There are two types of ghostwriters who need to read this article: future ghostwriters who haven’t yet decided to make the commitment and brand-new ghostwriters who need to know where to start. Whichever ghostwriter you are, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we’re going to talk about the top five most-important skills you need to survive ghostwriting fiction.

Skill #1: Writing Fiction

I wish this could go unsaid because it’s so obvious—but it’s also very important. If you don’t yet know how to write a novel, this is where you absolutely need to start. There is so much more to writing fiction than nonfiction:

• Creating lifelike characters readers will fall in love with
• Writing realistic settings that transport readers to real or fictional places
• Creating action and dialogue that moves the story forward
• Adding sensory details that pull the reader into what’s happening
• Understanding voice, POV, tense, and narrators
• Finding a balance between your uniqueness and fitting within genre conventions
• Creating unputdownable stories that hook readers
• . . . and so much more

If you don’t have this, it’s okay. I have two recommendations for you to get started on building this skill:

1. Start reading books like crazy in your favorite genre. Not one. Not two. Not three. Just keep reading and don’t stop. Once you’ve got the hang of writing fiction, you also need to do continual research to stay on top of trends.
2. Before you do anything else, start writing a novel. It doesn’t have to be amazing. In fact, it probably won’t be. However, if you’re going to do this for other people—and get paid for it—you need to understand the entire process you’ll go through with each book.

Skill #2: Becoming an Idea Machine

If you struggle coming up with a handful of ideas for a novel in your favorite genre, then that’s going to be a problem as a ghostwriter. One of the top skills you’ll need when ghostwriting fiction is being able to brainstorm productively. Don’t worry if you’re not that great at coming up with ideas yet. You’re going to get there.

Here are some ways I generate ideas for fiction:

• Ask the “What if . . .?” question
• Save articles, social media posts, and blogs that could inspire a later story
• Do a Google search for images and let that inspire ideas for stories
• Look at what’s trending in your genre and pull out the current tropes
• Let your favorite author’s novels inspire you to do something better or different
• Use your life for inspiration (events, people, careers, etc.)
• Come up with ideas based on books you’d love to read
• Talk to people who love your genre about what they feel is missing

Want a cheat code? Come up with an idea that could generate 50+ stories within a series. For instance, somebody who travels to fifty different states, and something new happens in each state.

Skill #3: Editing Fiction

Let’s get real. You don’t want to be the fiction ghostwriter who consistently needs an editor to “fix” their manuscripts. Though there’s no such thing as a perfect author who doesn’t need an editor, you should work at creating manuscripts with clean writing.

This means . . .

• You need to get good at grammar
• You need to learn how to spell
• You need to have an eye for plot holes
• You need to understand when something isn’t realistic
• You need to pivot when something isn’t working as planned
• You need to be objective about your work
• You need to know what great fiction looks like
• You need to know your genre backward and forward

Don’t have these skills yet? It’s okay. You’ll get there eventually. Start working on improving one skill at a time, and over the life of your business, you’ll eventually become a fiction-writing expert.

Bonus for this skill: you can also add book-editing services to your menu of offerings.

Skill #4: Client Communication

When ghostwriting fiction, client communication is key to both you and your client walking away from a service 100% satisfied. This starts in the beginning—when they’re contacting you to check into your pricing and services. You want to be prompt and helpful in your responses without being too pushy or salesy.

Beyond the initial contact, communication is also really important because you need to understand your client’s wants and needs. This is especially integral if you’re in a collaborative relationship rather than you being the only one working on the project. Some ghostwriting contracts will require to work extremely close with your author client because they want to be involved in the creative process of the story.

This is just one of those things that will come with time, so be patient with yourself. You’ll see improvements with each project you complete.

Skill #5: Accepting Rejection

As a freelancer—and especially as an editorial freelancer—you’re going to come up against potential clients questioning your authority, your pricing, and your value. And, unfortunately, rejection comes with the territory. This happens a lot, too, for freelancers who start by getting clients on the top two freelancer marketplaces: Fiverr and Upwork. The top-dollar contracts on those marketplaces tend to go to the most experienced professionals who have been on the platform for years.

So, needless to say, rejection is a way of life when using those websites—and when venturing out on your own. Just stick to your guns—and your prices—and don’t sweat the rejection along the way. Some rejection is good because it makes the decision for you that it wasn’t the right project for you anyway. It’s better to not have to experience that firsthand.

Boy, I have some stories to tell on that subject. But that’s gossip for another day.

Until then, work on these skills, and you’ll eventually get to a place where rejection is no big thing in the grand scheme of things.

Happy fiction ghostwriting!

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