Dear Angela:

As a loyal subscriber, I’ve used your expertise in so many different capacities over the years, and for that I’m extremely grateful. To that point, I’m in need again. I have a client who would like me to ghostwrite a non-fiction book and I have no idea what to charge. My research indicates that fees range from $5,000 to $100,000 (depending on factors such as research, page count, expertise, etc.) but I wondered if there were any fee structures that you could point me to and/or if you had any advice/direction from your own experience. Any help in this regard would be greatly appreciated.

-C

Definitely charge by the hour. These types of projects can go in all different directions and, if you’re not charging them by the hour, you may find, in the end, that you were earning pennies per hour. Whenever a lengthy project is being directed primarily by the client instead of the writer, you should charge by the hour.

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