Ghost Write Your Way to Higher Income
By George L. Duncan
If your books are not selling as well as you would like or if you are mid-way through writing the Great American Novel and need some extra cash, you might try freelance (novel) writing. A writer can hone his skills while bringing in money to support his literary addiction. The genres of romance, cozy mysteries and science fiction are in demand nowadays. So if you can mix genres and write about “Amish Aliens in Love” who also solve a murder, it could be a big seller.
Currently on Upwork.com, under “novel writing” the first three entries are clients looking for an author to write romance novels. In the “Science fiction” and “Mystery” categories, there are plenty of offers too.
I began freelancing for clients and small publishing companies after I retired from journalism. I had written several novels so I had a foot in the door. At times clients want to see writing samples and I had some available. I also had a blog, endtimestavern.com, where they could read the first chapters of a number of my novels. The result did not make me rich, but it did supply a relatively stable source of income.
One client, a British publishing company, wanted a 70,000-word science fiction novel with a future elite military unit. Now I’ve written five or six books about the unit and the books are selling fairly well. (The company keeps asking me to write another one so…)
During the first novel, the longest, I had a friend, Karen, who copyedited for me and made other editorial suggestions, which I generally listened to. She is superb in her job. When the novel was published, I was amused that one reviewer gave the book a fair review–three stars if I remember–but noted the editing was excellent. That got a laugh from Karen when I told her. “Yes, the book is just OK, but the editing is fantastic!”
Karen also edited a 60,000-page Western that took place in 1860 for me. The editing is excellent on that novel too. It also shows the variety in freelance writing. The editors of the Western want it to be a nine-book series — which is fine with me. I like Westerns. But they also, through Upwork, asked me to write the series. It’s always nice when you can build up a reputation and have publishers come to you instead of the other way around.
In the beginning it can be feast or famine. You may have two or three novels going at once or there can be long dry spells. During the dry spells, of course, you can return to the novels that will actually have your name on them.
But at times, such with the Western and Science Fiction books that were so well-edited, the publishers want a series of books so that ensures steady work. Which also true with cozy mysteries. Before freelance writing I had not read any cozy mysteries and was barely aware of the genre, although I did enjoy the mystery genre. A few of my favorite writers include Ross MacDonald, John D. MacDonald and Robert Parker, all of whom wrote mysteries. All had different styles and all were unique and all were also exceptional authors.
In most cozy mysteries the main character is a female protagonist who owns a business. She can be helped in the investigation by a friend or a boyfriend. But any romance in the novel must take a backseat to the solving of the mystery. My first cozy mystery took place in my home state of Florida. It took a while to become thoroughly familiar with all the aspects of a CM, so the novel needed one or two revisions. I was very satisfied with the result. I really liked the two main characters and was proud of the novel. A second novel with the same two characters was also, I thought, a high quality read. I generally use a great deal of wit and humor in dialogue to keep the pace moving along and that goal was achieved in those cozy mysteries.
Another plus in freelance writing is you can try your hand at the various genres. You can get an opportunity to write science fiction, mystery, cozy mystery, westerns, contemporary novels and almost anything else in the literary field. You have a chance to stretch your talents. One of my favorite characters is a gambler in my 60,000-word Western. Copyeditor Karen really liked him too. He has a questionable reputation but, when push comes to shove, he’s on the side of the angels. He is one of those characters who comes to life on the pages.
If you’re considering this profession there are one or two downsides, or at least things you need to be careful off. If you get overbooked, you may start cranking out the pages. Such a rush leaves little room for creativity. Getting overbooked is easy because the pay is low. (Although if you get established with a company, the pay rates can go up. Your name is not on the book so the company can get other writers. But if you have written, say, three novels for them and they like your writing, they would prefer to keep you around, even if they have to pay you more. (The British Company really liked the long science fiction novel I wrote for them. So the company made an offer for more novellas featuring the same characters to continue the series. But I thought the offer was low so politely declined although I said I enjoyed working for them. I figured that was the end of it but the company came back with a better offer, one that I accepted.)
I have enjoyed almost all the freelance writing I have done and enjoyment is always a big part of a profession. It helps even more if the profession–such as writing — is an inside job with no heaving lifting. And at my age, you really appreciate that no heavy lifting part.
George L. Duncan is an avid golfer but his game wasn’t nearly good enough to get him on the pro tour so he took up writing. A former reporter and editorial writer, he is now semi-retired and writing novels. His latest novel — with his name on it — is “Last Stand at Lighthouse Point” a suspense novel that also explains the book of Job. A previous novel “At Play in the Seas of the Lord,” is a treasure hunting tale that dwells into why there is evil in the world. A native of Florida, he lives in the cold, barren desolate state of Colorado. (OK, it’s not that bad. It’s actually a very pleasant place, except for the minus 15 days in winter.) His blog is endtimestavern.com On Twitter, to prevent any possibly confusion, he is George L. Duncan.
In his cozy mysteries, perhaps because he spent his career in journalism, editors and publishers tend to die with alarming frequency.
Chair & Pen publishes stories on the writing process and the writing life. It is edited and curated by Writing Coach Annalisa Parent. To learn more about how to work with Annalisa, visit www.DateWithTheMuse.com
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