The Algebra of Ghostwriting

If I have learned anything about the ghostwriting business, it's that costs vary. A recent WSJ article delves deeper into the topic. In this post, I'll shed some light on the subject.

Exploring the Range of Ghostwriting Fees

At the upper end of the scale are ghosts who’ve consistently penned New York Times bestsellers—often for celebrities, CEOs, and other über-wealthy folks. Hiring one of these rockstars requires a six-figure commitment, even if you intend to write a relatively short book.

You and your ghost will probably spend a good deal of time together. You'll spend beaucoup bucks, but there's no guarantee that your book will sell oodles of copies.

As is always the case, you’ll get what you pay for.

Let's move to the bottom. Plenty of quickie ghostwriters will spend about three months or so with their clients. Expect weekly interviews for an hour to write each chapter. After this relatively short period of time, clients receive a completed manuscript. For $15,000 to $20,000, you’ll spend a fraction of what you would with the first group. As is always the case, though, you’ll get what you pay for. (I can tell you from personal experience that you don't write a quality chapter for a client by effectively transcribing a one-hour interview. On my current project, I average about 11 hours of writing for each 5,000-word, near-final chapter with proper citations, endnotes, and foonotes.)

Somewhere in the middle are professional scribes such as myself. I’m talking about people whose starting points fall in between $100,000 and $20,000. Let’s split the difference and land on $60,000. Even then, the cost of completing the manuscript will vary, but there's actually a pretty consistent way to determine what you're going to spend.