Hello everybody,

A psychiatrist is considering having me ghostwrite a few chapters of his book. He'd like to start by giving me one chapter or part of one chapter as a sort of "trial run."

I don't know what to charge for this kind of work. It's somewhat complex - he'll provide the research and I'll read through it and write a chapter that can be understood by the layperson.

Any idea on what I should charge?

From the Googling I've done, I get the impression that $50 to $150 per book page (300 to 400 words) is standard. I'd be inclined to charge on the mid to high end because the subject is a bit complicated.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Janet

Hi Janet,

Having just having posted a project myself, I can tell you how much. Put yourself in the other person's shoes. If you can give them exactly what they want at a reasonable price then they will say yes. The price depends on how valuable the service you provide is.

Josh

I posted this screendump from Warriors a few weeks ago...

Thanks guys. I always put myself in the client's shoes. And I know I'd provide great value - in fact, this is an area I'd be particularly good at.

Mr. S., the ebook fees strike me as terribly low. This would be for a hardcover book on a complex subject. If it were a quick article to get some traffic, that might be different, but this will be a long-term project if the trial works out, and so I'd need to charge a lot more than 10 cents a word, or I'd be working myself to death and still not able to pay the mortgage!

Hopefully, that is not the going rate for hardcover books.

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

Janet

Hi Janet,

I would go with the higher end of the scale--$150 per 300 words. If you charge anything less you are also suggesting your 'expertise'. At the same time you are
not getting any royalties from the sale so this will be getting your money upfront.

I wouldn't think "per page" but the VALUE of the service you are offering. I've
ghostwritten some ebooks (for an embarrassingly low fee) which made the author a whole bunch of cash and today he is a Net millionaire.

Don't be afraid to ask for your money!

Ghostwriting (as subtle indicated) is NOT the best use of a copywriter's time, but you have to start somewhere.

-Ray L.,

HHhhhmmmmmm. Let's do the math on this.

250 page book X $150 a page = $37,500.00

7,500 books sold (average for a good selling nonfiction book) X $30.00 retail price X 15% author royalties = $33,750.00

That's $3750.00 in the RED for the psychiatrist.

Please pass whatever you're smokin' 'cause it ain't gonna happen in the real world.


JanetB didn't say whether this guy has a publisher or if he's going the POD route. I'm assuming he has a publisher.

Actually, I'm not sure if he's got a publisher.

I'm not just starting out. This is what the guy needs and I can only do it if he can pay me a reasonable fee. I'm not going to quickly crank out some garbage. I'm going to write chapters that truly help the readers of the book.

For that, I do need to be paid a reasonable fee.

RayDal, that does sound more like what I would charge. It could be considerably less.

But I simply cannot afford to do it for $40 per page. Heck, I do need to be able to pay the bills!

From here, then, it's a matter of whether or not the client and I can afford each other.

Janet

Janet,

We've discussed this privately, so you know where I stand on this issue. You don't have to make a choice whether you want to be a copywriter or an article writer or a ghost writer or a..... Many of us do quite well mixing it up a bit.

Some people want to make their entire living copywriting; others just want to earn a sweet supplement. Nothing wrong with that.

I've never been paid $40 a page for an ebook. I wouldn't even consider it for that. You're bringing value to his business, regardless of whether you're crafting a sales letter or writing a book.

You're a professional. You deserve to be paid as one.

Thanks Deb!

In fact, this thread and some other recent threads have brought up an important question - is it okay to pay someone less than a living wage?

I understand that copywriters can command very large fees if they are able to bring a lot of money in. That's the nature of copywriting.

But on this board, many seem to go to the other extreme when it comes to other kinds of writing.

I wouldn't flip burgers for the pay some suggest is fair for an article writer.

Here are the two sides:

First, you've got people, usually internet marketers, who want to have articles written for them. They know they can get them for $5 to $17. So that's what they're willing to pay.

Then, you've got the writers who are apparently desperate to see their names in print. For some reason, they are willing to accept ridiculously low pay rates.

Obviously, article writers can't command the fees a good copywriter can. The copywriter is literally bringing money to the client. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't be compensated *reasonably* for their time.

If the article writers demanded fair pay, what would happen?

It could be that it would not be worthwhile for internet marketers to hire them. That would be okay. It's simply not worth doing if you are getting paid less than a teenage babysitter. In fact, these writers would be better off writing whatever their hearts desire and simply have fun with it while they get a day job.

As long as people are willing to write for peanuts, that kind of writing will be undervalued.

But I will *not* concede that the prices from the Warrior forum are fair, and I absolutely will not charge such ridiculously low prices for my time, talent, and skill.

If my fees are too high for the doctor, I understand that, and will move on with no hard feelings. But I certainly will not charge peanuts, nor will I risk earning too little to even pay my bills.

Janet