Price Your Ghostwriting Services Like A Pro (With Lessons From The Field)
This is your call to be courageous.
TL;DR—In a nutshell:
Pricing for ghostwriting books varies greatly. We’re talking $25K to +$125K.
Increase your pricing with every new project.
If you chronically undervalue your services, follow these 2 steps: First, decide what number feels right. Second, increase it.
Don’t avoid the money conversation with your prospective clients.
Value your work appropriately, and you’ll attract clients who value it too.
One of the most frequent questions I get asked by writers interested in ghostwriting is how much they should charge. While there’s no single answer (that would be too easy!), I can share trends and lessons I’ve learned from building my 5-figure side-gig ghostwriting non-fiction books.
This post focuses on ghostwriting books, but I’ve also ghostwritten articles, reports, newsletters, social media posts, and more. Pricing for these can be per word, per unit of time, flat fee, an ongoing retainer, and more. I recommend researching the going market rates through writers associations and guilds, content platforms (Reedsy, Upwork, etc.), and other sources you trust.
The bottom line is pricing for ghostwriting varies greatly. Among ghostwriters I know, flat fees for non-fiction books range from $25,000 to $125,000+. Beyond that, top ghostwriters like J.R. Moehringer, who ghosted Prince Harry’s memoir, earn seven figures.
The golden rule: Whatever pricing you set, deliver on the value you promise. As your skills grow with each project, so should your pricing. This leads to the first of three key lessons.
Lesson #1: Increase your pricing with every new book project.
What was my biggest ghostwriting win this year (besides deepening client relationships)? Asking for more money from a repeat client.
It was a proud moment because I almost didn’t ask at all. A big part of me thought I should settle for our existing pricing structure, especially because I didn’t want to jeopardize the client relationship. But this mindset is a recipe for stagnating growth.
When I opened the money conversation with my client for our new contract, they came back with an offer higher than I expected. They were extremely satisfied with our previous work together and recognized the value I brought them. The boost to my confidence can’t be understated.
Ghostwriters often undervalue their work. Asking someone to part with many tens of thousands of dollars can be difficult, especially when you’re new at ghostwriting. We often hear that freelance writing has a low market value because so many writers are out there offering services.
But the stats prove our worth:
1 in 12 business book authors use ghostwriters.
The most expensive services authors pay for are ghostwriting and PR agencies.
Ghostwritten books earn more income: $92,500 was the median 6 months after publication (compared to $18,200 for all authors).
Ghostwritten books generate a median gross profit of $43,000+ after 6 months, despite the cost of the ghostwriter.
96% of people who hire ghostwriters are happy with the outcome.
Takeaway: It pays to ghostwrite—and there is a market for it! This leads to the second lesson (for writers who undervalue their services).
Lesson #2: Set your pricing in 2 steps—First, decide what number feels right. Second, increase it.
I learned this the hard way. By setting my pricing lower than I should have when I was starting out, I created a limiting expectation that I struggled to overcome later. I also found the client relationships less meaningful during these projects. Once I started pricing my work correctly, I started attracting clients I truly wanted to work with.
Exception: Strategically offering lower fees to gain testimonials and/or referrals for future growth.
Lesson #3: Don’t avoid the money conversation.
Address pricing early in client discussions. Ask your prospective client what their expected range is, then use that to open a dialogue or come back with an offer. Their range can reveal if they might:
Be trying exploit you (e.g., they want a 50,000-word book for $5,000)
Pay more than you expected (remember my big win)
Fall below your fee range (signalling you may not be a good fit to work together)
Be courageous, even if you worry you don’t have enough ghostwriting experience or that you might harm the client relationship. If the money conversation goes badly, the client relationship may not be worth having.
Remember: You’re not just selling your writing skills. You’re offering storytelling expertise, creativity, developmental editing, project management, and the ability to capture someone else’s voice and vision. The stats show clients value this work and are willing to pay for quality.
Your pricing journey as a ghostwriter is exactly that—a journey. Start where you feel comfortable, but always keep growing. With each project, you’ll gain more confidence and deeper insights into the true value of your work. Value your work appropriately, and you’ll attract clients who value it too.
The most successful ghostwriting relationships are built on mutual respect, fair compensation, and shared excitement about bringing great stories to life. When you charge what you’re worth, you create space for the meaningful partnerships that make ghostwriting truly rewarding.
Don't know much about ghost riding as far as it ends and outs, but it sounds like these principles could apply to all of us