What should I charge for ghostwriting a book?
Towse
Answer (well, one anyway. ...) here:
<http://blog.writersdigest.com/qq/CategoryView,category,Ghostwriting.aspx>
--
Sal
Ye olde swarm of links: thousands of links for writers, researchers and
the terminally curious <http://writers.internet-resources.com>
Skipper
<se...@towse.com> wrote:
> Answer (well, one anyway. ...) here:
> <http://blog.writersdigest.com/qq/CategoryView,category,Ghostwriting.as
px>
Decent answer, broadly incomplete because it doesn't discuss categories
but he's right about the hourly figures.
I've done rewrite ghostwrites for as little as $4000 (almost 20 years
ago) and page one young adult ghost writes (short) for a little more
than that (I wrote a "Saved by the Bell" novel by "Beth Cruise" who
never existed).
With bigger books for a mainstream adult audience there's a defining
line of $25,000 on up - I've done a few of those. If it's someone
currently very famous, it can be quite a bit more. Below $25K it's
"whatever you can get."
Usually the ghostwriter will also do a book proposal (mid four figures)
and keeps the money he or she is paid to do that. Then when the book
sells even if no name on the cover, the writer splits 50/50 with the
other person unless there's a different deal.
It's really what you (or your agent) can negotiate, and often based on
your experience.