When It comes to ghostwriter contracts and fees, the first thing to know is that, when you hire a ghostwriter for a business book, a novel or a memoir, you are purchasing a work-for-hire. As the buyer, you have certain rights that you will want to protect with a written ghostwriter agreement. These rights include copyright, which ensures you (or your company) reap the financial benefits of your book.
You will want to have your ghostwriter contract reviewed by a lawyer who has experience with such contracts, particularly if:
- You are concerned about maintaining strict confidentiality: While acknowledgement of ghostwriting assistance may have little impact on a memoir to be shared with family and friends, it can undermine the business model for other types of books.
- Your project is going to involve a significant amount of money: Ghostwriter contracts that involve a large sum of money should be reviewed by a lawyer who can identify potential risks and missing elements.
- You anticipate your book will attract a great deal of publicity and earned income: Again, where a lot of money is involved, things can more easily go wrong.
Ghostwriter for hire: Ghostwriter contracts
While it’s impossible to anticipate every challenge that could arise in a ghostwriter work-for-hire situation, a legal contract creates clear expectations for both the product and the working relationship. A standard ghostwriting contract will include, but necessarily not be limited to:
- The name of the parties entering into the written ghostwriter agreement
- The purpose of the ghostwriter agreement: Be as specific as possible. Describe the book, the working title, the approximate number of pages, and any other products that will be produced in addition to the book.
- Procedures: Describe how you will work together, including communication methods and meeting times. Include a timeline for work.
- Product: Describe all the work to be done and who will be doing it. If you will be doing some of the work and the writer will do some of the work, be sure to break out the exact duties of each party.
- Deadlines and deliverables: The contract should indicate what the ghostwriter will provide when (such as a first draft of chapters x through y) and whether and when you will have access to the work.
- Revisions: Determine how revisions will be made and state in the ghostwriter contract situations in which additional revisions will trigger an additional fee.
- A schedule of payment: Include any down payment and payments attached to given deliverables. Note that royalties are typically NOT paid to the ghostwriter but this will need to be included in the ghostwriter contract. High end ghostwriters do, at times, include royalties in their negotiations and it is worth considering inclusion if the writer is very accomplished.
- Scope of the work: How many words, how many hours of research, how many rounds of revision are included in the price and plan? Also, what happens if you, if you are the author, decide that you want to change the book in a significant way part-way through the process? For example, you decide to add a how-to element to a memoir, or you change the core readership, triggering changes to tone and style.
- Additional fees: Indicate when additional fees will be triggered (research beyond x number of hours, for example; writing beyond x number of pages; or additional rounds of revision). Include the fees for additional work beyond the current scope.
- Copyright: State who has ownership of copyright.
- Ghostwriter Credits: Will the ghostwriter’s name appear on the book cover—or not? How will it appear? (If not, you may want to mention the writer in the Acknowledgements as a writer, editor, coach or in some other way—but that is up to you.)
- Confidentiality: Not only might you want ghostwriter confidentiality about writing the book, you may also want to ensure they do not share confidential information gathered during the writing of the book. If that is the case, be sure that this requirement appears in the contract. You may also want to have the writer sign a separate NDA (nondisclosure agreement).
- Termination agreement: When will this contract end? What if one of the parties needs to end it early? Many times, a project has a “kill fee” if the author decides to end it early.
Additional suggestions for ghostwriter contracts
- Plagiarism: You want to protect yourself from charges of plagiarism by explicitly stating that this is a contract for original work. [Note: when you provide material for the writer, be sure to indicate when material is not originally yours. Share all your sources with the writer, so that they can give appropriate credit to the original source.]
- Accuracy: You may well wish to include a clause indicating that the writer will not use AI bots for research or other information gathering, given the tendency for inaccurate results.
- Turnaround time: We highly recommend that the ghostwriter contract indicate how long you will have for providing feedback on drafts. It bears mentioning that a writer can only meet their deadlines if you, as the author, give them feedback in a timely manner. (Schedule time in your calendar for reviewing drafts and providing your feedback!) If this aspect is not settled in advance, it can easily lead to delays.
- Proofreading: Will the writer provide proofreading services or do you need to hire someone to provide a final proofread?
Ghostwriter fees: What you can expect to pay
Fees vary widely based on experience and market. Your ghostwriting contract should specify how fees will be figured – for example, an hourly fee, a per word fee, a per page fee, or a per project fee. You may find that you mix and match fee structures for different parts of your project. For example:
- Writing a book proposal may be charged at an hourly rate ($40 to $250/hr. and up) or as a flat-fee per project ($7,000 to $25,000 or more, depending on the division of labor and the particular expertise of the writer). A book proposal is an extensive document, comparable to a business plan for your book.
- Research for a book is charged at an hourly ($15 to $180) or daily rate ($450 to $700). Some researchers with specific skills may charge more.
- Rewriting charges are hourly ($25 to $200 and up) or at a per-project rate.
- Writing a children’s book for hire may be charged at an hourly rate ($50 to $125) or a per word charge of $1 to $10 per word.
- Ghostwriting fees for a book could be charged hourly ($30 to $250 or more), per word ($1 to $3) or per project ($5,000 to $100,000 and even more, depending on the writer’s accomplishments and genre). More experienced ghostwriters tend to charge per project, with additional hourly fees if the project scope expands. Books for which the ghostwriter receives no credit are usually charged at a higher rate.
A word about payment schedule in ghostwriter contracts
Many authors ask about paying for each phase of work upon delivery. Unfortunately, many experienced ghostwriters have been burned. Because the work is so time-intensive and the up-front work mostly involves interviews and/or research, they need to ensure payment for all the work. This includes the up-front work of interviews and research, which may not result in a particular deliverable. Therefore, ghostwriting contracts tend to provide a schedule where each phase of work is paid in advance. Contracts with most highly experienced ghostwriters tend to break the payment schedule into three or four payments, with the largest payment being up front and covering much of the less tangible up-front work. Some ghostwriters offer a monthly payment plan, which may or may not be tied directly to deliverables. If you are concerned about paying for each phase up front, you may want to ask for a reference from a former client or do some online research to determine their reputation.
More about the ghostwriter fees and referrals
Writing a book is a complex skill and ghostwriting is even more advanced, as the ghostwriter must meet the goals and expectations of another person, even assuming their voice and tone. Expect to pay a premium for an experienced ghostwriter, like the ones to which Lisa Tener provides referrals. Books of 120 pages typically run from $20,000 to $35,000 (though can be more expensive for a particular skill set and expertise) and books of 250-pages start around $35,000 to $75,000 and up into the six figure realm. If your budget is below $15,000 for ghostwriting a short book or $25,000 for ghostwriting a full-length book, please do not ask us for a referral to a ghostwriter. We can recommend an editor for that budget range. For a very modest budget, you may want to check elance.com.
If you have any further questions about ghostwriter contracts, feel free to ask in the comments section below. and we will provide a prompt response.
