Ghostwriter rates
Freelance ghostwriters charged 33 to 50 cents a word for full-length nonfiction in the EFA's 2026 survey, and 50 cents to $1.00 for memoir and business books. For a 50,000-word book that is about $16,500 to $50,000 before editing, design or publishing. This page covers what drives that range; it does not try to tell you whether to hire one.
What the published data says
Two sources publish ghostwriting rates from real transactions or surveys. They measure different things, so read them together.
| Source | Category | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| EFA 2026 Rate Chart (median ranges, 2025 rates) | Nonfiction, full-length | 33 to 50 cents a word; $85 to $100 an hour |
| Memoir | 50 cents to $1.00 a word; $80 to $100 an hour | |
| Business/marketing | 50 cents to $1.00 a word; $87.50 to $125 an hour | |
| Reedsy (2,006 offers, 2025) | Book ghostwriting | Average $450 per 1,000 words |
| Reedsy ("Reedsy data from 2026") | Biographies and memoirs | $18,000 to $50,000; average $0.51 a word |
| Business and management | $30,000 to $48,000; average $0.73 a word | |
| Self-help | $24,000 to $42,000; average $0.69 a word |
Checked October 20, 2026.
Reedsy also gives the full spread across its marketplace: $0.10 to $3 a word, $35 to $200 or more an hour, or $1,000 to $100,000 a project. The ranges above are the middle of a very wide market. Both sources caution that rates vary with experience; the EFA adds turnaround, expertise and cost of living, and says it does not set rates.
What that means at your length
| Words | Nonfiction (EFA 33 to 50 cents) | Memoir or business (EFA 50 cents to $1) | Reedsy 2025 average (45 cents) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40,000 | $13,200 to $20,000 | $20,000 to $40,000 | $18,000 |
| 50,000 | $16,500 to $25,000 | $25,000 to $50,000 | $22,500 |
| 60,000 | $19,800 to $30,000 | $30,000 to $60,000 | $27,000 |
The calculator shows this figure for your word count and book type as a reference line, and does not add it to your total, because it is a different decision from the costs of publishing a manuscript you already have.
What moves a quote
Per-word rates are a way to compare, but ghostwriters price the work, not the words. These are the questions that move a quote, so have answers ready before you ask for one:
- The writer's track record. Experience is the first factor both the EFA and Reedsy name. Writers with published books in your category charge more.
- Where the material comes from. Interviews with you only, or also research, interviews with others, and reading your past talks, posts and transcripts? Each source adds hours.
- How much exists already. A detailed outline or a partial draft takes less time than starting from conversations.
- The schedule. The EFA lists turnaround among the factors that change rates. A tight deadline costs more.
- Revision rounds. How many full drafts and rounds of changes are included, and what extra rounds cost.
- Extras. A book proposal for agents (the EFA's 2026 median for a book proposal project is $6,005), a sample chapter before you commit, or help after the manuscript is delivered.
- Credit. Whether the writer is unnamed, thanked, or credited as co-author. Ask whether it changes the price.
What the fee usually leaves out
A freelance ghostwriter's fee normally ends with a finished manuscript. Everything that turns it into a book is still to pay: at least a copy edit and a proofread, a cover, layout, ISBNs and registration. Reedsy's ghostwriting guide puts a copy edit of a 75,000-word nonfiction book at just under $2,000 on average.
To compare a freelance writer with a company that does everything, add the two together. For a 50,000-word general nonfiction book, a ghostwriter at EFA rates ($16,500 to $25,000) plus the freelance publishing costs in the calculator's freelancer example ($6,290 to $9,340) comes to roughly $22,800 to $34,300. For a memoir or business book at 50 cents to $1 a word, it is roughly $31,300 to $59,300. Those totals still leave you managing each hire.
Full-service prices, for comparison
Scribe Media, which makes this site, sells ghostwriting with editing, design and publishing included. Its published prices (scribemedia.com/pricing, checked October 20, 2026):
| Package | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Scribe Professional | $4,667 a month for 12 months ($56,000) | Interview-based; an assigned professional writer; editing, design, publishing and distribution; up to 60,000 words |
| Scribe Elite | $9,000 a month for 15 months ($135,000) | A matched elite ghostwriter and a project manager; premium editing and design; up to 60,000 words |
| Guided Author | $2,933 a month for 15 months ($44,000) | You write with a dedicated coach; Scribe edits, designs and publishes; up to 50,000 words |
Set against the freelance totals above, full service costs more than hiring a freelance writer and freelance publishing help, and less than some high-end freelance memoir and business quotes. What you are paying for is one accountable team rather than a lower price. If you are comfortable managing a writer, an editor and a designer, the freelance route is the cheaper one.
How ghostwriters are paid
Reedsy notes that for full-scale projects most ghostwriters charge a flat fee, with hourly charges for extra work, and that clients "can expect to pay part of the fee upfront and the rest in installments." Milestones tied to delivered chapters or drafts protect both sides. Before you sign, make sure the contract says who owns the copyright in the finished work, which also decides how you register it.
Before you compare quotes
Ask every writer for the same things in writing: the total fee, what triggers each payment, the number of interviews and drafts included, the target word count, who owns the work, and what happens if either of you stops partway. Two quotes that differ by $10,000 often describe two different jobs. Lined up against the same list, they become comparable.
For ways to spread the cost, see how to pay for a book.
Common questions
How much does a ghostwriter charge per word?
The EFA's 2026 rate chart gives median ranges of 33 to 50 cents a word for full-length nonfiction, and 50 cents to $1.00 for memoir and business books. Reedsy reports an average of $450 per 1,000 words (45 cents) across 2,006 ghostwriting offers in 2025.
How much does it cost to ghostwrite a 50,000-word book?
At EFA rates, $16,500 to $25,000 for general nonfiction and $25,000 to $50,000 for memoir or business. Editing, design and publishing are usually extra.
Do ghostwriters charge by the word or a flat fee?
For a full book, usually a flat project fee. Reedsy notes ghostwriters rarely charge per word or per hour except for short books or partial work, and that clients typically pay part upfront and the rest in installments.
Does a ghostwriter's fee include editing and publishing?
Usually not. A freelance ghostwriter delivers a manuscript; you still pay for the copy edit, proofread, cover, layout and registration. Full-service companies bundle those, which is part of why their prices are higher.
Sources, checked October 20, 2026: Editorial Freelancers Association, 2026 Rate Chart (Writing: Ghostwriting rows; Publishing: Book Proposal); Reedsy Ghostwriting; Reedsy, How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Ghostwriter? (last updated June 2, 2026); scribemedia.com/pricing. Published by Scribe Media.