How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Ghostwriter, According To a Pro Ghost

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Ghostwriter, According To a Pro Ghost How to Hire a Ghostwriter – By Andrew Crofts Andrew Crofts is a ghostwriter and author who has published more than eighty books, a dozen of which were Sunday Times number one bestsellers. He has also guided a number of international clients successfully through the minefield of independent publishing. In this post, he explains how to go about hiring a ghostwriter, the cost of ghostwriting, and the process of working with one.Why Hire a Ghostwriter?The job of a ghost is to write the book which you would write if you had the time or the ability. Writing books takes practice, like any other skill, it also requires more time than most people can afford. It is perfectly sensible to hire a professional to do the job for you, just as you would hire a barrister to plead for you in court or a speechwriter if you wanted to get into the White House. It will still be your story, whether it is an autobiography, a memoir, a family history, a how-to business book or even a novel, just written with professional help. Whatever you need, a ghost will do for you, but you must first be clear in your mind what it is you do need. Whatever you need, a ghostwriter will do for you, but you must first be clear what that  is. Traditional Publishing Deal or Self-Publishing?Do you want to follow the traditional route of trying to find a big name publisher and getting an advance to help defray the costs? Or do you want to maintain control of the whole project and self-publish, either with or without the help of an independent publisher?If it is the former then you initially need the ghostwriter to produce a proposal which can be taken to publishers, either by you, by the ghost or by an agent who the ghost may be able to lead you to. The ghost can then write the whole manuscript once the publisher has been found.If you want to maintain control then the ghostwriter will be writing the whole manuscript for you from the start, and should be able to help you find the experts you need to turn it into a finished book. (Although most of those services are also available on Reedsy).A proposal for a traditional publisher will probably be between 10,000 and 20,000 words, containing a short synopsis, an author profile, chapter breakdown, some sample chapters and any background information which will help the sale, (similar books on the market, captive markets etc).A complete book could be anything from 30,000 to 100,000 words or more. There are usually between 300 and 400 words to a page, so you can work out roughly what that will look like. "A #ghostwriting proposal for a publisher will probably be between 10k and 20k words." @andrewcrofts Choosing the Right GhostwriterOnce you have a clear idea what the book is to be about and what you want to do with it once it is written, you can then make contact with some ghostwriters. An email is probably the best first approach to assess if they are interested and if they are available. Then move to phone calls or Skype to see how the chemistry is between you.You are going to need to trust your ghostwriter completely because you will be telling them everything, just as you might tell your doctor, your therapist or your lawyer. If anything about them makes you doubt that you will be comfortable with them then move on to the next person. You may be able to make a decision at this stage, but if possible a face-to-face meeting is good. "You  need to trust your ghost completely because you'll be telling them everything." @andrewcrofts Do You Need a Contract?Once you are both happy with the chemistry, decide if you want to have a formal contract or just an exchange of emails laying out what each side expects of the other. Lawyers and agents will tell you that you should have contracts that cover every eventuality and if that will make you more comfortable then, by all means, have one drawn up or ask the ghost if they have a standard one. You might also want them to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Again, I stress, you really need to trust this person before you get too involved. If you feel you need to tie them down legally they may not be the person for you. It may be, however, that they will have had bad experiences with clients in the past and they may prefer to have something in black and white. You need to work this out between you.How Much Will a Ghostwriter Cost?How much a ghost will cost is a matter of supply and demand. If they have all the work they can handle and potential clients approaching them every day they will cost a lot. For that money, you will have the confidence that the writing will be of a certain standard and that the ghostwriter will know exactly what they are doing. If they are just starting out and desperately want to get some books on their cv then they will be more affordable, but there is always the risk that they will not write as well or as quickly. You need to have in mind what your budget is. Ask them what they would charge and don’t be afraid to negotiate. In some cases, you may have a book which is so obviously commercial the ghostwriter will be willing to work for a 50% share of the royalties. If you are going to go in for that sort of arrangement you will need a contract, and you should probably involve an agent, just because the money may not come in for several years, by which time everyone might have forgotten what was agreed. Even in those situations, you will probably need to pay for them to create the proposal at the start.It is very importa nt that neither of you goes into the relationship feeling resentful about the money. If the ghost is going to be spending three to six months working for you then you have to be prepared to pay the equivalent of a decent salary. If it is a proposal they can do in a month, the same applies.So how much does the average ghostwriter cost? Some ghostwriters will charge the equivalent of  £100 a day, some will charge  £1,000. Most will prefer to give you a quote for the whole job, but you can always agree to pay that in stages so that if the relationship isn’t working out - or you change your mind - you can walk away without paying any more. The most important thing is that you are both clear about what is expected and, again, that there is an atmosphere of mutual trust.Be aware that very few books make much money from sales - if any at all. No one can ever predict which books will become best sellers, so it is much like buying a lottery ticket. You are extremely unlikely to earn back the money that you are going to spend on a ghostwriter from sales alone. There must, therefore, be another good reason for writing the book other than the hope of making money.The Ghostwriting ProcessThe ghost will be happy to sit with you and record the whole story from start to finish. Any written material that you can give them in advance, however, will help to speed things along by guiding their questioning. Always meet somewhere where you will be completely comfortable. Your own home or workplace is the best, but a ghost will go wherever you ask as long as it is reasonably quiet. (I have spent a great many months of my life sitting in hotel suites and coffee shops).In an ideal world you will spend a few days recording, the ghostwriter will then go away and write the first draft, you will then meet up again and tell them if they are going wrong and put right anything that they have misunderstood or that you forgot to tell them at the first meetings, and they will then produce a final version.In reality it sometimes takes a few more journeys back and forth before the manuscript is perfect and if you would be more comfortable with them showing you a chapter or two at a time then, by all means, tell them at the beginning, (preferably in an email so you can both remember what you have agreed).You both need to find a way of working which makes you comfortable, but if you are going to be very hands-on and insist on lots of meetings and re-writes you may have to accept that the costs will go up. The ghost will be happy to sit with you and record the whole story from start to finish. Once the Book is WrittenOnce you have a manuscript that you are both happy with, most ghostwriters will be able to help you with either finding a traditional publisher, (although there are never any guarantees of success there), or with guiding you through the self-publishing process. By the time you have got to this stage you should have a professional relationship of absolute mutual trust - possibly even a friendship. Looking to hire a ghostwriter? You can check out Andrew Croft's profile on Reedsy here! Or find out more about ghostwriters here.  Want to know more about ghostwriting, or share an experience with a ghostwriter? Leave us your thoughts, and any questions for Andrew, in the comments below!

Characteristics and Examples of Stabilizing Selection

Characteristics and Examples of Stabilizing Selection Stabilizing selection in evolution is a type of natural selection that favors the average individuals in a population. It is one of five types of selection processes used in evolution: The others are directional selection (which decreases the genetic variation), diversifying or disruptive selection (which shifts genetic variation to adjust to environmental changes), sexual selection (which defines and adapts to notions of attractive features of the individuals), and artificial selection (which is the deliberate selection by humans, such as that of the processes of animal and plant domestication). Classic examples of traits that resulted from stabilizing selection include human birth weight, number of offspring, camouflage coat color, and cactus spine density. Stabilizing Selection Stabilizing selection is one of three main types of natural selection in evolution. The others are directional and diversifying selection.  Stabilizing selection is the most common of those processes.  The result of stabilizing is the over-representation in a specific trait. For example, the coats of a species of mice in a forest will all be the best color to act as camouflage in their environment.  Other examples include human birth weight, the number of eggs a bird lays, and the density of cactus spines. Stabilizing selection is the most common of these processes, and its responsible for many of the characteristics of plants, humans and other animals. Meaning and Causes of Stabilizing Selection The stabilizing process is one that results statistically in an over-represented norm. In other words, this happens when the selection process- in which certain members of a species survive to reproduce while others do not- winnows out all the behavioral or physical choices down to a single set. In technical terms, stabilizing selection discards the extreme phenotypes and instead favors the majority of the population that is well adapted to their local environment. Stabilizing selection is often shown on a graph as a modified bell curve where the central portion is narrower and taller than the normal bell shape. Polygenic traits tend to result in a distribution that resembles a bell-shaped curve, with few at the extremes and most in the middle. David Remahl/Wikimedia Commons Diversity in a population is decreased due to stabilizing selection- genotypes which are not selected are reduced and can disappear. However, this does not mean that all individuals are exactly the same. Often, mutation rates in DNA within a stabilized population are actually a bit higher statistically than those in other types of populations. This and other kinds of microevolution keep the stabilized population from becoming too homogeneous and allow the population the ability to adapt to future environmental changes. Stabilizing selection works mostly on traits that are polygenic. This means that more than one gene controls the phenotype and so there is a wide range of possible outcomes. Over time, some of the genes that control the characteristic can be turned off or masked by other genes, depending on where the favorable adaptations are coded. Since stabilizing selection favors the middle of the road, a blend of the genes is often what is seen. Examples of Stabilizing Selection There are several classic examples in animals and humans of the results of stabilizing selection process: Human birth weight, especially in underdeveloped countries and in the past of the developed world, is a polygenetic selection which is controlled by environmental factors. Infants with low birth weight will be weak and experience health problems, while large babies will have problems passing through the birth canal. Babies with average birth weight are more likely to survive than a baby that is too small or too large. The intensity of that selection has decreased as medicine has improved- in other words, the definition of average has changed. More babies survive even if they might have been too small in the past (a situation resolved by a few weeks in an incubator) or too large (resolved by Caesarian section).Coat coloration in several animals is tied to their ability to hide from predator attacks. Small animals with coats that match their environments more closely are more likely to survive than those with darker or lighter coats: stabilizing selection results in an average colorati on thats not too dark or too light. Cactus spine density: Cacti have two sets of predators: peccaries which like to eat cactus fruits with fewer spines and parasitic insects which like cacti that have very dense spines to keep their own predators away. Successful, long-lived cacti have an average number of spines to help ward off both.The number of offspring: Many animals produce multiple offspring at once (known as r-selected species). Stabilizing selection results in an average number of offspring, which is an average between too many (when there is a danger of malnourishment) and too few (when the chance of no survivors is highest). Sources Cattelan, Silvia, Andrea Di Nisio, and Andrea Pilastro. Stabilizing Selection on Sperm Number Revealed by Artificial Selection and Experimental Evolution. Evolution 72.3 (2018): 698-706. Print.Hansen, Thomas F. Stabilizing Selection and the Comparative Analysis of Adaptation. Evolution 51.5 (1997): 1341-51. Print.Sanjak, Jaleal S., et al. Evidence of Directional and Stabilizing Selection in Contemporary Humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115.1 (2018): 151-56. Print.