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Ghostwriting Resource Center

The Ghostwriting Hub

Everything about hiring, working with and understanding a ghostwriter, organized like a book. I’ve ghostwritten 54+ books for clients and authored 113+ of my own. Pick a chapter below, or start at the beginning.

No pitch. No pressure.

TL;DR: This hub covers hiring, working with and understanding a ghostwriter, organized like a book. It runs from what ghostwriting is and whether it’s right for you through planning, cost, contracts, the process, AI, memoir, business books and fiction, what goes wrong, and what happens after the manuscript. It closes with my own ghostwriting story, client case studies, and local and remote ghostwriting.

This hub is laid out in chapters, from what ghostwriting is to how a project runs, what it costs, what can go wrong and what happens after the book is written. Every article answers a real question clients ask me. When you’re ready to talk about your own book, see my ghostwriting services or start smaller with the Book Discovery Intensive.

The 17 chapters grouped by stage
Stage Chapters What they cover
Deciding 1, 2 What ghostwriting is and whether a ghostwriter is right for you
Planning 3, 4 Topic, timing and purpose; ethics, credit and what people will think
Hiring 5, 6, 7 Pricing, finding and hiring a ghostwriter, contracts and rights
Writing 8, 9 How the process works and where AI fits
Book types 10, 11, 12 Memoir; business, executive and expert books; fiction and other forms
Problems 13 When ghostwriting goes wrong
After the manuscript 14 Publishing, promotion and results
Richard Lowe’s experience 15, 16, 17 His ghostwriting story, case studies, local and remote work

1. What ghostwriting is

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2. Is a ghostwriter right for you?

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3. Planning your book: topic, timing and purpose

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4. Ghostwriting ethics, credit and what people will think

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5. Ghostwriting cost and pricing

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6. Finding and hiring a ghostwriter

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7. Ghostwriting contracts, rights and money

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8. How the ghostwriting process works

How long a ghostwritten book takesFour steps in the timeline of a ghostwritten book of 30,000 to 70,000 words. The contract sets the timeline before work begins, active writing runs four to eight months, revisions take about a month, and professional editing follows.How long a ghostwritten book takes1ContractThe timeline is set in thecontract before workbegins.2Active workFour to eight months for30,000 to 70,000 words.3RevisionsAbout a month.4Professional editingFollows the revisions.
How long a ghostwritten book takesFour steps in the timeline of a ghostwritten book of 30,000 to 70,000 words. The contract sets the timeline before work begins, active writing runs four to eight months, revisions take about a month, and professional editing follows.How long a ghostwritten book takes1ContractThe timeline is set in the contract before workbegins.2Active workFour to eight months for 30,000 to 70,000words.3RevisionsAbout a month.4Professional editingFollows the revisions.

Timelines vary with length and complexity and are fixed in the contract.

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9. AI and ghostwriting

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10. Memoir ghostwriting and personal stories

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11. Ghostwriting business, executive and expert books

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12. Ghostwriting fiction, genres and other forms

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13. When ghostwriting goes wrong

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14. After the ghostwritten manuscript: publishing, promotion and results

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15. Richard Lowe's ghostwriting story

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16. Ghostwriting case studies

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17. Local and remote ghostwriting

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is ghostwriting?
Ghostwriting is hiring a professional writer to create a book or other written work that’s credited to you. You provide the ideas, stories, and expertise, and the ghostwriter does the writing. Your name goes on the cover, theirs doesn’t.
How much does it cost to hire a ghostwriter?
Professional book ghostwriting is priced by the ghostwriter's experience and the project's length and complexity. My current rate is on my ghostwriting services page, and AI-assisted books cost less. Budget ghostwriters charge less, with significant quality risk.
Is ghostwriting legal and ethical?
Ghostwriting is legal. There’s no law against paying a writer to create work published under your name, and it’s a standard, long-established practice. It’s ethical when both parties agree to the arrangement and the work is original.
How long does it take to ghostwrite a book?
A book of 30,000 to 70,000 words takes four to eight months of active work, plus a month for revisions, followed by professional editing. Timelines vary with length and complexity and are established in the contract before work begins.
Do ghostwriters get credit or royalties?
Ghostwriters typically don’t receive a byline, and the client is credited as the author. Payment is a fee for the writing, not royalties. Richard Lowe doesn’t accept royalty-only arrangements, and the terms are set in the contract.
What kinds of books can a ghostwriter write?
Ghostwriters write business books, memoirs, self-help, fiction, and more. Memoir is its own discipline within ghostwriting, focused on capturing a person's life story through structured interviews.

Ready to start your book?

If you have a book in you, the next step is a conversation. I’ll tell you plainly whether ghostwriting is the right path for your project and what the process looks like. If you’d like to see the work first, the Book Discovery Intensive ends with a sample chapter in your voice.

No pitch. No pressure.

Categories and tags
CategoriesGhostwriting
TagsResearchWriting Craft
About the Author
Richard Lowe, professional ghostwriter

Richard Lowe is a professional ghostwriter and author with 113+ books authored and 54+ ghostwritten. Before writing full time he spent 33 years in enterprise technology, including 20 years as Director of Computer Operations and Technical Services at Trader Joe's. He writes nonfiction, fiction and memoir, and works with executives and experts on books that build authority.

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Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are solely those of Richard Lowe and are based on personal experience and research. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional legal, financial, accounting, or business advice. Always consult with qualified professionals before making important business or legal decisions. Richard Lowe is not a lawyer, accountant, or licensed professional advisor, and this content does not establish any professional relationship.

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