My Ghost and Writing Rates

Money

There are no bargain basement rates here. If someone can “do it cheaper,” then have someone do it. I don’t bid against other writers. I bid on the value of the project. If you’re looking for a “good deal,” financially, you’ll get it here, but not in the way you’re thinking. Move along if you’re shopping solely on the basis of price. I don’t trade time for money.

I trade money for value, great work, fun, collaboration, inspiration, extras and unexpected connections that make your project viable and noticed. That’s why I charge more. Every project is different, so what you get above and beyond what you pay for. That’s part of the process. Your generosity of time, spirit and attitude plays into the extent and degree I go overboard. You’ll always get the tangible value, but how much more you get is a variable! I enter relationships with people whose projects I respect, like, love or admire. I don’t just spew words.

You have an experience, not an encounter. You walk away with a greater appreciation of yourself, your project and your potential here. And that’s not negotiable.

My rates, however, are somewhat negotiable, and depending on the demand on my schedule at the time, and the kind of project, I can be flexible. Before you ask me, “Can you do it for less?” be prepared to answer, “Will you pay me more?”

Do you have all the research done? Do you want something from scratch? Do you want to collaborate or have me write the entire book or project? Are you willing to give up a percentage of sales in exchange for rates? Do you have a budget for your project? Not sure? Then let’s talk.

What you can expect:

My rates are what they are because I bring more to the table. I’m more than just a ghostwriter, copy writer or graphics person. I’m a collaborator. I consider your project’s success as important to me as though it were my own. I bring in years of experience, contacts, advice and tips, suggestions and opportunities as well as writing. I don’t just write for $$$. I have to love, or at least be intrigued by what you’re doing. I won’t know that until we talk.

If you don’t have a sense of humor, stop reading and find someone else for your project. I love what I do and I inject humor into my site(s) as much as possible. It doesn’t mean I’m less professional. It means I’m less likely to be a jerk and a meanie when things get stressful because I don’t live and work in a high stress mindset.

Agreements and Contracts

I require clients sign a basic agreement before we start. Why? Because I’ve been burned too often by those who suffer some sort of financial dementia, scope creep, or misunderstanding about what we agreed to, usually after we begin their project, or about the time they need to pay me. Don’t worry, my agreements are not full of legalese and fine print. It’s just to ensure we’re on the same page and everyone’s expectations are met.

Management

On larger projects I may use a project manager, virtual assistant or business coach to co-ordinate and work with the scheduling and non-creative functions. This allows me to focus on delivering a great product. By agreeing to work with me, you agree to potentially work with him/her to coordinate deliverables, schedules and non-creative aspects of the project. You will always have access to me to discuss any part of the project—unless you’re abusive and obnoxious and hateful. Then I simply fire you.

Invoices

I will invoice you for your deposit, and for every phase of the project as it’s completed. I won’t proceed with any phase of the project until the previous invoice is paid. Delay in paying an invoice can mean delay of your project. I’ll probably still like you, but I’ll probably move your project to the back burner. Delay of receiving payment can result in my not paying my bills, or buying cat food (for my cats), or more importantly, cat litter and kibble for my cats. No sane person can work when the litter box is dirty. (I only have two cats, so I’m actually about 5 cats shy of being a crazy cat lady. Your project is safe here.)

You’ll receive a printable PDF for your records, and the invoice will provide a secure link to PayPal. I accept PayPal, which permits you to pay using your credit card, even if you don’t have a PayPal account. With PayPal I never see your credit card information, so you’re safe. If you don’t trust the Internet, I take money orders or bank transfers as well. Contact me for more information.

If you’re a new client I do require that you pay a non-refundable deposit and sign an agreement before we get started. Why non-refundable? Because by the time we get to that point I’ve spent at least an hour on the phone with you, set up a project bank in BaseCamp, drafted an agreement, sent and received and average of five emails, researched you and the project in order to determine how much time it will take, and I have invested, on average, two to five hours with you before ever seeing a dime show up in my PayPal account. Your non-refundable deposit pays for that time and value.

I accept one-third down (non-refundable deposit), one-third upon first draft, and the balance via a paid download for the finished project. I invoice at each stage of the project. (You’ll be sent an encrypted link and once you’ve paid the balance, you can download your project at your convenience).

Voice Overs

Yes, I do voice overs! Prices begin at $35 per 2,500 words. See my voice overs page here.

Rates

News Articles and feature stories (800-1,200 words) start at $150 USD and include interviewing up to two sources. If you don’t require sources and research is less than an hour, the price is $125 USD.
Blog posts (300-800 words) start at $40 USD and go up to $150 depending on the complexity of the topic and amount of research. No Wall Street Finance type articles, or medical journal type posts please.
Book Covers for paperback books $200 USD, ebooks $150 and up depending on revisions.
Press Releases $125 for one basic (400 word) release, $325 for three releases for the same company. You must submit your release to your own outlet (This generally costs $200 at PR Web for one release, or can be free through other sources)
Keyword/Search Engine Optimization (SEO) articles or blog posts (250 to 450 words) start at $50 USD. You must provide the information and keywords you want used.
Editing (proofreading) services start $10 USD per 500 words of text ($15 USD per 1,000 words of text). This does not include structural editing (rewriting), but I’ll wrangle any stray commas and do basic grammar, tenses tweaks and so on.
“Structural Editing and Story Tweaking,” doctoring, fixing, polishing and shining costs $25-$100 USD per 1,000 words of text depending on extent of work needed. Free estimate. $25 is average. $100 would be someone from a non-English speaking background with difficulty expressing themselves in English (essentially a rewrite).
Ghost-written non-fiction (a typical how-to book) starts around $1,000 and ranges up to $3,500 USD for short projects (10-50 pages); typically these don’t cost more than $3,000 USD.
Ghost-written novels or non-fiction memoirs of up to 54,000 to 85,000 words start at $5,000 – $25,000 USD.

Larger writing projects and ghost-writing tasks are negotiated on a case-by-case basis. I’m willing to work with your budget for the project — but this means I need to know what you are prepared to pay. I’m willing to work in stages, if that’s what you can afford. Many of my clients have a month-to-month, chapter-by-chapter arrangement that allows them to stretch writing their book over a year, and paying for editing and consulting month-to-month.

Every project and client is different and I won’t know what I can offer you until we talk. I offer a free assessment time of 15-30 minutes, and my consulting rate is $150 an hour, paid in advance. You’ll also receive a 1-2 page summary of information, resources and suggestions I have for your project within 24-hours of our call.