What does a ghostwriter do?

Ghostwriting is simply the art of putting someone else’s story into the most relevant and readable format, fit for public consumption. Many people prefer to work with an expert when compiling their life story. Most famous or prominent people employ ghostwriters whether it is for their press releases or their life story.

Ghostwriters can also be referred to as co-writers. As part of the title, my job is to interview and research details of my subject’s life – or specific experience – absorbing their style and mannerisms and expressing their story accordingly.

It saves the subject time in learning how to construct a book themselves, and also gives them the required distance and perspective so that all aspects are covered in appropriate detail.

My main attributes include being a great listener and retainer of information for the future. This helps me in linking research and creating the best possible content. For the most part this approach can apply to almost any subject.

I have a great story – will you write my book with me?

Of course you probably do have a great story. Everyone has a story in them, maybe you have hundreds of good stories. Whether your story, or stories, will make a good book is ultimately quite subjective. As a ghostwriter and experienced author I can give you my opinion on whether your idea or experience is something I can personally put into a feasible book format.

Will my book be an autobiography or biography?

I can approach your work in the first or third person; it is entirely up to you. You can either present your work as written by yourself, or with myself as co-writer. I can work with total confidentiality, or I can share the work we are doing on my website and beyond.

I can approach your work in the first or third person; it is entirely up to you. You can either present your work as written by yourself, or with myself as co-writer. I can work with total confidentiality, or I can share the work we are doing on my website and beyond.

How long should my book be and how long will it take to complete?

Obviously, the length of your book is crucial to how long it will take to research and write. Researching will include interviews as well as gleaning any other pertinent information to make sure the finished text is completely factual and accurate.

Once we have discussed your requirements I can give a suggestion as to the expected length of the work and therefore the time this might take.

Where are you based?

I travel the world to work with clients and split my time between the UK, Cyprus and USA.

Will you work for free in advance for a high royalty payment?

As writing is my only source of income and I have a family to support, unfortunately I cannot ever agree to this arrangement.

It is often truly unfortunate from my perspective to have to explain this to clients. On the other hand, I am sure you will agree that few people will work months of 8-10 hour days for no payment, but merely on a promise!

Do we have a contract?

Yes, always. The contract protects both parties; the client is totally protected and guaranteed to receive the best work. I follow terms from the Society of Authors.

How much do you charge?

I do not like to give vague answers, such as “every project is different”. That is true in some ways, not in others. There are some consistent aspects although I do not just freelance for books so different projects do incur different charges.

As a general rule my fee starts from £2,900 for 10,000 words, which for longer projects will include interviews and editing.

For a complete book project, costs can range from £30,000 to £100,000 depending on the work involved.

Editing or consultancy work is charged at £1,900 per 10,000 words on average.

Synopsis packages are available, which start from £5,000.

What is the procedure for making payment?

There are usually two options for larger projects, which the client chooses to their satisfaction:

1) The value of the agreement is split into two or three. One half, or one third of payment is made upon signature of the contract. The client then makes a payment upon delivery of a certain number of words until the contract and manuscript is fulfilled.

2) A deposit is made upon signature of contract (usually one third) and then monthly payments are made). For example, if the agreement is for the book to be completed within 10 months, after the deposit payment is made, the remaining balance is split into ten monthly payments.

For smaller projects, payment is usually made in two payments – one half in advance and one half upon delivery of half the contracted word count.

If you prefer, you can pay for the full value of the contract in advance or in just two payments.

Can I chat with you to tell you more?

This page is to save time by providing a lot of the information clients always need to know in advance. However, each person is different and an informal chat is always useful to establish what you are looking for and how the process might begin.

Your understanding of how you wish the book to be, as well as your budget, are of crucial importance. I ask you are fully aware of my approach as well as your personal budget before we speak.

What do you write or work on besides books?

I sometimes write freelance for newspapers and magazines. I was first published in a magazine in 1997.

I can also work on editing, speechwriting or creating a book synopsis which can be submitted for professional publication.

I am a podcast host and sometimes guest on certain shows as requested. More info here.