If you’ve ever stared at a client message like “What’s your rate?” and suddenly forgotten how numbers work, welcome. This is for you. Pricing ghostwriting services is rarely straightforward because ghostwriting is not a visible service.
You are paid to disappear. Your work carries the client’s name, voice, reputation, and sometimes their business future, while yours stays in the background. That invisible labour is exactly why many ghostwriters underprice themselves early on. This guide is designed to change that.
Rather than giving you abstract figures or vague “industry ranges,” this article walks you through how to price ghostwriting services strategically, with clarity, confidence, and structure. It explains pricing models, payment terms, client psychology, and the tools you need to receive payments smoothly as a professional ghostwriter, whether you work locally or internationally. It also contains a ready-to-use Pricing Template you can copy.
Now, let’s get into the tea!
Why Ghostwriting Should Never Be Priced Like Regular Writing
Ghostwriting is fundamentally different from content writing, copywriting, or journalism. When a client hires a ghostwriter, they are not just buying words. They are buying interpretation, discretion, strategic thinking, and emotional intelligence.
A ghostwriter absorbs raw thoughts, disorganised voice notes, half-formed ideas, and conflicting feedback, then turns them into a coherent narrative that sounds as though it came naturally from the client. That process involves research, synthesis, tone matching, psychological insight, and editorial restraint. It also often involves legal and reputational risk, especially where NDAs and sensitive information are involved.
Because of this, pricing ghostwriting services purely “per word” without context almost always leads to undercharging. Words are only the output. The value lies in the thinking that makes those words usable.
The Three Forces that Should Shape Your Pricing
Before choosing a pricing model, every ghostwriter needs to understand what actually drives the cost of a project. There are three core forces at play.
1. The first is scope.
A 1,500-word article written from a clear brief is not the same as a 1,500-word article built from scattered voice notes and three rounds of interviews. Scope includes the amount of research required, the clarity of the client’s ideas, and how much structural work you must do before writing even begins.
2. The second force is risk.
Ghostwriting carries reputational, legal, and emotional risk. If the client’s name is on the work, the standard is higher. If confidentiality is required, the risk increases. If the content is tied to business outcomes like fundraising, thought leadership, book launches, the pressure rises accordingly. Risk should always be priced in.
3. The third force is opportunity cost.
A ghostwriting project that occupies your time for four weeks prevents you from taking other work. Pricing must reflect not just effort, but what you are choosing to forgo.
The Most Effective Pricing Models for Ghostwriters
1. Per-word pricing: when simplicity matters
Per-word pricing is one of the most common entry points for ghostwriters, particularly for articles, blog posts, and web content. Clients understand it easily, which makes approvals faster. However, it can also create the false impression that writing is a mechanical process where length equals value.
Per-word pricing works best when the brief is clear, revisions are limited, and the content does not require extensive discovery or voice development.
If you use this model, it is important to define a word range, not an exact count, and to specify what is included in the rate, such as research, formatting, and revisions.
Professional ghostwriting discussions often cite wide per-word ranges depending on experience, niche, and complexity. The key is not the exact number, but whether your rate reflects the intellectual and emotional labour involved.
2. Hourly pricing: protection for uncertain scope
Hourly pricing is useful when a project’s scope is unclear at the start. This is common for manuscript rewrites, developmental editing disguised as ghostwriting, or clients who are still “finding their voice.”
The danger with hourly pricing is client anxiety. Most clients fear open-ended costs. To counter this, experienced ghostwriters use hourly caps. By stating a maximum number of hours for a phase of work, you protect both yourself and the client.
Hourly pricing should never be apologetic. It is a professional safeguard, not a sign of inexperience.
3. Project-based pricing: the gold standard for serious ghostwriters
Project pricing is where most experienced ghostwriters eventually settle. Instead of selling time or word count, you sell a defined outcome, a completed article, a speech, a book chapter, or an entire manuscript.
This model rewards efficiency and expertise. If you know how to structure a project well, you can work faster without reducing your income. Clients also prefer project pricing for high-value work because it gives them cost certainty.
The key to successful project pricing is clarity. Every deliverable, revision limit, timeline, and assumption must be stated upfront. Ambiguity is the enemy of project-based pricing.
4. Retainers: pricing consistency, not pages
Retainers are often misunderstood by new ghostwriters. A retainer is not a discount. It is a commitment on both sides.
When a client pays a monthly retainer, they are paying for availability, continuity, and institutional knowledge. You become part of their thinking process, not just their writing pipeline. This makes retainers ideal for founders, executives, and brands producing ongoing thought leadership.
Retainers shift your positioning from “writer for hire” to “strategic writing partner.” They also stabilise income, which is essential for long-term sustainability.
Realistic Pricing Ranges for Common Ghostwriting Projects
To give you figures you can actually rely on, here are pricing ranges pulled from two established industry reference points: the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) rate chart (which includes a ghostwriting section with per-word and hourly ranges across project types) and Reedsy’s published marketplace data on book ghostwriting costs.
1. Short-form ghostwriting (blog posts, essays, articles)
If you ghostwrite articles or blog posts, it’s common to price either per word or per project. The EFA’s ghostwriting ranges for blog posts sit around $0.20–$0.245 per word, and for articles/essays around $0.20–$0.24 per word, with typical hourly ranges also shown roughly in the $60–$100/hr band depending on type.
That means a well-researched, voice-matched post of 1,500 words can reasonably land anywhere from about $300 to $368 on a strict per-word basis, before you factor in complexity (technical niche), stakeholder feedback, or rush delivery. The moment a piece requires interviews, heavy editing from voice notes, or multiple rounds of changes, project pricing often becomes the cleaner option, because the real workload stops being “the words” and becomes “the process.”
2. Business, brand, and marketing ghostwriting (higher stakes = higher range)
When a client is paying you to sound persuasive (brand story, founder narrative, positioning piece, marketing content), the pricing tends to jump because the cost of getting it wrong is higher. The chart lists business/marketing ghostwriting in a much wider range, roughly $0.275 per word up to $1.00 per word, and hourly ranges around $75–$100/hr.
This isn’t “because marketing is fancy.” It’s because marketing ghostwriting often includes messaging strategy, brand alignment, conversion logic, and tighter review cycles. In plain terms: you’re being paid not just to write, but to help the client sound bankable.
3. Long-form book ghostwriting ranges (memoirs, nonfiction books, fiction)
For books, the pricing conversation changes because the deliverable is bigger, the timeline is longer, and the management load is heavier. This is often quoted as ranging from $0.10 to $2.00 per word, $35 to $140 per hour, or $1,500 to $42,000+ per project (depending on length, genre, and writer experience). Oftentimes fiction and non-fiction are also priced differently. Complete nonfiction books/novels commonly span $3,500 to $42,000.
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Memoir ghostwriting: about $0.167–$0.20 per word (with hourly ranges roughly $75–$100/hr)
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Nonfiction, full-length: about $0.20–$0.27 per word (hourly roughly $75–$110/hr)
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Fiction, full-length: about $0.09–$0.115 per word (hourly roughly $55–$110/hr)
Here’s how to interpret that without getting overwhelmed: the more the book depends on the writer’s brain, the more the range rises. A memoir that requires deep interviews and emotional shaping will typically price differently from a straightforward nonfiction book built from a detailed outline. The same word count can still be two completely different workloads.
Quick mentor note on using these ranges properly:
Don’t use pricing ranges to “find the cheapest acceptable number.” Use them to anchor your professionalism. When you give a quote, you’re not only selling writing; you’re selling the confidence that you have done this before and you understand what the work requires.
A simple way to apply these ranges is to start with a baseline (per-word or hourly), then adjust upward for the factors clients always forget to price: research load, calls/interviews, number of stakeholders, NDA restrictions, and deadline speed. That’s how experienced ghostwriters land on fees that feel calm, not anxious.
How to Structure Payment Terms that Protect You
Ghostwriting requires trust, but trust does not replace structure. Clear payment terms are a professional necessity.
Most experienced ghostwriters require an upfront deposit before work begins. This is not negotiable in serious practice. Deposits protect your time and signal commitment from the client.
For larger projects, milestone payments work best. They align payment with progress and reduce financial risk on both sides. Retainers, on the other hand, are typically paid in full at the start of each month.
It is also important to define what constitutes a revision. A revision is a refinement of existing material, not a change in direction. When this distinction is not made, revision cycles can quietly turn into unpaid rewrites.
NDAs and confidentiality: why they affect pricing
Non-disclosure agreements are common in ghostwriting, especially for books, executives, and high-profile clients. While NDAs are normal, they do carry implications for pricing.
When you cannot publicly reference or portfolio your work, you lose a form of long-term value. This should be reflected in your pricing, particularly for high-effort projects. Many professional ghostwriters quietly apply a confidentiality premium for NDA-heavy work.
If you publish educational content on Ensuite 9, for instance, about NDAs, contracts, and legal protection for writers, linking to it during client onboarding strengthens your authority and reassures clients that your processes are intentional, not defensive.
Getting Paid Smoothly: Choosing the Right Payment Tools
Pricing means nothing if getting paid is stressful. Ghostwriters often work across borders, which makes payment tools an essential part of the pricing conversation.
PayPal remains one of the most widely recognised platforms, especially for international clients. Its familiarity reduces friction, but fees and exchange rates can be higher, particularly for cross-border payments. It works best when convenience matters more than cost efficiency.
Payoneer is popular with global clients and businesses that prefer structured payment requests. It allows ghostwriters to invoice clients formally and receive payments in multiple currencies, making it suitable for B2B relationships.
Wise is often favoured for its transparent exchange rates. For ghostwriters working internationally, Wise can significantly reduce hidden losses caused by currency conversion. Clients appreciate its clarity, especially on larger invoices.
Flutterwave is particularly useful for African clients and businesses. It allows you to create payment links and accept card payments locally and internationally, which simplifies checkout for clients unfamiliar with global platforms.
Moniepoint works well for Nigerian clients who prefer direct bank transfers. It provides clean transaction records and is useful for local invoicing and accounting.
Regardless of the platform you choose, it is wise to state clearly in your proposal that processing fees are borne by the client, or that invoices reflect the net amount you are meant to receive.
Pricing Template (Ready To Use)
When you’re talking about numbers, structure matters as much as the figures themselves. A clear pricing template helps clients understand exactly what they are paying for, and it makes you look calm, organised, and professional.
A strong pricing template should start with a project title and a description of what is included, written in complete sentences rather than lists wherever possible. For example:
Project: Senior Founder Thought-Leadership Article (1,500–2,000 words).
For this project, I will conduct a 60-minute discovery call to align on voice and goals, perform research based on the agreed topic, draft the full article in your tone, and deliver it in an SEO-friendly format. Two rounds of revisions are included to refine style and substance, with additional revisions billed at my hourly rate.
Next comes the timeline description, written as a complete sentence:
Timeline: This project begins upon receipt of the upfront payment and will be delivered within 7–10 working days, subject to timely feedback at each stage.
Then you describe the fee using natural language:
Fee: The total project fee for the 1,500–2,000 word article, inclusive of all deliverables and two revision rounds, is set at $___ USD (or the equivalent in your preferred currency).
Now address payment terms clearly:
Payment Terms: A deposit of 50% of the total fee is due before work begins, with the balance of 50% due upon final delivery. Any additional revisions beyond the included two rounds will be billed at my standard hourly rate of $___ USD per hour. All fees are exclusive of applicable processing costs, whihow tohow to price ghostwriting services prior to commencement.
Putting that all together in paragraph form makes your pricing feel like a conversation, not a price sheet. It also reduces the guesswork for clients.
Price like a practitioner, not a hopeful freelancer
If you take one thing from this guide, let it be this: pricing is part of your craft. It evolves with experience, confidence, and clarity.
You do not need to justify your prices emotionally. You need to explain them structurally. When clients understand what they are paying for, resistance drops, and respect increases.
Ghostwriting is invisible work, but your pricing should never be.
