Ghostwriter FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Our FAQ is relevant to your ghostwriting questions.

1) What is a ghost writer?

This ghostwriter FAQ should answer many of your questions. But if you have other ones, don’t hesitate to write us at karen@rainbowriting.com .

Ghost Writer, Inc. is a legitimate ghostwriting services agency. We follow ethical business practices. Ordinarily, project creators or book author clients get full credit for the entire work. As long as the ideas and writings are original to either the client, or to the ghost.

A ghostwriter doesn’t normally get credit for the work. Although arrangements may be made for receiving partial credit. Or even full co-author status. However, the ghost tends to only take upfront payment. In most cases, ghosts don’t arrange any percentage or “on spec” payments for the work.

This includes all types, styles and genres of ghostwriting services. Such as books, manuscripts, screenplays, scripts. Music, lyrics, soundtracks. Speeches, comedy routines, business and academic papers. The ghost does a professional job on the writing. In order to assist with polishing and presenting the ghostwriting work. To the right people, such as literary agents, script optioning services, or TV and film producers.

“Partnerships” are rarely performed in lieu of pay. Sometimes, a book advance from a publisher may be split 50-50. After a professional book proposal is submitted by a proposal ghost. To literary agents, to be accepted by a traditional book publisher. In other words, a ghostwriter does the work. With the author client’s background assistance and communications. But the ghost works for pay, while the work belongs to the client.

2) What do you mean by credit?

The ghostwriters don’t have her or his name on the published, optioned or produced work. Nor will it be popularly known that the ghostwriter worked on a project. Unless the client or author of the work wants it known. Sometimes a ghost on our team is famous enough for this to be desirable. Our ghostwriting services agency doesn’t take the credit in most cases. You do! You also get the lion’s share of the net percentage payments. This comes from the sales of your published books, scripts, musical or other works.

3) What kinds of ghost writing credit do author clients give ghostwriters?

This can be a brief sentence on an acknowledgments page, stating “This book would not be possible without my Editor, So and So.” Also, if you want to give your ghost writer more credit, you can put on the book cover, “As told to So and So.” Or you can share co-author status, so the book cover or screen credits will feature the ghost writer’s name as prominently as that of the client or author. However, this arrangement is entirely up to you and your ghost writer.

GHOSTWRITER FAQ: Are ghostwriters called other names? Yes! Co-authors, co-writers, as told to…and suchlike.

4) Is ghostwriting actually legal?

Yes, you are paying a professional writer to help with your book, memoir, screenplay or other work. And also, since you are paying for it, you don’t have to share any credit and can feature only your name on the work. This is generally referred to as “work for hire.” It’s entirely legal under related American and other nations’ treaties and international laws.

Our ghostwriting services agency only uses legitimate professionals. Ghosts, editors, marketers, publishing assistants et al. Such as photographers, illustrators, layout people and manuscript formatters. Also, we do book sales websites. In addition to this, we will do several related promotions and marketing for sales as needed.

5) Who gets the copyrights?

As outlined in this Ghostwriter FAQ: this is entirely up to you! Our clients sometimes choose to share copyrights with a ghostwriter. This is generally NOT in lieu of pay. It usually accompanies an upfront payment plan. It’s often only done so that you can feature the name of a bestselling ghostwriter on your book cover. Or you can keep all the copyrights for yourself. This is put into a binding legal contract with your ghostwriter. All such matters are spelled out completely within any document you sign through GWI.

What are the various kinds of ghostwriting and editing services?

6) What types of ghost writers exist?

Mainly, you’re hiring a professional book ghostwriter or a professional book editor. They are often a freelance professional writer. A ghost will help you create your finished work. The beginnings of which may range from a brief outline with a handful of notes. To a nearly completed manuscript, musical score, business document or screenplay. A copy editor will edit for grammar and syntax, fact checking, line editing. Furthermore, there is also content editing, rewriting and full-scale developmental editing. There are different price ranges for less thorough editing, such as line editing, up to more thorough developmental editing.

GHOSTWRITER FAQ: No more “on spec” or percentage pay, only upfront payments.

7) What are the costs of ghostwriting?

Times have changed since we first published this Ghostwriter FAQ, regarding ghostwriting service rates. In any case, our pricing can vary widely. Costs have gone up for 2021 and 2022, so we have to charge more. However, the ghostwriter rates for your projects depend mainly on your ghost’s related experience.

Student ghosts and book editors, developers or book coaches often cost a great deal less. Maybe half of what our experienced ghosts cost. Amazon and NYT best seller level ghosts tend to cost a lot more. Our prices for ghostwriting may ballpark range from $5-7.5K in US dollars for an experienced ghost. This is for shorter ebooks; very short ebooks can be as low as $750 USD. Prices to 10-30K to ghostwrite a 100-300 page book manuscript (at 250-275 words per page). And also pricing of $35-150K for a book by a best selling ghostwriter.

Developmental editing by a NYT bestseller ghost can run $35,000 USD. These ghosts hardly ever work for anything but upfront payment. Made during course of completion of the project, each time.

In other words, you’re committing to work that, as of this Ghostwriter FAQ, is hopefully going to sell. Or be loved and cherished by your family and friends. However, our ghostwriting service rates are $50K-300K to ghostwrite a celebrity, timely news story or “top dollar” project. They are also higher for more labor. Such as books needing color photos and illustrations, tables, special layouts, indexing, back covers and cover art, etc.

Ghost Writer, Inc. is your personalized ghostwriting services agency!

We negotiate with you our ghostwriter rates for 2021 / 2022 . And it’s all according to your budgetary needs. You should pay us whatever you have set aside for your project. But don’t strap yourself, or you’ll be unable to complete the process. And you won’t get your work finished that way! Try hard to pay us what we’re worth. It’s the only way for everyone to be totally fulfilled. As of this 2021 / 2022 Ghostwriter FAQ and our ongoing work, GWI remains as an affordable ghostwriting agency.

Research ghostwriting service prices elsewhere. You will find we are fair, honest and more affordable than everyone else. Other than outright amateurs or student untrained ghosts. Also, our pricing runs lower than the other legitimate, professional ghostwriting agencies. Why? We are always trying harder to serve your needs and budgets. GWI will attempt to assist you in making money from your completed project, too.

GHOSTWRITER FAQ: What about plagiarism and copyrights?

8) What is plagiarism?

You can’t publish someone else’s copyrighted work (howsoever published) without their written permission. According to this Ghostwriter FAQ, you can’t use anyone other than your ghostwriter’s original work. And also yours, of course. Unless you’re utilizing public domain work. Brief excerpts of writing and contextual quotes may be used without the author’s permission. However, in these cases it’s best to get the original source’s written permission first.

Google the phrase public domain and the name of a work or author. You might be tempted to use long passages of other authors’ works. Not good nor legal. But you can always use your own original ideas and materials. We highly encourage that!

Also, we can extract significant passages of long works. And strip them of their copyrights by rewriting! This works by using several other resources and the original (cited) writings as background info. This method works 99% of the time. Not always! It’s best to use your own original ideas and writing. And that of your ghost’s.

Your GWI ghost or editor will sign over all copyrights for all original writing. In addition to whether you or your friendly neighborhood ghost actually creates ANY of the material! So, no worries. You keep all the copyrights. While you pay your GWI team people in advance, during course of completion.

9) How long does it take to ghost write a book or screenplay?

This varies widely. It can range from half a month to over a year to ghostwrite a 35-500 page manuscript. An average time is three to six months. A screenplay can be about as long. But those usually take less than one year. Time varies, talk to your ghostwriter! We can set a project up in advance, if you don’t mind waiting for a popular, busy freelance ghost or editor.

You sign and keep a GWI ghost in place by paying a retainer fee. In order to get in line – and be helped. Talk to us NOW! GWI has currently available ghosts, though. According to our Ghostwriter FAQ, our ghosts really range from taking two weeks to two years. Depends on the project.

10) How do I pay GWI’s ghost writers and copy editors?

We seldom accept “on spec” or percentage payments. Only when the work is highly likely to sell widely. Or in some cases, a client makes a substantial upfront payment in addition to a net percentage from sales payment. We call this a “combo” payment. However, GWI mainly only accepts payment in advance during course of completion. Also, we won’t release the completed copy of work without you finishing all your payments. But this doesn’t include on spec or net percentages.

The way in is sometimes a long and difficult road. GWI can make things easier for you! However, we will need your assistance throughout the entire process.

11) Do you sign a contract?

We have you sign a binding legal contract directly with any GWI worker with which you are contracting for any services rendered; we will also sign any non-disclosure agreements to keep your information confidential, and any other documents needed to facilitate your work progress.

12) What about getting published, optioned or produced?

GWI offers several services for modest pricing scaled to fit your budget. Involving marketing, promotions and sales of your finished work. We can also arrange self or commercial publication services. And GWI will assist you in getting your script or screenplay optioned or produced. These are all paid services. Professional freelance ghostwriters DO NOT work without payment. Sometimes we will arrange on spec, partnership or net percentage fees. But this is rare nowadays. If you absolutely don’t have any upfront payment money for this, DO NOT come to Ghost Writer, Inc.!

End of Frequently Asked Questions 2021 and 2022 Ghostwriter FAQ