Ghostwriting Articles on the Internet, the Pro's and Con's

Before you begin to look for ways to become a ghostwriter, you should be certain that ghostwriting is something you really want to do. Make sure you that you have all of the facts in front of you, and that you have considered both the pro's and con's of ghostwriting.

Pro's

1. Availability of work

Finding a ghostwriting job is fairly easy. Sign up on sites like GetAFreelancer.com, niche-content-packages.com, or writingbids.com, just to name a few. There are many other sites like these which are not too difficult to find, if you simply do an Internet search for "ghostwriting".

2. Quick pay

Most internet ghostwriting jobs are fast to pay. Instead of waiting for a monthly or even a weekly paycheck, if you opt to take freelance ghostwriting jobs you will generally get the money as soon as the project is completed to the buyers standards.

3. Gain Experience in the Field

Even those who do not have a lot of experience in the field of writing can easily pick up ghostwriting jobs on the Internet. That's because, in order to land many the jobs that are out there, all you really need to do is underbid other applying writers.

If you think that becoming a freelance ghostwriter sounds like just the thing for you, I would encourage you to continue reading.

While there are some positive things that can result from getting into this field, there are many more negative ones. As an experienced ghostwriter for some of the above sites, I want to caution new writers to think this decision through. Once you have sold your content as a ghostwriter there is no going back if you suddenly change your mind.

Con's

1. Loss of All Rights

Since my time as a ghostwriter I have come across many of my articles on the Internet. I want to smile proudly and say "Hey, I wrote that". However, because I allowed someone else to take the credit for my work, that's not an option for me. When I first opted to take ghostwriting jobs I can say that I really did not think it would matter to me if someone else recieved credit for the material I created. I thought that as long as I was getting paid, then I would be happy. But then the reality of it sunk in. Too late I realized that it does matter to me, a lot.

2. Very Low Pay

When I first began writing on the Internet I was so happy to get my first check as a writer, that it didn't occur to me I was making just pennies for the hours I was putting in. It is very common for website owners to offer ghostwriters one or two dollars per 400 word article. They may offer the articles in groups of 10 to 20, I suppose to make the job sound more lucrative. "Ten Articles needed. Total Budget $20.00." While you may see this as an opportunity to make an extra twenty bucks, unless you are really fast at writing, you won't even earn a dollar an hour by the time you are finished.

3. Low Competition Bids

Even if you set your sights "high", refusing to take less than even $5.00 per article, you will undoubtedly find that other writers will underbid you for the jobs. There are many writers on these sites that do not produce high quality content, but are willing to do the work for next to nothing. Most buyers are looking for the cheapest way to get what they want, and most are willing to sacrifice quality for cheap quantity.

4. Useless Content

The content you produce as a ghostwriter will earn you (small) paycheck, that's true. After that however, you should know that you cannot use anything you have written to help build your portfolio, or to demonstrate your experience as a writer and content producer.

5. No Royalties

Once you have sold a piece of content as a ghostwriter, regardless of how successful that written material may later become, you will recieve no royalty payments or (as Helium refers to them) "Performance Payments."

In conclusion, while it may take a while to build an income working at sites like Heium or Associated Content, the benefits of retaining the rights to your own work outweigh the short term, instant gratification of ghostwriting for quick cash, by far.