How much does ghostwriting cost?
The cost of hiring a ghostwriter varies wildly. An inexperienced ghostwriter might offer to write a book for royalties, or a very low fee. In these cases, the writer will end up working for below the minimum wage and might have to take on multiple projects to make ends meet.
Authors wishing to hire an inexperienced ghostwriter will find fees can start from nothing (or they accept a promise of royalties which in almost all cases means the ghost earns next to nothing) to less than £10,000. For a bestselling ghostwriter’s services, it can cost up to £100,000, or even more.
On average, for a professional ghostwriter with bestselling experience, you should expect to pay at least £20,000 for a memoir and around £30,000 upwards for a business book. Bear in mind, in this industry, you get what you pay for. If your book is a dream project, the investment of time and money is worth every penny.
An experienced professional ghostwriter will charge according to the project. They will factor in a few things when considering the fee. These include:
1) How long the project is expected to take. The average time it takes to write a book is usually between three and six months. I have taken on book projects where the author requires me to travel around the world, attend business conferences and meet their family. This meant factoring in extra travel time to make the deadline and the fee reflected this.
2) How long the manuscript will be. The average length for a memoir is between 70,000 and 90,000 words. The average length for a business book is 40,000 to 60,000. A business book may be shorter, but it’s likely to need a lot more research than a straight forward memoir.
3) How much research is involved. In some cases, an author might be struggling for content for their book. They may have run out of ideas, or not know which direction to continue the narrative. In this case, extra research may be necessary, such as reading similar titles or brainstorming until new ideas emerge. If extra case studies are required to illustrate points or concepts, or further people need to be interviewed, this will take extra time.
4) How short the deadline. For exceptionally tight deadlines, a ghostwriter might factor in extra fees to cover travel, and working weekends or evenings.
5) How much travel is involved. If an author client wishes to do face- to- face interviews throughout, extra expenses must be factored in.
6) How much a ghostwriter wants to do a project. Yes, this is a factor too! Certain book projects will be a dream for a ghostwriter. It could be because this is a celebrity they particularly like, or the subject of the book might be that’s of special interest. Previously I have felt so inspired by an author’s story, I couldn’t wait to help them bring their narrative to the page and in these cases my fee is open to negotiation.
Shannon Kyle