How Much Does a Ghostwriter Cost?

As a continuation of my fascination in pricing methods, I found it interesting to learn the different approaches to pricing used by ghostwriters. Their charges can be by:

• hour
• word
• page
• project
• percentage of profits
• combination of the above

Depending on the experience of the ghostwriter experience and the complexity of the project, the charges can range as follows:

• £0.33 – £2 per word
• £2.60 – £26 per page
• £33 – £100 per hour
• £6,500 to £13,000, for a 100 to 200 page book
• £13,000 to £33,000, for a 200 to 300 page book
• £33,000 to £165,000 for celebrity ghostwriters
• £350,000 for celebrity ghostwriters working with celebrity authors

That’ll be £100 for this post then. I think I’ll keep writing for myself for now.

A ghostwriter is a writer who authors books, manuscripts, screenplays, scripts, articles, blog posts, stories, reports, whitepapers, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written material. A common form of literature ghostwriters are hired for is a celebrity’s memoirs. In music, ghostwriters are often used for writing songs and lyrics. Screenplay authors can also use ghostwriters to either edit or rewrite their scripts to improve them.

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Kevin Harrington

I’m a UK-based B2B marketing consultant, specialising in strategic advice for SME business owners. I bring extensive hands-on expertise to every client engagement. Senior leadership roles across technology, media, payments, and publishing have shaped my practical approach. Highlights include serving as Chief Marketing Officer at The Panoply plc (now TPXimpact), Chief Commercial Officer at Tungsten Network, and Global Marketing Director at BBC Worldwide. Over the years, I’ve guided numerous SMEs through transformation and value creation. Helping businesses evolve and thrive is a genuine passion. Practical marketing insights and succession planning strategies are at the heart of what I do, as I believe growing a business’s asset value should be a rewarding and positive journey for every entrepreneur.

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