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Louise Walters Books
Welcome to my ghostwriting page...
I'm delighted to now be able to offer ghostwriting services alongside my editing. I can edit most genres, but writing is a different ball game, and I prefer to work to my strengths. My expertise is in fiction: novellas and novels, and my preferred genres are literary, contemporary, women's, and upmarket commercial fiction, along with romance and historical fiction.
What I don't write: thrillers, crime, horror, fantasy, sci fi, and erotica.
There are many reasons to hire a ghostwriter. Maybe you have a brilliant idea for a story but you don't have the tools to write it. Maybe you have some tools, but no time. Maybe you simply prefer to entrust your idea to a professional writer. Whatever the reason, it's your decision, and a perfectly respectable way to get your story out there.
A full novel, around 60-100k words, starting from scratch with just your initial idea to begin with, will take 12 to 18 months to complete. A novella, around 20-59k words, will take 6 to 12 months to complete. Fees will vary depending on the word count and the scope of the project. I work within a fixed word count band from the start, allowing for deviation up to 10%. My fees reflect all the tasks involved in ghostwriting a novel: initial discussions, regular updates and check-ins via phone calls and e-mails, revisions, edits, and of course the writing itself, including planning and structuring. Sometimes I need to factor in research and fact-checking too, for instance with historical fiction. All in all, it's a lot of work and responsibility, and my fee reflects that. My aim is to end up with a wonderful novel that you will be proud to put your name to and I'll be proud to have written and co-created.
With all this in mind, my fee ranges from 25p to 75p per finished word.
My fee does not include marketing or PR. The ghostwriter has one job: to write the novel. The rest is up to you because you are the author. In many ways marketing and PR are the hardest part of the whole endeavour. Competition is stiff in a very over-crowded marketplace. If your strength is marketing and PR, but not writing, then a ghostwriting arrangement can be a perfect solution. I will be able to advise on self-publishing and traditional publishing, because I have useful experience of both of these routes to publication. But I can't make any guarantees regarding sales success, gaining agent representation, or anything else beyond my control. The publishing industry can be unpredictable, and sometimes books flop or they become massive hits, surprising everybody involved. It's important to understand this before embarking on any ghostwriting arrangement. The simple truth is that most books don't become huge, and don't make any money. Writing and publishing a book is very often a labour of love.
Please get in touch if you are considering hiring a ghostwriter. An initial half hour discussion is free and with no obligation. Should we decide to work together, I will draw up a contract for us and arrange a payment plan, which consists of an initial 25% deposit followed by monthly payments for the duration of the project. I work on a flat-fee basis and no further charges will be created. This means we both know where we stand from the start and for the duration of the project. I make provision too for get-out clauses. Sometimes, even with the best will in the world, collaborative projects don't work out, with the creative vision of author and writer not quite aligning enough. Where this is the case, a clear notice period will be outlined in the contract. This will aim for fairness on both sides.
Finally, a word on AI. I don't and won't use it, ever. This will also be part of our contract.
If you are considering hiring a ghostwriter, please e-mail me to make enquiries and I'll get back to you.