What ghostwriting really costs — with sources.
Most 'ghostwriting cost' articles are marketing wearing a calculator. This one cites its numbers: Reedsy's marketplace data (updated June 2026) and the Editorial Freelancers Association's 2026 survey of 1,100+ professionals. Here's the real map of the market — including where we sit in it and where the traps are.
The per-word reality
Professional ghostwriting spans roughly $0.10–$3.00 per word, $35–$200+ per hour, or $1,000–$100,000 per project (Reedsy, June 2026). Genre moves the number more than anything else:
| Business / management | ~$0.73/word · $30,000–$48,000 full-length (Reedsy); EFA median $0.50–$1.00/word |
|---|---|
| Memoir / biography | ~$0.51/word · $18,000–$50,000 (Reedsy); EFA median $0.50–$1.00/word |
| Medical / technical | EFA median $1.00–$1.50/word — the research premium at its steepest |
| Fantasy fiction | ~$0.15/word · $14,000–$18,000 (Reedsy) |
| Sci-fi fiction | ~$0.16/word · $10,000–$18,000 (Reedsy); EFA full-length fiction $0.25–$0.50/word |
Source data: Reedsy marketplace rates · EFA 2026 rate chart.
The benchmark that matters for eBooks
Apply those rates to a typical 30,000-word eBook and professional freelance ghostwriting benchmarks at roughly $7,500–$15,000 (conservatively — short works often price above the per-word floor). Hold that number; every price you see in this market should be judged against it.
The three market tiers
| Premium agencies ($25,000–$135,000+) | Scribe Media lists its Professional package at $48,000 and Elite Ghostwriting at $135,000+ on its own pricing page — positioned for CEOs and founders, and explicit that it isn't for budget buyers. |
|---|---|
| Professional freelance ($7,500–$50,000) | The Reedsy/EFA territory above: experienced individual ghostwriters at market rates. Excellent work, but you manage the writer, the editor, the designer and the publisher yourself. |
| Fixed-package services ($2,850–$5,500 — us) | One team, published prices, bundled editing/formatting/publishing. We sit deliberately below freelance benchmarks through specialisation — not by removing the human writer. Our full rate card. |
| The $299–$500 tier (caution) | A cluster of lookalike brands advertises whole books at under a cent per word — 25–50× below the EFA's lowest professional rates. Arithmetic says that buys AI output or near-unpaid labour; public complaint records for this segment (BBB, watchdog lists) say the rest. Details in our choosing-a-service guide. |
Where hidden costs hide
Wherever the advertised price isn't the real one: surprise upsells mid-project (a documented BBB complaint pattern), per-revision fees, 'publishing fees' added after writing, and rights-buyback clauses. The defence is boring and effective: a fixed written quote covering everything you need, revision rounds included, before any money moves. That's how our contracts work — and how anyone's should.
Asked and answered
How much does it cost to hire a ghostwriter for an eBook?
Professional ghostwriting spans roughly $0.10–$3.00 per word (Reedsy, June 2026). A 30,000-word eBook benchmarks around $7,500–$15,000 at freelance rates; fixed packages like ours run $2,850–$5,500; premium agencies charge $25,000–$135,000+.
Why is nonfiction more expensive than fiction?
Per Reedsy and EFA data, nonfiction commands roughly 3–5× fiction rates — business ~$0.73/word, memoir ~$0.51/word versus fantasy/sci-fi at ~$0.15–$0.16/word — because it adds research, interviews and fact-checking to the writing.
Is a $299 ghostwritten book legitimate?
Do the arithmetic: $299 for 30,000 words is under a cent per word — 25–50× below the lowest professional rates in EFA survey data. That price can only buy AI output, recycled content, or writers paid almost nothing — and it's the segment where documented complaints concentrate.
What affects the price of a ghostwriting project?
Length first, then genre (nonfiction premium), research and interview load, timeline pressure, and what's bundled — editing, formatting, cover and publishing each add professional labour that either you buy or you do.
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