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Being a ghostwriter takes many skills, but the main requirement is the passion - the NEED - to write.

It should be understood (for those that are not familiar with the term ghostwriter) that this kind of writer does not get any credit for the work they do - not publicly anyway. If you write an article under your own name and it gets published, you will see your byline in print. If you write an article for someone else however, you will see your article in print... but their byline underneath it.

It's not often the first avenue of writing that newcomers to writing flock to, simply because of this fact. It's quite normal and natural to want to see your name in print when you are just starting out as it's a huge achievement, and the last thing you want is to see someone else's name underneath your work instead.

I started out writing for magazines and I got real pleasure out of seeing my name in various magazines. But over time as the magazine market changed it got harder and harder to get published in the same publications I'd been earning from for years.

After a brief break I returned to the world of writing, which by now had made inroads onto the internet. Suddenly I found there were far more markets than ever before, and far more opportunities - both to have my name published and to start writing for others as well.

I now work mainly as a ghostwriter for various clients worldwide, writing articles, web pages, press releases and books that someone else's name goes on. I don't mind not seeing my name in print because I've been through that phase; I still write the odd article now and again that I do receive credit for, but my motivations are different now.

I love writing. I love writing something useful and worthwhile that someone else will benefit from and find interesting (hopefully) and when I see my work in print or on the internet now it doesn't matter that my name isn't on it. It's like a secret that only certain people know about. The fact that my words are out there means more to me now.

So yes it takes passion - the passion to be published here, there and everywhere and not care whether your name is on the finished product or not - but it also takes the desire to learn, research and write about any subject under the sun.

Moreover it also takes the ability to be prepared - for one day you may accept a job to write fifty short articles on conservatories in a two week period, and the next you may take on a job to write an e-book on eBay.

The variety, excitement and sheer amount of work that ghostwriting offers makes it one of the best avenues in writing that there is. If you can take being in the shadows instead of the spotlight, it might just be right for you.

Learn more about this author, Allison Whitehead.
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