Demand for Ghostwriting Up 269% in 2010

If you're a writer looking to ghostwriting to boost your income in 2011, you're in the right place at the right time.

A report released today by Freelancer.com indicates that the number of outsourced ghostwriting projects climbed 269% in 2010 and was one of the top 10 biggest movers of the year. The total number of ghostwriting projects posted at Freelancer.com last year climbed from 2,576 to 9,507. That's a big jump. And Freelancer.com isn't the only place ghostwriting gigs are posted - not by a long shot.

So if you've been thinking that ghostwriting is a niche you should explore, or if you're a ghostwriter on the hunt for additional projects in 2011, here are a few things we can take away from these findings:

• Where there are projects available, there is money to be made. Granted, not all will be lucrative gigs, but increasing awareness of the usefulness of ghostwriters should drive additional demand.
• Article writing and rewriting were, by far, the largest category at Freelancer.com for 2010. This suggests demand for content, whether we're talking about articles, blog posts, tweets or Facebook status updates is also rising. This presents more opportunities for ghostwriters.
• Identifying yourself as a ghostwriter may help attract potential clients. Make sure the keywords "ghostwriter" and "ghostwriting" are evident on your website, so when potential clients are searching for ghostwriting help, your name is in the mix.
• We all should be checking out Freelancer.com and similar sites to tap into the thousands of ghostwriting opportunities that exist.

Anyone who has been monitoring ads at places like Guru.com, Craigslist.com, elance.com and similar service sites during the past few months knows that ghostwriting projects are numerous. This evaluation only helps confirm that ghostwriting is alive and well as a writing niche.