Ghostwriting

[All Journey]

Help! I have been solicited to ghostwrite a novel by a privately funded individual. He has asked me what the “going rate” is for my services. Problem is, I have no idea. I have never done this before.

[Elijah Phoenix]

Going rate is as much as you can squeeze out of him. charge extra for sleeping with him.or her. Milk it for every penny ya can get. No shame in asking for 25.00 an hour. My lawyer smiles when he sends me a bill for 150.00 an hour.

[My-Immortal]

There are some books that actually tell the going rate for ghost-writing (and other writing services). For example, I've seen some rates listed in The Writer's Market. If you are not familiar with that book they put it out every year and most libraries have a copy of it in the reference department.

Good luck with your writing (or ghost-writing) All Journey

[DamaNegra]

Mmm sorry if I sound ignorant, but what is ghostwriting?

[Aconite]

Mmm sorry if I sound ignorant, but what is ghostwriting?
Usually, it's when someone (often someone whose name is recognizable but whose writing skills are not stellar) gives you a general story idea or general information, and you write it up under their name. They're listed as the author, and you're invisible.

[All Journey]

Elijah, I am still laughing. I appreciate it ya'll.

XXOO-Madi

[Elijah Phoenix]

I thought that was called polygamyism or somethin. Or plagueism.

Ghost writing is what they do on the "Ghost Whisperer". sheesh!

[maestrowork]

I'm not sure if hourly rate would work, unless you can really work on "deadlines" -- meaning, if you charge by the hour, your client would probably want to see the book in a month! Fixed rate would probably work better with ghostwriting gigs. It depends on the project. I've seen a seasoned ghostwriter charging $30K to do a book. Some charge in the $thousands range. 1/3 upfront. 1/3 during the writing. The last 1/3 at hand-off.

[My-Immortal]

I'm just copying this out of the 2006 Writer's Market...

They have three categories: Per Hour, Per Project, and Other.
In each category they list High, Low, and Avg.

Ghostwriting(a book), no credit:

Per hour: High-$100, Low-$50, Avg-$69
Per Project: High-$85,000, Low-$5,000, Avg-$29,778
Other(per word): High-$2.20/word, Low-$0.50/word, Avg-$1.00/word

Again, this is not my info - just some info straight from the current Writer's Market.

Good luck with your writing...