| You might think that selling yourself short is a sure way | | | | helping such would be authors actually obtain what |
| to not be a success in the ghost writing field. And your | | | | they are looking for in a cheap ghost writer who |
| eyes are probably dancing with the very large figures | | | | charges a reasonable price for the quality and quantity |
| of money that you've heard ghost writers pull down, in | | | | of work done for them. |
| yearly figures such as $60,000 to $100,000, or | | | | This works out to be less "greedy" on my part and |
| amounts such as $15,000 to $60,000 per each book | | | | more of a service that I provide for authors who are |
| you write. | | | | only dreaming of getting their books up high on the top |
| This is especially so if you're breaking into the field of | | | | of the New York Times Bestseller list, and who know |
| ghosting for the first time, and if you're a ghost writer | | | | that such are their dreams, not necessarily their |
| (or ghostwriter) who has never really ghosted a book | | | | realities. They are often people who have come to the |
| for someone else before. You're probably thinking big | | | | end of their ropes when it comes to negotiating a |
| bucks, major book contracts, large amounts of cash | | | | lower price for their books. They usually have |
| advances from publishers and huge percentages from | | | | nowhere else to turn when it comes to putting out their |
| the books you will be anonymously writing for big time | | | | own personal stories, and they need someone with a |
| authors. | | | | willing ear and pen to listen and help them set down |
| But let's face some facts. The first time writers, people | | | | their stories before it's too late for them to be told. |
| with no time to invest in writing a book, and who may | | | | Also, some of these people simply don't know what |
| have fantastic stories to tell don't always have the | | | | they're doing and need a guiding hand to help them, |
| enormous amount of financial capital available to hire | | | | They need their Letters of Query written up for them, |
| any such "cheap" ghost writers. They simply don't | | | | their Brief Biographies put together and their |
| have the money. They're bound to enter some | | | | advancement letters as well, as they are just dipping |
| psychological difficulties when they see that the | | | | their toes into the writing field and getting them wet for |
| payments to you are the whopper figures such as | | | | the very first time. |
| those listed above, and that those are the only sorts of | | | | People like that don't need to face down what looks |
| prices accessible to them. By laying out such | | | | like to them to be a million dollar price tag when they |
| enormous fees, you could be stuck losing a huge | | | | are looking for what's described as a cheap ghost |
| customer base of clients with fantastic stories to tell -- | | | | writer. They want an actual inexpensive ghost writer |
| but without the major wherewithal to pay you to tell | | | | who understands their needs, both budgetary and |
| them. What if, say, your potential author, the person | | | | otherwise, who can sit down with them and negotiate |
| hiring you to write his or her story, has only $5000 to | | | | a fairly low amount of money paid out by them so |
| spend? | | | | they can figure on at least getting some return from |
| I know what I'm talking about, and I can create a | | | | their books. These people are not Presidents of the |
| decent work of cheap ghost writing in a month for that | | | | United States or famous movie actors, whose books |
| amount of money. You do that, and there's your | | | | are guaranteed to sell, and many of them find |
| $60,000 per year! It really isn't all that hard. | | | | themselves "stuck" with what used to be called vanity |
| Most other ghost writers I know are as capable of | | | | publishing, nowadays called self publishing. They won't |
| doing so as I am, but some of them do charge the | | | | necessarily find a commercial publisher who wants to |
| higher amounts. The clients of the latter group tend to | | | | take a chance on huge returns from their books in |
| be people with enormous sales potential, not the typical | | | | today's multifaceted but still challenging world of |
| first time authors who have a great story but often | | | | publishing. |
| don't really go anywhere with it - the so called "sucker | | | | These clients need literally cheap or inexpensive ghost |
| market." | | | | writers. They don't need to spend a small fortune on |
| It might be worthwhile to consider charging less, or | | | | their books to find out they dead ended in a |
| negotiating a deal with such a "first timer." Over the | | | | warehouse, didn't sell as widely as they thought they |
| years, I have drawn the conclusion that there are an | | | | would, or otherwise came out on the short end of the |
| awful lot of such people out there. I have been ghost | | | | stick. |
| writing books for people for as low an amount as | | | | Help them. Consider bargaining and bartering at a |
| $2000 per book, and as I have other sources of | | | | lower price sometimes, and not at a higher price. It |
| income from other types of writing, I have been finding | | | | might be worth your while. Try it and see! |
| an immense amount of personal satisfaction from | | | | |