Imagine for one moment, you’re standing on the threshold of the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter is perched high upon his pulpit examining the records of everyone waiting in line to get into Heaven. Like a final audit, if you will, he’s making one concluding determination who gets in and who goes to… well, you know… that other place.
As the line inches forward, you overhear St. Peter asking each old soul cowering in front of him, “Well, how have you lived your life? What did you do with what we gave you? Did you share it with anyone else?” In essence, he’s asking for your elevator speech—a 30-second pitch on how you frittered away 75 years on planet Earth.
If you’re fortunate enough to be a ghostwriter—a master of extracting adventures and experiences from memories, putting them into written or virtual words—St. Peter’s challenge should be easy. But for the rest of us, all our thoughts, deeds and contributions to society are likely to go straight to the new world along with our bodies: either six feet underground or strewn across the Pacific Ocean. But, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Why Should I Write a Book?
If you’ve ever thought about writing a book—and statistics show that more than 80% of you have—isn’t it time to get started? What’s keeping you from sharing your life with others—not just your family but everyone you’ll ever meet, either in person or through recollection? Even total strangers.
But I don’t know anything about writing a book. Writing a book is an immense undertaking, reserved for novelists or those professor-types socked away in ivory towers.
It’s probably why most people have only thought about writing a book. Few have gone on to write New York Times best-sellers or watched their life-stories re-created as Hollywood blockbusters. But, how do you get started?
The first thing you need is an idea. A story. An experience. Something that hasn’t happened to anyone else. It can be as brief as the blink of an eye. Or it can drag on for decades.
Most of us think to ourselves, “Why me? I haven’t done anything interesting except get up and go to work every day.” That’s exactly what Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson did—the women behind putting the first American men into space that was recently made into the successful Hollywood movie, “Hidden Figures”—and where the ghostwriter came in.
Other true stories that have made their way into best-selling books and moves include:
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
- Out of Africa by Karen Blixen
- The Revenant by Michael Punke
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
- Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
- Tuesdays with Morie by Mitch Albom
- Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kerman
- Jaws by Peter Benchley
- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
- Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
- To Heaven and Back: A Doctor’s Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again by Mary Neal, MD
Once you’ve decided on a theme worth telling, reach out and contact a professional ghostwriter. You can find them by Googling “ghostwriting,” “association of ghostwriters” or some other variation of keywords about the craft of ghostwriting.
Finding & Working with a Ghostwriter
Ghostwriters wear a number of hats when writing books for clients. Think of them in Hollywood film-making terms. The client comes to them with an idea for a great movie. But, it’s up to the ghostwriter to make it a block-buster film. They act as the screenwriter, producer, director, casting director, set designer, prop master, costume designer, accountant, make-up artist as well as film and sound editors. For the length of the project, the ghostwriter “calls the shots.” In short, they do just about everything except supply the initial idea for the production. The client does that.
These days, it’s not important to live near your ghostwriter. In fact, it might be better if you don’t. Through the miracle of the internet, Skype, Zoom and your smartphone, you can choose from any one of thousands of experienced writers to tell your story regardless of where they live. Many of them offer free consultations to get you started.
During your initial interview, your ghostwriter will likely go over the writing process. It’s different for everyone, but they’ll need to know:
- Why do you want to write your book now?
- Who will be your target audience? A few friends or the world?
- Will you be traditionally or self-publishing your book?
- How much time do you have to devote to the project?
- Have you started writing the manuscript, or is all of the information still trapped inside your thoughts?
- Do you have a budget in mind?
In subsequent discussions, your ghostwriter will begin fleshing out the basic structure of your proposed book—usually in the form of an outline. Most marketable books run at least 200+ pages, or around 75,000 to 100,000 words. Do you have enough material to write a 75,000 word book? From there the working approach can take a number of directions. The most common is a series of weekly or bi-weekly “interviews” or discussions with your ghostwriter that are recorded and transcribed into the basis of your manuscript. You’ll have a chance to edit or review each chapter as the project moves along.
After the first draft of your manuscript has been completed, it goes through the editing phase, where typos and grammatical errors are corrected. This is your time to add “your two cents” before it goes on to a professional editor. After editing, your manuscript will be buffed up and submitted to a publisher.
How Much Does it Cost to Work with a Ghostwriter?
It’s amazing (and a bit frustrating) to ghostwriters how little research people perform in order to understand what’s involved 
with hiring a ghostwriter for their book—in particular, how much ghostwriters charge. It often seems like they put more effort into shopping for blenders than they do screening ghostwriters.
While there can be a wide range of estimates, it won’t necessarily be cheap. No quality professional services are. It depends on a number of things, like the length of your book, your accessibility, and special circumstances or requirements, such as the amount of research they’ll need to do, transcription fees, interviews, travel expenses, and more.
As you can imagine, hiring a professional ghostwriter to write your book requires a bit of an investment. But, it’s not like undertaking a new home loan. I often tell clients it’s comparable to buying a used BMW. The difference is, after you drive your Beemer for a few years, it’ll end up parked behind your garage. A book, however, will follow you for the rest of your life; even longer. If you write a memorable book, it’ll be around long after you’re gone.
According to Jane Friedman’s 2016 article, “What to Expect When Hiring a Ghostwriter,”
Hiring a ghostwriter for a book that includes the writer’s name—the “with” or “as told to” on the cover—ranges from $22,800 to $80,000. If no credit is given, that range jumps to $36,200 to $100,000. These amounts can slide higher or lower depending on the book’s length and complexity. Hourly rates for shorter content like magazine articles or blog posts are right around $100 per hour. Keep in mind that ghostwriters for hourly projects bill for interviews, e-mails, and phone calls in addition to writing time.
My personal research has shown that there are at least three cost “tiers” ghostwriters charge. On the low end, beginning ghosts charge anywhere from $3,000.00 to $15,000.000 USD. Middle-tier ghostwriters usually charge between $20,000.00 to $60,000.000 USD. Top-tier ghostwriters can command fees from $75,000.00 and up. Why the difference? Experienced ghostwriters have years of experience and are masters of their craft. They’re fastidious researchers and know just the right questions to ask their client to bring out the best story in them. They stay on track, commanding the best from their clients. In essence, you get what you pay for.
Most professional ghostwriters adhere to some form of billing arrangement that’s worked well for them in the past. While some ghosts bill by the page, hour or word, the vast majority charge by the project. Professional ghostwriters will typically charge according to a variety of formulas. Most, if not all, will require at least a 25%-30% down payment (due at the time of contract signing), with the remainder spread over a variety of time periods. Why so much up-front? In a word: commitment.
When ghosts decide to take you on as a new client, they’re making a solid commitment to you, both in time and energy. That means deflecting other potential opportunities. There’s also a significant amount of preparation involved with launching a new book project. They have to read everything their clients have written; learning their speech patterns and adapting their voice to the new book.
Can you negotiate the price of your new book? Sometimes. But, most successful ghostwriters already use formulas that work well for both sides. While they might be open to negotiation, but don’t be surprised if they’re not. What about bartering or accepting royalties in place of regularly-scheduled payments? I wouldn’t hold my breath. Experienced ghostwriters have learned to avoid like the plague people claiming, “My book is guaranteed to be a New York Times #1 best-seller.”
What frustrates professional ghostwriters more than anything else is being thought of as “hobbyists.” Professional writers are just like everyone else—they need to put food on the table, pay their mortgages and provide for their families. If you needed a hip replacement, would you have the gall to barter with your orthopedic surgeon? Ask them if it’s really necessary to perform an MRI, and negotiate the cost of anesthesia? Probably not.
Seeing Your Name in Print
Depending on how you intend to publish your book (traditional or self-publishing), there may also be a number of charges above and beyond the cost of writing your manuscript. They include:
- Professional editing
- Cover design
- Securing ISBN numbers, etc.
- Sales and marketing
If you plan on pitching your book to traditional publishers, you’ll also need to pay for writing a query letter and a book proposal. Powerful query letters designed to capture the attention of successful literary agents can run anywhere from $100.00-$500.00 USD; the average seems to fall somewhere in the middle. Book proposals 
are no small task. They’re research-driven marketing reports designed to convince publishers why they should buy the rights to your book instead of all the others you’re competing against. They typically run 50-60 pages or more and cost between $5,000-$10,000 to write; usually by your ghostwriter.
If this is your first book, you might want to consider using a vanity press like Lulu.com, IngramSpark, AuthorHouse, Book Baby, Xlibris or Kobo to help guide you through the process of publishing your book. They can cost anywhere from $500.00 to $5,000.00 and help new authors navigate the murky waters of production, sales and marketing, including preparing their book for online ebook sales through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
So, why on earth would anyone want to plunk down $30,000 to have a book ghostwritten for them? It’s simple. For the price of a used BMW (which you’ll inevitably end up towing into a used car lot after it dies in a few years), you can write a book that will secure your name into posterity.
Life is fascinating. We’ve endured the pains and successes of evolution, world wars, technology, social media, and science. We’ve thrilled to technical advances in medicine, space travel, art, and music. Why not be prepared to tell St. Peter you’ve had a hand in creating some of the things that made our lives interesting? Who knows? You might just scoot to the front of the line.
Allen Smith is a syndicated writer and ghostwriter living in Oceanside, California. He is a three-time award winner for America’s Funniest Humor and has published thousands of long and short-form articles in print, on the web and social media.
Smith has been featured on NBC News, ABC’s The View, KYSL Radio, The Hollis Chapman Show, TV8 Vail and Plum TV16. He has also been published in The Writer Magazine, Funny Times, the Professional Skier, Denver Post, Aspen Times and was a founding writer for Lance Armstrong’s wellness website, LIVESTRONG.COM. Smith was the Gear Editor from 2008-2011 for Onthesnow.com, the most visited winter sports website in the United States.
Smith’s first book, Ski Instructors Confidential: The Stories Ski Instructors Swap Back at the Lodge was published in 2005, is in its second printing and continues to sell around the world in book stores and online. His second book, Watching Grandma Circle the Drain was published in 2011 and has received rave reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million and dozens of independent websites and blogs. He has also contributed to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Runners (2010) and The Gigantic Armchair Reader (2008). His latest book, Monkey in a Pink Canoe was published in April, 2014 and earned the Best Humor Award from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. For more information, please contact him here.
