Ghostwriting: Should You Hire One or Should You Be One?
I’m connected to a large number of other people on LinkedIn who do what I do. Some are editors in the traditional sense; they pay attention to grammar and punctuation before anything else, but they also remark on the plot or storyline and characters – for instance, if you have a character named Jim in Chapter 2, but somehow you changed his name to Joe, in Chapter 6, your editor will comment on that so you can fix it.
A developmental editor is consumed with all the parts of the book. The story, the characters, the plot, the pacing, the flow, the throughline, and the structure of the book. In my work, I read and respond to the writing not only as the author’s book coach but also as a reader might. I work with the author to make sure the readers actually get the author’s promise – in other words, the reader achieves what the writer wrote the book for. I watch for words or descriptions or explanations that the writer knows well, but the reader may not. In which case, we will discuss how to fix that. And all of this applies to fiction in different ways than it applies to nonfiction. And I routinely suggest other words to use. That’s my sweet spot.
But I’m not a ghostwriter.
Some folks ask if I do ghost writing, and I decline. It’s not my area of expertise.
However, you just might need a ghostwriter if you’re in a pinch and absolutely want to get a book out this year (or early next year) and don’t have time to do the writing yourself.
Or you might be thinking of becoming one.
Let’s discuss.
What is a Ghostwriter – Really? (Not Ghost Rider, that’s something entirely different! IYKYK😊)
One of my favorite places to find answers about writing and publishing books is Reedsy. I have quoted from them in the past, and I think their explanation of ghostwriting is spot on:
Ghostwriting is the practice of writing content that is officially credited to another person. For centuries, ghostwriters have quietly penned bestselling memoirs, biographies, and business books, as well as fiction, short-form articles, speeches, scripts, and even blog posts.
Ghostwriters are invisible to the rest of us, for the most part. Most celebrity books are ghostwritten. Honestly, when do you think a celebrity has time to sit down and write a book? (I’ve often wanted to ghostwrite Taylor Swift’s memoir, but that’s unlikely… It’s just a dream I have. Hey, Taylor! 🙋🏼♀️)
Ghostwriters write:
* Celebrity memoirs: for actors, athletes, and even musicians
* Business books for busy professionals: CEOs, Entrepreneurs, Consultants, folks who are strapped for time and can share insight in an interview, but won’t likely sit down to actually write
* Political books: Needs no explanation.
* Self-help books: Doctors, consultants, business professionals, anyone with a story to tell and a message to share, but no time to do the work.
* Leadership books: CEOs, experts in high-level executive positions
* Speeches: for anyone giving a speech, but primarily, I think, for political figures and perhaps for well-known CEOs.
* Articles: Same as speeches.
* Even blog posts: for anyone unable to find the time to blog for themselves.
How do they ghost an entire book?
Most ghostwriters conduct lengthy interviews. This is done either in person or by phone. I suppose they also use Zoom or Google Meet today.
All conversations are recorded. Naturally, there is a strong element of trust and privacy involved. Ghostwriters are bound by a contract respecting confidentiality – they generally sign a nondisclosure agreement stating they will never reveal that they wrote the book. Hence, we never know which books we read just might be ghosted.
Ghostwriters need to take good notes and not rely merely on video transcripts. Transcripts are good for gentle reminders. But the ghostwriter needs to find a way to capture the client’s voice, and that’s best done with skilled note-taking. In my opinion.
Often, the client provides the ghostwriter with other materials to review, such as old interviews, features in major magazines, speeches, and the like.
Timelines for projects can be months or years. In a business book, the CEO already knows what they want to say. The ghostwriter merely translates it into words the readers will relate to.
For instance,
Stage Timeline
Discovery & Planning 2-4 weeks
Interviews & Research 1-3 months
Outline development 2-4 weeks
Drafting 2 –6 months
Client review & Revisions 1-3 months
Final manuscript preparation 2-4 weeks
(Sources: Reedsy, Gotham Ghostwriters, and Association of Ghostwriters – great places to check out for more info)
Whether it takes a few months to a few years (memoirs can take the longest as the ghostwriter has to do extensive review and verification), ghostwriters can be among the highest-paid writers there are. At Priceonomics.com, this article, “The Ghostwriting Business,” shares the energy of the industry:
As the majority of ghostwriters sign nondisclosure agreements, it’s impossible to know exactly how many books are ghostwritten each year. The president of Arbor Books, which furnishes ghostwriters, tells us, “From what I’ve seen, I’d imagine a billion-dollar industry.” The president of a similar firm estimates that at least 25% of the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list is ghostwritten.
When a celebrity or politician is involved, he adds, “It’s nearly 100%.”
Do ghostwriters ever take royalties in lieu of upfront payments?
If you choose to have a ghostwriter, do you have to share your royalties? No.
Some ghostwriters might ask for royalty payments. It depends on their contract with the client. And on the upfront payment. If they aren’t sure how well the book will sell, they’re better off with that upfront payment.
However, if they’re ghosting a book for someone famous, really famous, and they’re at the top of the food chain themselves, they might ask for a portion of the royalties. My understanding is that it doesn’t hurt to ask, but taking that upfront payment is money in the bank. Even if your client is a big star in politics or movies or whatever, what if, in the middle of the creation of the book, they decide to pull the plug? Or they get into the kind of trouble that makes their publisher think the book won’t sell. The publisher could pull the book, and the ghostwriter is out all of the time and energy they put into the book.
Consider this:
A ghostwriter cannot control their author. If the publisher pulls the book (see reasons below), and the contract between author and publisher is canceled, the contract between ghostwriter and author is canceled and the writer will not earn any royalties.
Other reasons books get canceled are:
The author is caught in a scandal that could harm the publisher’s reputation.
The publisher feels the market has changed.
The book takes too long because the author loses their popularity
Examples:
Paula Deen’s book was pulled after controversy over racist remarks
Woody Allen’s publisher canceled his book when employees staged a walkout.
Mark Halperin, a political commentator, had his book pulled by Penguin Random House after allegations of sexual harassment.
Get that upfront payment, that’s what all that tells me.
Ghostwriter Pricing, in case you want to be a ghostwriter
On LinkedIn, Francis Zierer shared this information on ghostwriter Maxie McCoy, as they discussed pricing in their newsletter, Creator Spotlight.
> Maxie charges ~$20k just for a 40-page book proposal (basically a business plan)
> Writing the book is ~$150k
> Typical engagement: ~2 years
> Maxie’s first ghostwriting gig was unpaid (right at the start of her career, then she didn’t ghostwrite for many years). Second was $75k. Now she’s at $150k
>> Top ghostwriters charge $175k–$250k for the whole engagement (you can bump up prices when you write a bestseller; Maxie has a WSJ bestseller)
>> J.R. Moehringer reportedly got $1M for Prince Harry’s memoir.
This may sound inviting, but how open is it to the average author who might decide they need a ghostwriter? These numbers may scare you away, but think of the cost as an investment. It gets your book done, in whatever timeline you choose, and it’s done well.
All conversations are recorded. Naturally, there is a strong element of trust and privacy involved. Ghostwriters are bound by a contract respecting confidentiality – they generally sign a nondisclosure agreement stating they will never reveal that they wrote the book. Hence, we never know which books we read just might be ghosted.
My guess is that you put out your shingle on LinkedIn, especially, but other places also, and understand you’re going to start small.
Here are ghostwriting rates, according to our friends at Reedsy,
Rates can go from $0.10 to $3.00 per word
Or $35 to $200 per hour
Or $1000 to $100,000 per project
And, in the good news area regarding AI and writing – especially ghostwriting, from the Association of Ghostwriters, the CEO of Gotham Ghostwriters is quoted as saying,
“…anecdotally, what we’re seeing is that instead of depressing the demand for our services, AI is actually making what we do more valuable. Indeed, over the last year, we have been encountering a whole new subclass of prospective clients we refer to as AI refugees – non-writer authors who tried to use ChatGPT to write their book and found the results at a minimum unsatisfactory and often unusable.”
What about those books that say, Author Name “with” Jane Writer?
This is most often a collaboration. Not ghostwriting as we’re talking about it, here. Co-authorship is a popular way to get a book written and out there. James Patterson is the king of this way of writing, as far as I can tell.
Patterson has co-authored with these authors, among many others :
Maxine Paetro: Women’s Murder Club Series
Michael Ledwidge: the Michael Bennett series
Bill Clinton: (Yes, that Bill Clinton) The President is Missing and The President’s Daughter
I just read a book he co-authored with Dolly Parton this year, titled Run, Rose, Run.
From ThoughtCo.com, I also learned a bit about how Patterson works:
“Of course, James Patterson doesn’t actually write a good many of his novels. That’s no secret—and it doesn’t mean they’re not his stories. Patterson has been pretty open about his collaborative process: He hires a writer, usually someone with some published credits, and gives them a lengthy, detailed treatment, usually somewhere in the 60-80 page range. Then begins a pretty intense back-and-forth; Mark Sullivan, who co-wrote several of Patterson’s Private series as well as Cross Justice, described weekly phone calls, brutally honest feedback, and a tireless pursuit of the “terrific.” So it’s not fair to imply that Patterson is simply coasting on his brand name; the collaborative novels are his ideas, his characters, and a great deal of his input. As Patterson himself says, “I’m very good at plot and characterization, but there are better stylists.”
Pssst: Did you know that Patterson outsells Stephen King and JK Rowlings? Every year. I was astonished but given how many books he publishes every year, it shouldn’t be surprising.
ThoughtCo.com goes on to say the co-authors (let’s call them ghostwriters, because that’s what they are) not only get paid but they get credit for their work.
Co-authors in this category, Patterson authors or not, usually earn an upfront fee, plus a share of the advance, or a share of royalties. With Patterson, you know you’ll make more money in royalties than in an upfront advance unless it’s very big. Plus, he puts your name on the cover. I wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to work with Patterson.
This, in my opinion, is a great way to start your ghostwriting career. If you can find established writers and/or smaller-list celebrities who are willing to co-author a book with you, you will prove yourself to the ghostwriting community and generate income as you do it. This could then lead to higher-level ghostwriting offers with more important people.
That’s all I have today. I could write a whole book on ghostwriting, but Amazon shows over 10,000 results in that category, and I don’t feel like fighting the competition.
Any questions? Is ghostwriting in your future – either hiring one or becoming one? I’d love to hear the journey. Email me yvonne (at) yvonnedivita (dot) com.
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