I previously blogged on ghostwriter costs based on Lynn Wasnak’s guide titled Beyond the Basics: How Much Should I Charge? My blog post gives a ballpark overview of what author clients can expect from U.S. ghostwriters — pricing and services.
I highly recommend that you take a look before you search for a ghostwriter to save yourself from sticker shock! Ghostwriting is not an inexpensive service. My ghostwriting quotes are right around the average (+-$40K), based on the 2007 guide (still the going rate after all these years). I specialize in memoirs, autobiographies, legacy books, historical fiction, romance novels, sci-fi novels, and more!
What About Canadian rates?
Are ghostwriting rates in Canada relatively close to U.S. pricing? The answer is yes.
Per the Writers’ Union of Canada:
“Contracts with ghostwriters are negotiated on an individual basis. The Writers’ Union has established a minimum fee schedule. For a book of 60,000 to 90,000 words, the Union recommends a total minimum fee of $40,000, payable as follows: 15% on signing; 10% on delivery of detailed outline; 25% on delivery of first draft of one chapter; 25% on delivery of first draft of entire manuscript; and 25% on delivery of revised manuscript.”
Ghostwriter Costs — What We Do and Why It’s So Expensive
Ghostwriting truly is a calling and a vocation. It can take six months to a year or more of focused concentration to complete a ghostwritten manuscript (although I’ve wrapped projects in four months on rare occasions). The amount of time, labor, research, collaboration, and wordsmithing required is mind-boggling for experienced, full-time ghostwriters like me.
Your ghostwriter should be highly skilled, trained, and experienced. A wordsmith with a background in English, language arts, and journalism brings added value to ghostwriting projects and can demonstrate excellence through their robust portfolios.
Of course, ghostwriting is anonymous — there are non-disclosure and confidentially aspects to ghostwriting contracts. Therefore, no professional ghostwriter will rattle off the names of the books they ghostwrote (unless they have a release from the author). Still, you should be able to see other projects, such as book editing and journalism, in the ghostwriter’s portfolio, and read testimonials from his/her website.
Let’s Connect
Do you need a ghostwriter to write your story? I’m an email away!
Contact melaniesaxton@icloud.com, and I’ll get back with you to discuss your book project. I look forward to collaborating!