Freelance

Behind the Scenes Look: A Day in the Life of a Freelance Ghostwriter

Did you know that around 60% of celebrity books on the top seller list are written by ghostwriters?

With so many people learning about ghostwriting, it’s natural that there’s a curiosity about what a freelance ghostwriter does on a daily basis. Some people might be considering working in this field as well, but many people want to find and hire a ghostwriter.

Continue reading this article and we will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a freelance writer and incite in how to hire a ghostwriter.

Planning and Productivity

Before a ghostwriter even starts writing, they map out their day and figure out what they are going to do and when they’ll do it. Most freelancers track their hours to make sure they’re working enough to hit their income goals.

It’s easy to let your day go off the rails without proper planning. Any other productivity exercises are done early in the morning as well. If you want to hire a ghostwriter, it’s best to email them late at night or very early in the morning. Make sure to be very direct when hiring a ghostwriter so they understand what you want and how they can help.

Checking Emails and Responding

After morning planning, productivity, and some breakfast—and lots of coffee—it’s time to check emails.

Morning emails might hold requests from potential clients, or from current clients with questions about current projects. Getting these emails taken care of early in the morning will allow for the actual writing part of things that takes place next.

Writing for Someone Else

Since ghostwriters write for someone else, they have to be good at taking on the voice of other people. It’s important that people not know that someone else other than the person who’s name is on the content wrote the book.

Not everyone is good at writing and you’d be surprised how many people that are bestsellers never slaved over a computer putting their words together in the beautiful arrangement that is now their amazing book.

A large part of writing for someone else means they will need to interview that person and learn more about their story, who they are, and how they speak.

Finding a Great Ghostwriter

In order to find the perfect ghostwriter, you might need to search through a good deal of people. Keep in mind, though, that once you find the perfect person that gets your voice, you’ll be able to use them for multiple projects.

If you’re hiring virtually, don’t be afraid to ask them to hop on a video conference with you, so you can get an idea of who they are. You should also ask them to do a small sample project, but keep in mind you do want to pay them for this.

Understanding a Freelance Ghostwriter’s Job

Now you know more about what a freelance ghostwriter does and you have an idea about how to hire someone. Depending on your project, you might be able to get it done faster than you thought with a professional that knows how to get the job done.

Do you want to learn more about writing and other interesting topics? Continue through our blog to learn more.

Groovin’ to the Beat: How to Increase Freelance Output with Productivity Music

Americans clock in over 32 hours a week listening to their favorite music. Yet, most don’t know that what they are listening to has a big impact on their work output. 

Freelancers enjoy the freedom of flexibility in their careers. Yet, some days it can be tough to find focus, as distractions get the best of you. 

Yet, listening to productivity music can boost cognitive function and mood. It can give you that extra motivational edge to get your work done. 

Here’s a look at how music can make you more productive in the workplace. 

Music Is About More Than Background Noise

Freelancers use music in the workplace to help create a more positive environment. While some work in the comfort of their own homes, others may choose upbeat coffee houses to get their work done. 

Yet many of today’s freelance workforce rents a co-working office space. As at least 50% of coworking members are freelances.

For those who work in an open environment, they are often subjected to noise and distractions. This includes chatty coworkers, ringing phones, and food deliveries. 

The act of listening to music helps to block out these disruptions. It lets you go with the mental flow, without breaking concentration. The right music for work keeps you staying in the zone, creating a nice pace for your day. 

Yet, work music does more than serve as a pleasant distraction from working hours. As music can also create positive reactions in our mind and body. This includes an increase in your own productivity levels. 

The Power of Sound on the Senses

Music is powerful because it has the ability to affect our mental, physical, emotional, and behavioral state.  It does this by triggering chemicals and hormone production in the brain. 

Memory

These chemicals can help enhance memory and boost cognitive functioning. They can also improve our mental health. Music therapy aids those who suffer from dementia, anxiety, and depression.  

Relaxation

Music also provides a calming effect on the mind and body. This is ideal in stressful work situations, like working under tight deadlines. Or when dealing with a major crisis or annoying coworker. 

Relaxing music can improve insomnia, helping you to get better sleep. This allows you more energy and a well-rested mind for your workday.  

Mood

Music affects our behavior by triggering happy hormones. This, in turn, helps to balance your mood. It allows better concentration and an increase in focus for work projects.   

Motivation

Music can also be motivational. It can help to increase endurance and enhance a workout. As it gets your heart pumping and blood circulating. 

It can boost creative thinking, helping with writing projects. It also makes us more efficient at managing day-to-day tasks. Especially repetitive ones that tend to lose our attention.     

How Music Can Further Stimulate the Brain 

Music’s effect is subject to your own unique personal preferences and past experiences. Yet, listening to the right type of music can stimulate brainwaves, both on the left and right side of the brain. 

The type of music you listen to has a big impact on this though. The best music for productivity depends on what type of workload you have.

For deeper concentration, it’s best to go with music that doesn’t have any lyrics. As lyrics can sometimes distract us, especially if it’s a new song you haven’t heard yet. This can cause your brain to try to focus on the words and meaning of the song, instead of the work in front of you.  

So choose music with instrumentals, paying attention to the beat and tempo. This can be a flowing list of focusing music or ambient music. 

Classical music can also increase productivity when working. Those who study the Mozart Effect say it can even boost the brain’s IQ. This makes it a smart choice to use for study music or when trying to teach yourself a new skill. 

Vocals and Volume 

Your work music doesn’t always have to stay instrumental. Feel-good favorites can also put you in a good place, making you more productive. These work great for a mood boost during your morning commute or lunch break. 

Songs with lyrics can also help make you more alert during that mid-day slump. These can be high-energy or low-key happy beats. A loud heart-pumping playlist can also help you tackle your jam-packed inbox. 

Songs that evoke an emotional response can be great for creative writing. They can give you inspiration and help reduce writer’s block. Here are a few more creative tips to improve your writing. 

Playlists with High Productivity Levels in Mind 

To test the theory, start by making a productive music playlist to listen to at work. Spotify is a great source of pre-made playlists that you can stream all day long. Check out their Deep Focus, Brain Food, and Perfect Concentration playlists. 

Some people also find focus when playing nature sounds or white noise in the background. Listening to white noise will also help you retain information better. 

Or you can try listening to video game soundtracks. These get made to help people solve puzzles, complete quests, and concentrate on tasks. Check out The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Metal Gear Solid. 

Another trick is to try repeating a song over and over. This can help the mind better concentrate through an act of repetition. Blazo is a good artist to try this technique with.

One word of advice is to pick the right headphones to rock out to your productivity music favorites. For noise-blocking and sound quality, see page to check out the best headphone buys this year.   

Playing Productivity Music in Your Workspace 

Productivity music can get used for increasing motivation and cognitive thinking. Or as a distraction technique in a loud work environment. The best idea is to find out what style of music works best for you and run with it. 

To improve productivity levels you should also pay attention to the ambiance of your workspace. You’ll want to have an environment free from clutter. As well as one that allows natural lighting and a comfortable temperature. 

Organization techniques can also help create a better work station. Here is more on how to create a well-designed office space to boost productivity.  

4 Ways to Find Freelance Writing Jobs (Even for Recent College Grads)

Are you a recent college grad looking for freelance writing jobs? 

Searching the internet for freelance work can be incredibly intimidating, even if you’re a seasoned professional. There’s a lot of scams and junk out there, so sometimes you might not know what will add value to your portfolio and what’s a waste of time. 

Whether you’re a recent college grad or looking for a career change, being a beginner in this industry is frustrating. Keep reading to learn some helpful tips that will get your career up and running. 

How to Find The Best Freelance Writing Jobs 

Building a freelance career is scary, and you probably have more questions than answers. The best thing you can do is start slow and build up a strong portfolio.

If you’re still struggling, here are four tips that will help any beginner land great freelance writing jobs: 

1. Create an Account on a Freelance Marketplace 

Freelance marketplaces are essential for any beginning freelancer. These websites bring together freelancers and companies looking for work such as blog writers, journalists, graphic designers and more. You can create an account for free and start looking for work immediately. 

2. Search Online Job Boards 

Another way you can search for work online is to try a job board. These sites are a little different than freelance marketplaces because they’ll often include links to external jobs that you’ll have to apply to through the company and negotiate your terms (rather than applying through the site). 

They often will include companies looking for full-time help, rather than just an article here or there. But they’re still a great way to get introduced to companies that are looking for work. 

3. Pitch Yourself to a Company 

If there’s a particular company or outlet you’ve always admired, find contact information and pitch yourself. This might seem scary, but part of being a freelance writer is pitching topics. So prove to them you’ve got what it takes by pitching yourself first. 

This cold outreach might seem intimidating, but sometimes you have to take some risks to get your freelance career off the ground. 

4. Start A Relationship In School 

Why wait until you’re out of school to find work? Start building relationships in college that could translate to steady writing assignments down the road.

There are a lot of different ways you can find companies and news outlets that work with students. Attend a campus recruitment event or do your own research.

Some of the biggest outlets in the world like Fox News have campus correspondent programs. Use these programs as an opportunity to get connected in the freelance writing world.

Improve Your Writing and Marketing Skills 

The content marketing industry is always evolving, so you’ve got to stay up-to-date on the latest trends to keep yourself competitive for the best freelance writing jobs.

Check out the rest of our site for the latest industry trends and helpful tips and tricks that will take your writing to the next level. This article on some of the best writing apps is a great place to get you started. 

Freelance France: The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Living and Working in France

With nearly 5 million people in France working after emigrating from abroad, many people have taken the world of freelancing as an excuse to go somewhere new. IF you’re one of the many people trying to freelance in France from somewhere else, there are a lot of clever ways to ensure that you do it successfully. Freelancing is hard and doing so from another country takes some know-how.

Here are five things to keep in mine when freelancing in France.

1. Start Paperwork Early

Many people from across the world love the kinds of social benefits, support, and funding that European countries give to all kinds of enterprises. Whether it’s healthcare, small businesses, or the arts, European countries are the vanguard in supporting ideas from other places. However, the two costs of this grand environment of support are the costs paid through taxes and through the bureaucracy.

Your patience and your knowledge of obscure French words will be put to the test when you consider becoming a full-time French freelancer. Acceptance is the first step in dealing with French bureaucracy. The sooner you get started, the easier it’ll be to handle your taxes and other responsibilities of French work life.

If you want to ensure that you don’t get slammed with a huge tax bill at the end of the year, start monthly payments now. If you send the French government a little bit of money each month, you’ll offset your tax bill at the end of the year. And if you overpay, you’ll be returned that money after you file.

Many freelancers work outside of the system because the government can be cold. However, they’ll take note if you’re trying your best. Just know that if they’re asking you to do something, you should do it as soon as possible. Check out this useful guide for pronouncing those difficult bureaucratic terms over the phone.

2. Join a Co-op

France has an auto-entrepreneur setup to help self-employed people to get started. Lots of writers and freelancers start out in this way, but then move on to join a worker’s cooperative. It’s the best way to help ensure you start up your own business properly.

When you’re a freelancer, you are your own business. In many tax schemes, you’re a contractor to the companies you’re writing for or else you’re a temporary worker. You need to know how you’d like to file your taxes at the end of the year.

The best way to do that is to get involved in a worker’s cooperative where you can ask questions to people who are already doing the work.

Paying out ten percent of your earning to a cooperative is typical, but in exchange, they protect you as a writer. They’ll ensure that you get what you’re owed from non-paying clients and they’ll handle all of your accounting. You can get payslips and get a permanent contract, proving you have steady employment.

These services are essential when setting up your life in France or even trying to get your own apartment.

3. Communicate Professionally At All Times

While you might use a personal email or texting for lots of your communication, keep your communication professional at all times. When you use your personal likes for business, you need to know how to shift your tone. If you fail to set the tone right at the start of your communication, you’ll struggle to backpedal into something more professional later.

When you start out as a freelancer, people might not show you the respect you deserve but once you get the hang of it, you’ll make the shift easily. You’ll quickly learn how the French handle their work communication. Much of their contact is very formal, so expect to use proper nouns and professional terminology for everything.

Steer away from slang, any kind of overexcited language, or comments you wouldn’t want to associate with your professional career. You can be casual, so long as you know how to be firm all along the way. You need to keep your initial contacts very formal to ensure that you are taken seriously from the start of your working relationship with someone.

4. Turn Into a Networking Machine

Someone who is good at networking can spin gold out of any situation in a matter of a few conversations. However, for most people who aren’t French natives, becoming a freelance writer in France is a challenge. You don’t have those lifelong connections that other people have or even the connections they make in college.

Send out CVs and make phone calls like there’s no tomorrow, but be sure that you put yourself in the right situations. You need to be places where you’ll find and meet people to work with.

If you’re a parent, you might be able to find a group of parents who are also from where you’re from, interested in socializing. If you don’t mind being in a circle that’s limited to your native tongue, this isn’t so bad. However, if you’re trying to stay sharp with your French, you’ll need to seek out other connections.

Let your friends know if you are able to work as a translator. You can make more connections if you just tell the people in your circle what you’re able to do.

5. Keep an Updated Website

It’s vital to have a good website when you’re out meeting people. Get your URL printed on your card. Include a photo on the front of your site so that people who meet you remember who you are.

Hire a designer if possible to ensure that your site looks great and is translated properly.

Let people know that you’re located in France right now. While it’s nice if people come by to offer you work in New York or London, if you’re not around, it’s just an added frustration.

Freelance in France and Live Your Dreams

As anyone who’s ever lived abroad can tell you, living in another country is much different than visiting. You’ll have a different lifestyle when you freelance in France than if you go there on vacation. Moving somewhere new is hard, but if you have flexible work, you’ll be better off.

To improve the experiences your customers have with you, check out our latest guide.