This was a very useful and informative chat. I still can't get my head around ghostwriting and freelancing but this shed a lot of light on it. Also interesting to hear Emma's take on Upwork because I was wondering about doing a profile there (for both freelancing and teaching).
Hi Daniel. I think I speak for both Emma and me when I say I'm so glad you found the information useful. I agree that ghostwriting seems to be as mysterious as the name suggests. :) To add a little more clarity (or to muddy the waters!), here are a few more points:
- Whether freelancing or ghostwriting, you are writing on behalf of someone else. The obvious difference is that ghostwriters are anonymous while freelancers may or may not receive credit for the writing.
- Ghostwriters are usually hired to write entire books or articles, whereas freelance content writers are generally hired to write smaller pieces, such as blog posts or website content
- Payment terms are usually different for ghostwriting engagement vs. freelance too, but that seems like a whole other can of worms to get into here!
The good news is that you don't necessarily have to "pick a lane". You might end up doing both, depending on what interests you. :)
Hopefully that helps a little, or at least doesn't make it more confusing.
Apologies for the delay in my response, Daniel! I've had an unexpectedly busy week. Thanks for listening to the chat and sharing your thoughts. My take on Upwork, Fiverr, etc. is definitely different. I know a lot of freelancers have had great success on freelancing platforms, but in 2025 I just feel like they're oversaturated with workers willing to accept extremely low pay. It's hard to compete with that!
I'd also like to second the info in Jo's comment! Would you be interested in seeing more freelancing/ghostwriting FAQ lives from us? We're in the process of determining whether more frequent lives would be useful to our readers!
No need to apologise Emma! We're all busy, and I appreciate your response.
Your take on Upwork, etc, is perfectly logical and oversaturated is right, whether it's freelancers, English teachers (like me) and book cover designers (which I often need). It's incredibly overwhelming, and some of those rock bottom prices - wow. Although it goes both ways - I benefited from some cheaper book designers, but then again it also cost me more in the long run since I had to keep trying a few more until I was satisfied. But I didn't mind since I was hiring Ukrainian freelancers and my book was about Ukraine (I lived there for 13 years), so it's nice to support people I suppose.
I'm just one reader/viewer so you might want to ask around and get more feedback, but I often find live chats or podcasts useful. I know people are busy and don't always have time to listen though (my video podcasts get less engagement than written posts, for example).
Thank you!! What's your Ukraine book about?? I'd love to hear more about it. Is it nonfiction or fiction?
I think live chats are a great way to organically generate and respond to freelancing FAQs. Jo and I had more attendees on the Live than 'likes' I typically receive on a written post, so perhaps that's a sign that my subs also find Lives useful!
My book is nonfiction. It was aimed at language learners (worldwide) and was meant to be a light-hearted collection of stories/anecdotes/memoir, not a boring methodology book or anything, but I struggled in getting the tone right. I started writing it for my original audience, but then wanted to appeal to a wider audience so it's now hard to categorise what it is. It's called A Classroom in Kyiv because I wrote it just after the full-scale invasion and I reflected a lot on my life in Ukraine and most of my audience have been Ukrainian.
I'm thinking of experimenting with lives as well. I enjoy doing the podcasts with guests but the editing and all can take so much time and I think the organic approach sounds more fun and interactive, and I totally overlooked the live attendees (I always watch the live sessions after the fact).
Hard to say on my book. I'm happy with it, but it was a learning experience (as the old cliche goes). It took 2 years from start to finish because most of that time I was working, and I'd take long breaks in between chapters which badly affected the flow and structure and I found myself repeating ideas without even remembering that I'd written them! People have both praised and criticised the fact it's all over the place and lacks focus. Oh well - I've tried to have more focus in my books since then.
The podcast stats are weird - I see a ton of engagement in terms of total watch time and download activity, but fewer likes and comments than usual posts.
If there are any specific questions you'd like us to dive into about ghostwriting, just let us know. I love this community especially because it feels like everyone pays it forward. What is learned is shared and we'd be happy to share anything you would find helpful :)
This was a very useful and informative chat. I still can't get my head around ghostwriting and freelancing but this shed a lot of light on it. Also interesting to hear Emma's take on Upwork because I was wondering about doing a profile there (for both freelancing and teaching).
Thank you!
Hi Daniel. I think I speak for both Emma and me when I say I'm so glad you found the information useful. I agree that ghostwriting seems to be as mysterious as the name suggests. :) To add a little more clarity (or to muddy the waters!), here are a few more points:
- Whether freelancing or ghostwriting, you are writing on behalf of someone else. The obvious difference is that ghostwriters are anonymous while freelancers may or may not receive credit for the writing.
- Ghostwriters are usually hired to write entire books or articles, whereas freelance content writers are generally hired to write smaller pieces, such as blog posts or website content
- Payment terms are usually different for ghostwriting engagement vs. freelance too, but that seems like a whole other can of worms to get into here!
The good news is that you don't necessarily have to "pick a lane". You might end up doing both, depending on what interests you. :)
Hopefully that helps a little, or at least doesn't make it more confusing.
-Jo
Thanks for this response, Jo! You're the best.
Thank you Jo, it does help. It gives me plenty to think about, I do appreciate it 😊
Apologies for the delay in my response, Daniel! I've had an unexpectedly busy week. Thanks for listening to the chat and sharing your thoughts. My take on Upwork, Fiverr, etc. is definitely different. I know a lot of freelancers have had great success on freelancing platforms, but in 2025 I just feel like they're oversaturated with workers willing to accept extremely low pay. It's hard to compete with that!
I'd also like to second the info in Jo's comment! Would you be interested in seeing more freelancing/ghostwriting FAQ lives from us? We're in the process of determining whether more frequent lives would be useful to our readers!
No need to apologise Emma! We're all busy, and I appreciate your response.
Your take on Upwork, etc, is perfectly logical and oversaturated is right, whether it's freelancers, English teachers (like me) and book cover designers (which I often need). It's incredibly overwhelming, and some of those rock bottom prices - wow. Although it goes both ways - I benefited from some cheaper book designers, but then again it also cost me more in the long run since I had to keep trying a few more until I was satisfied. But I didn't mind since I was hiring Ukrainian freelancers and my book was about Ukraine (I lived there for 13 years), so it's nice to support people I suppose.
I'm just one reader/viewer so you might want to ask around and get more feedback, but I often find live chats or podcasts useful. I know people are busy and don't always have time to listen though (my video podcasts get less engagement than written posts, for example).
Thank you!! What's your Ukraine book about?? I'd love to hear more about it. Is it nonfiction or fiction?
I think live chats are a great way to organically generate and respond to freelancing FAQs. Jo and I had more attendees on the Live than 'likes' I typically receive on a written post, so perhaps that's a sign that my subs also find Lives useful!
My book is nonfiction. It was aimed at language learners (worldwide) and was meant to be a light-hearted collection of stories/anecdotes/memoir, not a boring methodology book or anything, but I struggled in getting the tone right. I started writing it for my original audience, but then wanted to appeal to a wider audience so it's now hard to categorise what it is. It's called A Classroom in Kyiv because I wrote it just after the full-scale invasion and I reflected a lot on my life in Ukraine and most of my audience have been Ukrainian.
I'm thinking of experimenting with lives as well. I enjoy doing the podcasts with guests but the editing and all can take so much time and I think the organic approach sounds more fun and interactive, and I totally overlooked the live attendees (I always watch the live sessions after the fact).
Do you feel like the book turned out how you wanted it to, what with all the switches/categorical changes? :) It sounds really interesting.
Lives are so fun! I tried doing a podcast on here, but I've put a pause on it because it seems my subs weren't very interested by it (sadly).
Hard to say on my book. I'm happy with it, but it was a learning experience (as the old cliche goes). It took 2 years from start to finish because most of that time I was working, and I'd take long breaks in between chapters which badly affected the flow and structure and I found myself repeating ideas without even remembering that I'd written them! People have both praised and criticised the fact it's all over the place and lacks focus. Oh well - I've tried to have more focus in my books since then.
The podcast stats are weird - I see a ton of engagement in terms of total watch time and download activity, but fewer likes and comments than usual posts.
I was so upset that I missed the live but here you guys are! Thank you for uploading it!!
If there are any specific questions you'd like us to dive into about ghostwriting, just let us know. I love this community especially because it feels like everyone pays it forward. What is learned is shared and we'd be happy to share anything you would find helpful :)
Of course - Thanks for checking it out!! :) Hope you’re doing well!
Yay! I’ve been noticed!