Please note that all fees are inclusive of all work to be performed. All fees are paid for in increments over the life of the work. I do not work on speculation of future payments of any kind, nor do I participate in any “back end” payments, royalties, or other arrangements.

In many cases, the cost of ghostwriting or editing a book can be tax deductible. Check with your accountant or CPA.

Fees for Ghostwriting and Collaborative Editing

Just as no two stories are quite the same, every book project is different. Sometimes the author needs me to help conceive, write and develop the entire manuscript from scratch. Sometimes s/he’ll come to me with a complete first-draft manuscript, and ask me to edit, flesh out, rewrite, and/or restructure as needed. On other occasions, it’s somewhere in between, where the author has written part of the story, but has taken it as far as s/he can go and needs help with rewriting and developing the rest. Because the task at hand can vary, so does my fee.

Ghostwriting Memoirs and Other Nonfiction Projects

I charge $100/hour for ghostwriting and book consultation. Generally speaking, it can take between 300 hours to 500 hours to write a complete manuscript from scratch, depending on the subject matter, the length of the manuscript, the amount of research required (if any), and a few other variables. A typical book manuscript today is between 200-to-250 manuscript pages. I have, however, worked on projects that required a manuscript of several hundred pages.

My fee for this type of work usually involves preparing a marketing package for prospective agents or publishers. In a few cases, I have helped clients succeed in finding a literary agent. See Ghostwriting and Editing Services page for more information.

Writing and Developing Book Proposals Only

In the case of some nonfiction projects, the client will hire me to prepare a book proposal only, in lieu of a complete manuscript. A book proposal includes an overview of the project, a chapter-by-chapter outline, a marketing package, and one or two sample chapters. Depending on the subject matter, the time it will require to meet with/interview the client, the amount of research involved (if any), and the number of sample chapters, the fee for preparing a book proposal ranges from $10,000 to $15,000.

Editing or Book Doctoring Manuscripts

Generally speaking, my fee for editing a complete first-draft manuscript begins at $5,000, depending on the length of the manuscript, the amount of work required, turnaround time, and other variables. If the project requires additional work, such as book doctoring or developmental editing, the fee can range from $10,000 to $20,000, depending on length, task at hand, turnaround, etc.

Other Services

Smaller projects such as coaching, general consultation, manuscript evaluation, or proofreading can be done on a hourly basis. Contact me at writing@edrobertson.com for more information.