If you’re considering a ghostwriter for your first nonfiction book, it helps to have a figure in mind before you start making enquiries. For a complete nonfiction manuscript, my ghostwriting fees start at US$10,000. My indicative range for a book of 50,000 to 70,000 words is US$18,000 to US$28,000. I quote a fixed fee once I know enough about the project to say what the work will involve.

Those are my rates, not an industry average. For a wider point of reference, Reedsy reported a typical range of US$18,000 to US$50,000 for nonfiction ghostwriting based on its own marketplace data in 2026. That’s a useful guide to the scale of the expense, but it won’t tell you what a particular writer will charge for your book. Reedsy’s guide to ghostwriting fees

What are you paying a ghostwriter to do?

Length is the starting point for my quotes, but a word count only tells me how much writing we’ll end up with. It doesn’t tell me how much work it will take to get there. An author might bring a series of recorded talks and a clear argument they’ve been developing for years. Another might have an equally strong idea that needs more interviews, research and development before we know how the chapters will fit together. Both books could end up at 50,000 words.

The work can include interviewing you, reviewing your existing material, developing the outline, carrying out agreed research, writing the manuscript and revising it in response to your feedback. It also includes decisions that don’t show up in the final word count. Where does a reader need an example? Which of two stories makes the point more clearly? Does a chapter need more explanation, or does it belong later in the book? If you’d like to see how those decisions get made, I’ve written separately about what it’s like to work with a ghostwriter on your first book.

How do you compare two ghostwriting quotes?

Suppose two writers quote for the same 50,000-word book. The first quote assumes you’ll provide a detailed outline, notes for each chapter and the research you want included. The second includes interviews to draw out your ideas, developing the outline together and researching examples to support your argument. Both quotes might be reasonable. The question is whether you have the time and material to do the work the first quote leaves with you.

Before you compare the totals, check what each proposal says about the following.

  • Interviews, outline and research. Who does what, and what are you expected to supply?
  • Drafts and revisions. When will you see the writing, how many rounds of feedback are included, and what would count as extra work?
  • The finished manuscript. Are proofreading, formatting or help with self-publishing included or quoted separately?
  • Payments and rights. When are payments due, and what does the agreement say about authorship credit, rights and confidentiality?

I set out the scope, schedule and fee before work begins. My payment schedule starts with a 30% retainer, with the balance divided into agreed milestones. You can find my current ranges and payment terms on my Pricing page.

What if full ghostwriting is beyond your budget?

If you want to do the writing yourself and already have a draft, a manuscript evaluation can help you decide what to tackle next. You might find the book needs a clearer argument, a different chapter order or more material in places you’d thought were finished. A developmental edit goes further into the structure and content of the manuscript. Both are different from hiring someone to write the book with you, so the right choice depends on how much of the writing you want to take on. You can compare those options on my Services page.

What should you tell a ghostwriter to get a useful quote?

A few lines about the book, the reader you have in mind and what you’ve already gathered or written will help. If you have a deadline or a budget you’d like to work within, mention it. There’s no need to guess at a word count just to give me a number. We can talk about what length would suit the book and what’s realistic for the material you have.

If you’d like a quote, tell me a little about the book you have in mind. You don’t need a finished outline to start that conversation.

Once you’ve compared the quotes, find out how to choose a ghostwriter who’s a good fit for your book.

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