Why is good ghostwriting so expensive?
After all, it’s just words on a page, right?
Wrong. Ghostwriting is a complex and time-consuming process that requires tremendous skill and expertise.
Here are a few reasons why professional ghostwriting is expensive:
- Good writing takes time. Writing is not a strictly linear process, meaning authors need to do more than just sit down and follow a series of discrete steps and–presto–have a finished draft on their hands. Writing is recursive: authors regularly return to their work to add, edit, and revise. You may have noticed that you go back and forth between chapters as ideas and stories come to you while working on the DIYBook platform, which is a normal part of the writing process. Professional ghostwriters do the same thing. On average, a ghostwriter needs at least 200 hours to write and edit a book from start to finish, but can often take much longer.
- Ghostwriters are highly skilled professionals. Good ghostwriters have years of experience writing books, articles, and other types of content. They have a deep understanding of the writing process and can produce high-quality work that meets the needs of their clients. Plus, they ensure their clients sound like their clients in print: This skill takes years to develop.
- Ghostwriters do more than write words on a page. They conduct research, interview sources, and edit and proofread their work. This process can take a lot of time, especially for longer projects.
- Ghostwriting is different from other kinds of writing. Ghostwriters do not take credit for their work and cannot build their reputations or brands through their writing. The person who hires the ghostwriter receives credit as the book’s author.
As a result of these factors, ghostwriters are typically paid more than other types of writers.
Remember that ghostwriting is a professional service, and you should expect to pay a fair price, even if that price seems higher than you may have anticipated.
You may have seen ads on the internet for rock-bottom ghostwriting services. Unfortunately, most of these cheap ghostwriting services are scams. Any ghostwriter who says they can write a book for a few hundred dollars is pulling a fast one–run away as fast as you can.
Remember, we created DIYBook when it became clear people needed an affordable and easy-to-use system to write and publish their stories. We offer add-on ghostwriting services from our pool of trusted, professional ghostwriters. If you do need quality ghostwriting assistance, you can feel confident working with us.
Barbara Basbanes Richter founded DIYBook, an affordable and easy-to-use book writing program. She also founded In Ink Ghostwriting, a full-service ghostwriting firm helping politicians, pundits, scientists, CEOs, professional athletes, and others get their stories into print.
Under her own byline, Barbara’s writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Daily News, The Vineyard Gazette, Humanities, The Sewanee Review, Fine Books & Collections, Literary Features Syndicate, High Country News, Ravishly.com, Westchester Magazine, and other outlets.
Barbara is a fluent French speaker, and her translation from French to English of Mademoiselle de Malepeire was called a “clever, inspiring gem.”
