The Internet has allowed many of us to begin our own independent business ventures. While going solo definitely has its rewards, it can also have its challenges, particularly if we are juggling more than one business. Ever wish you had an extra body from time to time ... not a fulltime paid staffer, but just help when you need it?

In marketing with articles, it isn't always a matter of having writer's block or not having an idea for an article. It's more often not having enough time to write that hinders our efforts. Having more time is the main benefit of collaborating with a ghostwriter. My ghostwriter multiplies my efforts allowing me to focus my energies on other areas of my work.

Although I've touched on the topic a bit, I haven't discussed in detail how to go about finding your own ghostwriter. It's easy if you know where to look. Of course, you can always type "ghostwriter" into a Search Engine, but that's not a very narrow search. You'll end up with results from everything to how to be a ghostwriter to articles that have been ghostwritten.

The easiest way to find a ghostwriter is not to search at all, but to bring them to you instead.

If you need to hire a contractor, you'd get in touch with a builders association. Next, you'd describe what you need and offer it up for bids. Various contractors who have the experience you need would submit their proposals for your building project. Based upon their qualifications, their prices, etc. you would then decide which contractor to hire for your project.

That's exactly how you locate and choose a ghostwriter. You post your writing project at a web site frequented by writers and/or other creative professionals and invite them to

submit their proposals and/or bids. This way you'll have ghostwriters coming to you instead of you looking for them. See, you're already saving time!

But which web sites do ghostwriter's frequent?

Ghostwriters frequent web sites that post project offers for writing jobs, particularly freelance opportunities. There are numerous online venues, but I post most of my writing projects with Guru.com. I received many proposals in response to my first project including one from my current ghostwriter. This leads me to the next issue of how to be sure you've found the right ghostwriter for you.

If you use Guru.com for your writing and editing projects you can:

*Check feedback (if available) from other employers who have worked with each prospective freelancer.

*Request and review work samples or a portfolio of previous projects.

*Sort proposals by price, feedback and a number of other options.

These options are helpful but time consuming if you receive a great deal of responses. I recommend you weed out the proposals that will not meet your needs and narrow your selection to two or three people.

An effective way to choose your ghostwriter from these two or three people is to post your first job as an editing opportunity instead of a ghostwriter job. Let these final candidates edit an article you have already written.

By doing this, you will be able to:

- assess work ethic.

- assess quality of work.

- assess writing style as compared with yours.

- assess knowledge or research abilities in your area of writing.

- assess level of comfort and trust.

- assess whether services are inline with fees.

Remember to be very specific about your projects, whether editing or ghostwriting. This will generate proposals and/or bids from professionals who are interested in working with you. If you want your work edited comprehensively you'll need to say that clearly. Proofreading projects involve general grammatical editing. Copyediting projects involve editing for clarity. A comprehensive edit covers both areas.

Always include the price range or hourly fee you are willing to pay for services. This way, if your total project budget is $30 you won't end up wasting time reviewing proposals from ghostwriters who charge $100 per hour.

An important final consideration is that many freelance ghost-writers prefer to work on a "per project" rate versus an hourly rate. It's simply easier than tracking the amount of time. It's also true that many creative types in general aren't left-brained thinkers. In other words, you'll often find that you get more for your money by offering "per project" fees rather than hourly rates.