Fees

All fees are negotiable depending on the project. 

Basic Copyediting (general proofreading/editing of existing text for grammar, word usage, style, etc) $40 per hour 

Editing (copyediting and light rewriting/reorganizing existing text for content, style, voice, clarity, readability, etc) $50 per hour

Copywriting, features, press releases and ghostwriting: $75 per hour or a mutually agreed upon flat fee per project

Terms and Conditions

A written agreement is required for all projects. 

Two copy revisions are free; changes in concept or nature of assignment are extra per the above hourly fee schedule.

For ghostwriting projects, I always include a stipulation on how I am to be credited in my contract. I am generally acknowledged for my "extensive assistance" or for being the one "without whom this book would never have been completed." It really is up to you; I have no ego investment in seeing my name on the front cover of a book. I just want to do the best possible for you and create a book of which we can all be proud. When I ghostwrite a book, it is a work-for-hire. That is, a piece written for pay on your behalf. I am paid for my work outright, and you retain ownership, full copyright, and control over sale of the work. Once the work is completed to your satisfaction and I am paid in full, the work is yours to do with as you will; I do not contract for royalties or residuals. I never work on speculation. 

Portfolio Usage

Regardless of copyright assignment, I reserve the right to use any and all work for portfolio and marketing purposes (as samples, clips and so on) and to publish and make use of said materials in any format that such activities require, including but not limited to electronic, print, audio, video and other methods as shall be developed. All due consideration for and disguise of proprietary and other private information will be taken upon request. Arrangements that preclude or alter this agreement must be made in advance.

In other words, as a writer I must rely on examples of my past work to acquire future assignments. As a result, I need to be able to show copies of my work to other customers in order to stay in business, and I do this either by making physical copies, uploading them to my online portfolio and so on. I will remove or otherwise redact any proprietary information and other information you don’t want shared.

When you hire me, the default agreement is that I can use the finished piece or any drafts in this manner. If you have any conditions or exemptions you want made, you need to negotiate that when we finalize the contract for the assignment. If you don’t say anything, your permission is understood as being given in full.

I will never use one client’s work as a template for other client’s work (each assignment is guaranteed to be a unique, handcrafted piece of original writing), nor will I use copy that I’ve created for a client for my own personal sales/marketing copy, other than as a sample or clip. 

Kill Fee

If the client decides to cancel the contract or, after several rewrites done in good faith, the client and I cannot come to a happy agreement on the end product, the client will pay me for services completed to that point or 50% of the originally estimated fee, whichever is greater, and I will surrender the current text and materials to the client. The client is then free to do as he wishes with the work, as long as my name is not on the resultant end product.

The client may cancel the work at any time. All fees paid or due as of the kill date are nonrefundable. Written notice of the decision to cancel an existing contract must include the reason(s) for the cessation of the commitment. 

Copyright Notice 

In the case of work-for-hire, the copyright transfers to the purchaser of the work upon full payment. Note that work-for-hire rights assignments must be made in writing. In all other cases (freelance articles sold to magazines, for example), the copyright remains mine. When in doubt regarding status of the services and products you are purchasing, please ask.

My ghostwriting fee (which is for editing and writing only) generally ranges from $20,000-$40,000 and includes up to two revisions. This range reflects the mid-market range per project as outlined in the 2008 edition of The Writer’s Market. The lower end of the ghostwriting fee range generally applies to nonfiction books of 200-250 pages. If the book is extraordinarily long and/or requires a substantial amount of extra research or reworking, the price increases accordingly. The average turnaround time for ghostwriting is four to six months but can be as short as two months or as long as one year. Note: With rare exceptions, I work for an upfront fee and do not ask for royalties or residuals. Once the work has been completed to your satisfaction and I have been paid, all rights and profits belong to you.

Payment methods and terms

I accept personal and business checks, money orders and cashier's checks, in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank only. 

For jobs totaling $10,000.00 or less, with an estimated turnaround time of two months or less, I generally require a 50% nonrefundable deposit upon signing the contract, with the balance due when the final product is delivered, or as specified in the contract. If the estimated turnaround time is longer than two months, I generally require a 50% nonrefundable deposit, with the balance divided out into monthly payments. The amount and number of the payments are dependent upon the estimated turnaround time. If the project takes longer than the original estimate, final payment can be withheld until completion.

For higher-dollar jobs that take longer, the amount of the nonrefundable deposit varies, depending upon the job. Subsequent payments are due at intervals, generally monthly, with the number and amount of payments being dependent upon the estimated time frame of the project. If the project takes longer than the original estimate, final payment can be withheld until completion. Generally, one third of the estimated total fee is required in advance before work commences. One third is due upon submission of first draft. The remainder (including any extra fees) is due upon final completion and approval of work.

Additionally, for large or lengthy ghostwriting projects, I offer the option of an hourly fee for the first chapter to assure we are agreement in terms of content and style. Once that has been established, we can switch to the flat rate fee structure noted above or stay at the hourly fee, whichever the client chooses.