Ghostwriter vs editor: one writes your book, the other improves a finished draft. See the four editing levels, costs and which you need.
Ghostwriter vs. Editor: Which Do You Need?
A ghostwriter writes your book from your ideas. An editor improves a manuscript that already exists. If you have not written it yet, you need a ghostwriter; if you have a full draft, you need an editor; many authors need both, in that order.
The short answer
The two jobs sit at different points in a book's life. A ghostwriter creates the manuscript. An editor reshapes and polishes it. Neither replaces the other.
A simple test: do you have a complete draft you are happy with as a starting point? If yes, hire an editor. If you have notes, recordings, an outline or only an idea, hire a ghostwriter. Self-publishing platform help pages give the same rule of thumb: editors work on text the author has written, while ghostwriters produce the text from the author's ideas or interviews.
A ghostwritten draft still benefits from editing. Writer and editor are different people with different eyes, and a fresh reader catches what the drafter cannot.
What does a ghostwriter do?
A ghostwriter writes the book you will publish under your name. The work usually starts with a conversation about your topic, your reader and the voice you want. The writer then studies how you speak and think, and drafts chapters that sound like you.
Typical inputs include:
- A recorded interview or a series of calls
- A questionnaire about your voice and story
- Notes, talks, blog posts, slide decks or older drafts
- An outline, even a rough one
You are the author on the cover. With us, writers work under pen names, confidentiality is standard, and a signed agreement settles who owns what before work begins.
Read more about how this works on our eBook ghostwriting page.
What does an editor do?
An editor works on words that already exist. A good editor keeps your voice and your ideas and makes them clearer, tighter and free of errors. Editors do not create the core content of your book. They suggest, mark and fix; the author (or ghostwriter) makes the structural rewrites.
An editor is also the person who sees the manuscript fresh. That outside view is the main value: it tells you where a reader gets lost, bored or confused.
What are the four editing levels?
"Editing" is not one task. Most professional sources split it into four levels, in the order they normally happen. Not every manuscript needs all four, and where you start depends on the state of your draft.
| Level | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 1. Developmental edit | Big-picture feedback on structure, argument or plot, pacing and what is missing. Usually an editorial letter plus notes in the manuscript. It is the first and most substantial stage. |
| 2. Line edit | Sentence-level work on style, voice, clarity, rhythm and flow. Done after the structure is settled. |
| 3. Copy edit | Grammar, punctuation, spelling, consistency of names, terms and facts, and a style sheet. Done once the prose is in good shape. |
| 4. Proofread | The last pass for typos, spacing and layout problems. Ideally done on the formatted file, just before publishing. |
Reedsy treats line editing as a close relative of copy editing, focused more on style, and groups the two together. Other sources, such as Editor World, list them as separate steps. Both views agree on the order: big picture first, polish last.
The order matters. Fixing commas in a chapter you will later cut is wasted money. Proofreading before layout can miss errors that appear in the formatted file.
Which one do you need?
Match your situation to the job.
| Your situation | What to hire |
|---|---|
| You have an idea, expertise or recordings but no manuscript | A ghostwriter |
| You have a rough draft and do not know if it works | A developmental editor |
| Your structure works but the writing feels uneven | A line editor |
| The draft reads well but you want it error-free | A copy editor, then a proofreader |
| The book is formatted and ready to publish | A proofreader |
| You want a finished book without doing the writing | A ghostwriter plus editing |
Two warnings. First, do not ask a ghostwriter to "just edit" a book that needs to be rewritten from scratch. That is a ghostwriting job and should be scoped and priced as one. Second, do not ask an editor to rewrite your book. Editors improve what is there. If large parts are missing, you need a writer.
What does each cost?
Prices vary widely, so use these as context, not quotes. All figures below come from Reedsy articles. Reedsy updated its cost guide on 2 June 2026.
Ghostwriting. Reedsy reports an overall range of $0.10 to $3 a word, or $1,000 to $100,000 a project, depending on genre and writer. Examples from the same article: business and management books run $30,000 to $48,000 a project; biographies and memoirs $18,000 to $50,000; middle grade $3,500 to $10,000; picture books $1,500 to $5,000. Reedsy's article gives no average for a short ebook. Separately, Reedsy's marketplace page reports an average of $450 per 1,000 words across 2,006 collaborations in 2025.
Editing. Reedsy's editing cost guide, updated in February 2026, gives these per-word ranges:
- Developmental editing: $0.026 to $0.053
- Copy editing: $0.020 to $0.032
- Proofreading: $0.014 to $0.021
Reedsy lists no separate line-editing price. For an 80,000-word book across all genres, it reports quotes totaling roughly $1,920 to $4,560 for editing.
Two takeaways. Editing is usually a smaller line item than writing a book. And the earlier the edit, the higher the per-word rate, because it does more work. For ghostwriting costs in detail, see our ghostwriting cost guide.
How do our packages combine writing and editing?
We price whole projects, not per word, so you do not need to buy these services one by one. Here is how editing fits in each package.
Basic, from $2,850: ghostwriting only. A dedicated genre-matched writer, a first-chapter voice sample you approve before the full book, chapter-by-chapter delivery with your approval at each stage, and two revision rounds. You get the final manuscript in Word and PDF. Editing, formatting, cover design and publishing are not included. Usually 6 to 8 weeks.
Professional, from $3,950: writing plus the full editing path. Everything in Basic, plus a developmental edit, a line edit and a professional proofread, Kindle and EPUB formatting with a clickable contents, and a named project manager with weekly updates. Cover design and publishing are not included. Usually 8 to 10 weeks.
Premium, from $5,500: everything in Professional, plus launch. Cover design (three concepts, two revision rounds), print-interior formatting where needed, upload to Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Google Play and Kobo, metadata optimization, and ISBN advice and assistance. Usually 10 to 12 weeks.
If you already have a draft and only need editing, we also offer developmental, line, copy and proofreading as services. See editing and proofreading for details, or contact us for a fixed quote.
Every package works under a signed work-for-hire agreement that gives you 100% of the copyright, royalties and credit. Compare all tiers on our pricing page.
How do you decide, step by step?
- Check your starting point. Do you have a full draft, partial notes or just an idea?
- Decide what you want to end up with. A manuscript only, a formatted ebook, or a book live on the stores.
- Set a budget range using the figures above.
- Book a free consultation. Describe your topic, reader and timeline.
- Get a fixed quote in writing before you pay anything.
Our how it works page explains the 5-step process, and our guarantees page lists the terms in plain English. If timing is your concern, read how long it takes to write an ebook.
Frequently asked questions
Is a ghostwriter the same as an editor?
No. A ghostwriter writes new text for you from your ideas, notes or interviews. An editor works on text that already exists and makes it clearer, more consistent and error-free. Some projects use both: the ghostwriter drafts, then an editor reviews the draft with fresh eyes before it is published.
Can an editor ghostwrite my book?
Not as part of an editing job. Editors improve a manuscript; they do not normally create its core content. If your draft is thin or missing large sections, the missing writing is ghostwriting work. Ask for it to be scoped that way, so the price and timeline reflect the real effort.
Does a ghostwritten book still need editing?
Usually yes. A ghostwritten manuscript is still a draft, and a separate editor gives the book an outside read and catches issues the writer is too close to see. Our Professional and Premium packages include a developmental edit, line edit and professional proofread for this reason.
Which type of edit should I buy first?
Start at the top. If you are unsure whether the structure works, begin with a developmental edit. If structure is solid, move to a line edit, then copy edit, then proofreading. Skipping ahead can mean paying twice, since later passes polish text that earlier passes may change.
Do I get credit if I use a ghostwriter?
With us, you do. Under the signed work-for-hire agreement you get 100% of the copyright, royalties and credit, and your name goes on the cover. Writers work under pen names for confidentiality. This is general information, not legal advice; see our rights and copyright page and ask a lawyer about a specific contract.
Where the facts come from
- Self Publishing: what's the difference between an editor and a ghostwriter
- Professional Ghost: ghostwriter vs. editor
- Ghostwriting Founder: ghostwriter and editor, what's the difference
- Reedsy: types of editing
- Editor World: developmental editing vs copy editing vs proofreading
- Reedsy: editing cost
- Reedsy: cost to hire a ghostwriter
- Reedsy: book ghostwriter marketplace
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