Making Money As A Writer - Is It Possible?
July 28th, 2008 by Robert Hanson
Most successful Internet marketers use professional writers to help them in creating their ebooks, articles, blogs, or even printed books. Such a professional writer is known as a ghostwriter.
This time, I’m very happy to know one such professional writer who has helped me to write some of my projects. His name is Richard Lango and he lives in Kenya. Lucky for me to have a chance of interviewing him. Here’s what he said :
Robert : Richard, could you tell us a little bit about you…?
Richard : Well, you’ve already almost said all about me! I started writing while I was still in high school, although it was more of a way of passing time. It was my schoolmates who drew my attention to the quality of my writing as they would ask where I had copied what I had written from. I was a library official and used to read a lot. However, by then my interest was in electronics. In fact, I’m an electronic engineer although I also studied a bit of freelance writing from Writers Bureau by correspondence.
My freelance writing career started in 1993, when I became a correspondent of a press service that was published in Belgium, called African News Bulletin. I had not yet attended any college and greatly benefited from the help of a friend called Vivienne Simwa who works with the Kenya News Agency. I stayed with the publication until 2003 when it closed down. I then largely went back to electronics. But I seemed to have more and more passion for writing and about a year ago, I came back to full-time writing. I now focus on online writing, and that’s how we met.
Robert : As we know, I met you on the Internet. Since when have you been using the Internet to sell your services? Who gave you the idea to use the Internet as a medium to promote yourself? How’s the beginning?
Richard : When I returned to writing, I initially concentrated on finding relevant magazines to write for. I mainly did this over the Internet. It was in the process that I came to know of the power of the Internet. The beginning was tough and discouraging as I spent a lot of time without any success. Then my brother introduced me to GetAfreelancer.com. It was then that I changed my focus to bidding on online writing contracts. I’m currently a member of several such sites. And I find it more fulfilling to use the Internet rather than printed publications.
Robert : Richard, as I saw on Writerlance or Elance, being a ghostwriter is quite competitive. Especially when someone else bids on the project at a cheaper cost. Do you have any tips to make yourself different than the others? And what about your existing customers?
Richard : Well, it’s true that this is quite a competitive market. The trick is to show your strengths truthfully. If you bid too high you won’t get any project. And if you bid too low you won’t make a living. And you surely can’t charge too low and deliver high quality work. You will be sending a wrong message to the buyers. I usually develop a long-lasting working relationship with the buyers I deal with. This is possible because they see the quality of work produced. I also let them know when I’m not in a position to take a project. I don’t want to spread myself too thin.
Robert : When I knew that you live in Kenya, it really proved to me that anybody in this world can use the Internet to generate income. But, on the other hand, there are some restrictions for certain countries. Could you tell us, what are the difficulties of starting an online business in Kenya and how you can handle it?
Richard : Although the use of the Internet is quite widespread in Kenya, online businesses are still rare. For example in my case, people often wonder what such a ‘bright’ boy is doing at home instead of seeking ‘office work’ in towns. It creates conflict even with my former teachers who think I’m wasting myself at home. Even the government does not understand online business well. Another problem concerns communication infrastructure. Broadband Internet services are still rather expensive. I still rely on the GPRS service from the cellphone service providers. All these show that if I can manage it, then it’s really possible from anywhere.
Robert : You always charge your customers in US Dollars. Actually, what’s one US dollar in Kenya worth? So, I guess you really have serious income from the Internet, right?
Richard : Well, the potential is there. One US Dollar currently goes for about sixty two Kenyan shillings. It means that if I work without any hitches, I can earn relatively better than many salaried people here. It’s just that I’m still at the initial stages.
Robert : Ok, Richard. How can we contact you to have your services?
Richard : I check my email fairly frequently, even when I just have a cellphone. My email address is richardlango@gmail.com.
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