If you’re a writer, you may daydream about seeing your name on book covers and may not understand why someone would want to give that up to be a ghostwriter. But our guest today, Matthew Thrush, was able to leave his 9-to-5 job to become a ghostwriter. The reason: He was able to make enough income as a ghostwriter after only four months! He is now known for making six figures writing books for others.
There are a number of reasons authors may decide to become a ghostwriter:
- There is a large demand for ghostwriters. Jobs are easily found on online marketplace sites, like Upwork. You can use the income to supplement your author income, or even put the money earned back into your own book.
- It’s good practice. Not just for writing books, but also for working toward deadlines.
- It’s also a great way to network with other authors, especially those in your genre or subject.
When Matthew began ghostwriting, he went into it with the idea that he wasn’t great at book marketing, but he was good at the writing part of being an author. He had published a few books, but they weren’t earning enough for him to be able to quit his job and write full-time. Matthew was looking for other options to be able to earn six-figures, and once he did the math, he realized he would be able to supplement and then replace his income with ghostwriting.
Ways to become a ghostwriter
Matthew’s process for taking on ghostwriting clients differs, depending on the client. Some give him plot points, or an outline, or a general idea to work with, or it was up to Matthew to completely create the world for the author’s story. He learned how to talk to clients about their projects in order to write for them. It was also a good learning experience for him because it gave him deadlines, which authors don’t necessarily have for their own work.
He says it’s very important to know what your daily and monthly word output is before signing up to take on clients. But when he was able to calculate that with the income he was hoping to earn, he turned ghostwriting into a full-time job. To calculate his word output, Matthew had practiced with his own writing a year prior. He knew he could write 150,000 words per month without burning out, meaning when it came time to him to take on ghostwriting clients, he was able to take on four or five books per month.
The “What-ifs” of becoming a ghostwriter
In the beginning, he said he dealt with the What-Ifs:
- What if the book he was a ghostwriter for became a best-seller?
- What if it sells millions?
- What if it was made into a movie?
- What if all of that happened and no one knew he was the one who wrote it?
But then he remembered that his ultimate goal was to write novels, earn six figures, and have more freedom in his life. And he realized that this is what ghostwriting would allow him to do and have.
He is also able to practice his writing skills by being a ghostwriter. Another benefit is being able to experiment with different genres.
Ghostwriting for someone is basically free training. If you want to experiment with a different genre or sub-genre, have someone pay you to do it. It even takes out all the risks.
Of course, there have been times when he’s found people looking for cheap labor and demanded a refund on work he has over-delivered on. A good way to avoid this is to read all the reviews and also try not to work with the scarcity mindset of taking on any job that comes your way. Learn to say no to something that doesn’t interest you or doesn’t seem to be on the up and up. But Matthew still advises ghostwriters to be generous with their time, talents, skills and resources. That, he says, has helped him attract great clients.
Bio of the Author in the Case Study:
Matthew Thrush is the co-founder of Six-Figure Ghostwriter and #1 bestselling author of over 50 books.
He was able to quit his job in less than four months, earning six-figures, through ghostwriting.
Now he focuses his energy and passion on helping others.
