as a source of work.

Approach the Author

Many authors go down the self-publishing route these days, bypassing major publishers. Sometimes these authors advertise for ghostwriters and one of the best ways to find them is to get yourself connected to a self-publishing service that is in the position to recommend you to an author.

Get Together With Other Ghostwriters

They can be one of the best sources of work and they are not the competition – there is plenty of work for everyone. Get to know them, find out what they specialize in and tell them what your writing specialties are. If you get projects that don’t fit with you, send them on to another ghostwriter; the chances are they will do the same. You can’t beat networking.

Get Affiliated With an Agency for Writers

If you have a decent background in ghostwriting then you could try for an agency affiliation.  Agencies connect you with the right authors but they manage the relationship between you, taking a commission for the privilege. They will help with the contracts, with negotiating rates and terms and everything else that can bog you done, leaving you free to concentrate on writing.

Look Beyond Books

Authors aren’t the only ones who look for ghostwriters; bloggers, tweeters, even Facebook posts are sometimes written by ghostwriters. Books aren’t the only income source. You could even find work writing speeches, white papers, correspondence, all sorts. You need to look at public relations agencies and marketing firms for work.

Use Your Previous Experience

If you are just breaking into ghostwriting then you need to use any previous writing experience you have. You may not be able to show that you are a good ghostwriter but you can show that you can write. Do some homework on the ghost-writing market too; if you can show that you are knowledgeable, you will go a lot further.

Be Visible

Word of mouth is the most valuable tool you have at your disposal but you mustn’t neglect your social networks, on and offline.  Make sure everyone is aware that you are a ghostwriter; you never know who may have the ear of somebody who can put plenty of work your way.

The trick to being a writer of any kind, especially a ghostwriter, is to put the word out; network whenever you can, wherever you can. Something somewhere will click and the work will come flooding in.