Our Book Ghostwriting Process — What to Expect
A friendly walk-through of how we ghostwrite your book: who actually owns the manuscript, how voice-capture works, the chapter-by-chapter writing rhythm, NDA and credit terms, and exactly how the project runs from intake to final delivery.
Hiring a ghostwriter is the most personal commission in publishing. You're trusting a stranger with the book you've been carrying around for years, and asking them to produce it in your voice. That's a leap of faith — and it should be made with full information. This page explains exactly how we work, what you own, what the ghostwriter signs, how we capture your voice, and the rhythm of writing chapter by chapter so the manuscript that lands at the end actually sounds like you wrote it.
1Before You Order: Ghostwriter or Co-Writer?
The most important pre-order question is which arrangement you actually want. A ghostwriter writes the book; you receive 100% authorship credit; the ghost agrees not to disclose involvement. A co-writer's name appears on the cover alongside yours; the credit is shared. The two engagements have completely different commercial terms, NDAs, and rate structures. We do both — but you need to know which you're commissioning before we start.
💡 Pro Tips
- Ghostwriter (most common): you sign all contracts, you put your name on the book, the writer is invisible — even on LinkedIn. Higher rate, full ownership.
- Co-writer: writer's name on cover (often as 'with [Name]'), shared social proof, lower rate. Usually for celebrity memoirs or expert non-fiction with a writing partner.
- Most authors want a ghostwriter, not a co-writer — but a few discover at intake they actually want shared credit. Easier to choose at intake than to renegotiate mid-project.
- If you're unsure, the free consultation is the right place to talk it through — we can explain the rate and contract differences for your specific project.
⚠️ Important
- Don't assume the answer. It's a contract, not a handshake — being clear before kickoff prevents the only kind of dispute that's hard to resolve later.
- If the book is your IP based on your idea, your research, your intellectual contribution: ghostwriter is almost always the right choice. Co-writer makes sense when the writing partner has independent credibility you want to associate with.
Got the idea but not sure how to structure it?
Run your premise through our free Book Outline Generator first. It produces a chapter-by-chapter structure (Three-Act, Hero's Journey, Save the Cat, Seven-Point, or chapter-by-chapter for non-fiction) so you arrive at intake with a starting structure rather than a blank page. Optional but useful — and it's a great first signal of whether you want a ghostwriter or a co-writer.
2The Ghostwriting Pact: Rights, Credit, NDA
Before any writing happens, we sign a three-part agreement that defines exactly who owns what and who can say what. This is the contract every ghostwriter project at HMD uses; it's been refined over hundreds of books and there's nothing buried in it that bites later.
Full ownership of the work product to you
The manuscript is a work-for-hire commission. You own 100% of the copyright, all derivative rights (translations, adaptations, audiobooks, sequels), and all commercial rights worldwide in perpetuity. The ghostwriter signs an explicit assignment-of-rights clause so there's no future ambiguity if you sell the book to a major publisher or license it for screen.
Sole authorship credit to you
Your name appears on the cover. Pen names accepted; we'll work with whatever name you want on the published book. The ghostwriter agrees never to claim authorship, never to add the project to their portfolio, never to disclose involvement publicly. They cannot list it on LinkedIn, in a CV, or in a writer's bio.
Mutual NDA covering both directions
The ghostwriter cannot disclose anything they learned during the project (your research, sources, personal stories, business information). You cannot disclose the ghostwriter's identity to anyone outside your project team. The NDA continues indefinitely — it doesn't expire when the project does.
⚠️ Important
- The contract is a real legal instrument; we recommend reading it before you sign and asking us anything that's not crystal clear
- If you plan to use the manuscript for a corporate book project (where employees know about it), tell us at intake — we can adjust the NDA scope so you're not technically breaching it by mentioning the project internally
3How the Process Works — Step by Step
Ghostwriting is the longest project HMD runs end-to-end. A 45,000-word novel typically takes 12–16 weeks from intake to final delivery; an 80,000-word book runs 18–24 weeks. The pace is set by the chapter-by-chapter rhythm: we don't write the whole book in a back room and hand it to you. You're involved at every chapter handoff.
Deep-dive intake (week 1)
A 60–90 minute kickoff call plus a structured intake form. We capture: premise, target reader, voice notes (what writers do you sound like? what do you NOT sound like?), structural preferences, source material you're providing, research scope, deadlines, and the things you feel strongly about. Takes a meaningful chunk of your time — there's no shortcut on this stage.
Ghostwriter pairing (week 1-2)
Based on intake, we pair you with a ghostwriter whose existing work most closely matches the voice and genre you want. You see a sample of their writing (with NDAs already in place, so they can show you a previous ghosted project's first chapter). If the voice doesn't fit, we re-pair before any writing starts.
Outline collaboration (week 2-3)
The ghostwriter drafts a detailed chapter outline based on your intake; you refine it together. We don't start chapter 1 until the outline is signed off. Most direction-changes that would otherwise become expensive happen here — outline revisions are easy, rewriting chapter 5 is not.
Chapter-by-chapter writing (weeks 3 to ~14)
The ghostwriter writes 1–3 chapters, sends them to you for review, you respond with notes, they refine and move to the next batch. This rhythm repeats through the book. Voice corrections happen in the early chapters and stabilise; structural corrections happen anywhere. You're not waiting until the end to see if it's working.
Full draft + revision pass (final 2-3 weeks)
After every chapter is written, the ghostwriter does a full read-through pass for consistency (character voices, terminology, timeline, callbacks) and applies any cross-chapter polish. Final manuscript delivered in clean Word format with a style sheet. Ready for editing, formatting, and publishing as separate next steps.
4Capturing Your Voice
The single most-asked question on every ghostwriting project: 'will it sound like me?' Voice capture is part craft, part data, part feedback loop. Here's how we make it land.
💡 Pro Tips
- Voice samples: send us 3-5 emails, blog posts, social-media threads, or transcribed voice memos so the ghost has primary-source data on your natural voice
- Reference reading: you tell us 3-5 authors whose voice you'd like to read like — the ghost uses these as voice anchors, not stylistic copies
- Voice-test chapter: chapter 1 is the calibration chapter. We'll iterate on it more than any other; voice corrections you make here propagate through the rest of the book
- Edit-don't-rewrite rule: when reviewing chapters, mark up specific lines that don't sound like you — that gives the ghost a measurable target. Vague feedback like 'this doesn't feel right' is harder to act on
⚠️ Important
- Authors sometimes discover during the voice-test chapter that what they thought was their voice was their email voice — and the book voice they want is more polished than that. Adjust expectations: chapter 1 is calibration
- If the voice still doesn't feel right after 3 rounds on the test chapter, we'll re-pair you with a different ghostwriter — at no charge. Voice fit is the foundation of the whole project
5Research and Source Material
Where the source material lives splits ghostwriting projects into two clean shapes. Memoir and biography lean heavily on you (your stories, your research, your sources). Non-fiction expertise books split between your subject knowledge and the ghostwriter's research. Pure fiction is mostly the ghostwriter's research with your intent as the spine.
💡 Pro Tips
- Memoir: send us your written notes, photo timestamps, voice memos, family records — anything that anchors the truth you want to capture. We won't fabricate biography
- Non-fiction (your expertise): we set up 2-3 deep-dive interviews per major chapter; the ghostwriter records, transcribes, and writes from your authentic phrasing
- Non-fiction (research-heavy): the ghostwriter handles primary research; you review for accuracy at chapter handoffs. Fact-checking by an external source is an add-on for high-stakes claims
- Fiction: the ghostwriter handles world-building, period research, technical accuracy (legal procedure, medical scenes, military detail) — flag any non-negotiables in your intake
6Communication Cadence
Ghostwriting projects move at the speed of feedback. The chapter-by-chapter rhythm only works if both sides respond promptly to handoffs. Here's the cadence we expect on both sides — and what slows down when it slips.
💡 Pro Tips
- Chapter handoffs: ghostwriter delivers a batch every 7–14 days depending on tier and chapter length
- Author response: 3–5 business days to send notes. Faster is better — the next chapter is queued behind your feedback
- Mid-cycle calls: 30-minute calls roughly every 4 weeks to discuss any direction issues that don't fit in tracked-changes comments
- Slack/email channel: low-stakes questions answered within a business day; major decisions handled in scheduled calls so they're documented
⚠️ Important
- If notes are delayed by more than 2 weeks, we pause the project rather than push ahead and risk wasting work in the wrong direction. Restarts are smooth — we just resume from where you left off
- We won't write into silence. If a chapter raises a question that needs an authorial decision, we wait for the answer rather than guess
7Revisions Policy
Ghostwriting has a uniquely high revision burden compared to other services because the writer is producing original material rather than refining existing work. Our policy keeps things fair without exposing you to runaway costs.
💡 Pro Tips
- Chapter-level revisions during writing: 2 rounds per chapter included. Almost every chapter needs at least one round; many land in 1.
- Outline revisions before chapter 1 starts: unlimited and free — this is the cheapest place to redirect the project
- Final-pass revisions on the assembled manuscript: 1 full revision round included after the complete draft is delivered
⚠️ Important
- Direction changes that require rewriting completed chapters (e.g. you change the protagonist's gender after chapter 8): a partial re-write is quoted at standard per-word rates rather than 'covered'
- Adding new chapters or expanding scope after kickoff (e.g. 'can we add a prologue?' or 'this needs a 3,000-word epilogue I didn't plan for'): quoted as extra-words at £1,000 / $1,297 per ~10,000 words. We'll always quote before doing the work
- If you decide mid-project that you actually want a co-writer instead of a ghostwriter (or vice versa), we can pause and renegotiate the contract — but credit and rate changes only apply to chapters not yet written
8Pen Names, Public Use, and Credit
Once the book is written, you decide how it goes out — and that decision is genuinely yours. We've ghostwritten books published under real names, established pen names, fresh pen names, and corporate brand names (where the 'author' is a company spokesperson). All of those work.
💡 Pro Tips
- Real name: simplest path. Your name on the cover, your bio, your social-media presence supporting the launch.
- Pen name: complete privacy from your day job, easy to maintain if you don't want personal connections to the book — many of our clients choose this. We can advise on bank-account and royalty setup
- Corporate / brand author: 'by Company X' or 'by [CEO]' for thought-leadership books in non-fiction. Slightly different contract — the company holds rights rather than an individual
- Co-author credit (if you upgraded mid-project): 'by [Author] with [Co-Writer]' on the cover. Negotiated separately
9What's Included — and What Isn't
The ghostwriting package covers the manuscript only. Editing, formatting, cover design, and publishing are separate services that you'll commission after the manuscript is final. We can bundle these into a Complete Package quote at intake if you want a single all-in-one engagement.
💡 Pro Tips
- Included: deep-dive intake, ghostwriter pairing, outline collaboration, chapter writing with revisions, final manuscript delivery, NDA and rights assignment
- Not included (separate services): editing (always recommended after a ghostwritten manuscript — fresh eyes on a long piece of new writing), formatting, cover design, ISBN registration, retailer uploads, marketing
- Add-ons: rush turnaround (£97 / $127 — limited cases; the chapter rhythm has limits), extra words above tier (£1,000 / $1,297 per ~10k extra)
10A Small Note on Trust
Ghostwriting is the most trust-heavy commission in our catalogue. You're spending months working with someone whose name will never appear on the book — and whose voice has to disappear into yours. The most successful ghostwriting projects share two things: an author who shows up at every chapter handoff with thoughtful feedback, and a ghostwriter who treats the manuscript as if their reputation depended on it (because, internally, it does). The contract is the floor of the relationship; the work is the rest. We'd rather have one honest conversation up front than a hundred awkward ones during the project.
Ready to commission your book?
If you've decided ghostwriter (not co-writer) is the right fit and you have a sense of your premise and audience, pick a tier on the ghostwriting service page — your kickoff call gets scheduled within a week. If you want to talk through the choice, the rate trade-offs, or whether your project is suited to ghostwriting at all, book a free consultation first.
Common Questions
Do I own the book once it's written?
Yes — fully and unconditionally. The manuscript is commissioned as a work-for-hire under a written contract that explicitly assigns 100% of the copyright and all derivative rights (translations, audiobook, screen adaptations, sequels) to you. The ghostwriter has no future claim, no royalty share, and no right to license the work themselves. You can sell the book to a major publisher, license it for film, or publish it under any name without going back to the ghost.
Can the ghostwriter ever talk about working on my book?
No. The mutual NDA we sign before any work begins prohibits the ghostwriter from disclosing involvement publicly — they cannot list the project on LinkedIn, in a CV, in a writer's bio, in interviews, or even mention it in casual conversation. The NDA continues indefinitely; it doesn't expire when the project does. The only exception is if you explicitly release them in writing later (rare but legal). On our side, we don't reveal the ghostwriter's identity to anyone outside the project team either — confidentiality runs both ways.
Can I use a pen name on the cover?
Yes — pen names are completely standard in ghostwriting projects, and many of our clients use them. Whatever name appears on the cover is yours; we'll set up royalty and bank-account flows to that name where the publishing platform allows it. We've worked with established pen names (where the author already has books published under that name), fresh pen names, and corporate/brand author setups (where 'by Company X' or 'by [CEO]' makes sense for thought-leadership non-fiction). Tell us at intake; we'll make sure all paperwork uses the right name.
How long does a 50,000-word ghostwritten book take?
Roughly 14–18 weeks from intake to final delivery. The breakdown: 1 week for intake and ghostwriter pairing, 1–2 weeks for outline collaboration, 8–12 weeks for chapter-by-chapter writing (the variable is your response time on chapter handoffs — every week of delayed feedback adds a week to delivery), 2–3 weeks for the full-draft pass and revisions. Rush turnaround can compress this slightly but the chapter rhythm has hard limits — a ghostwriter producing 5,000 quality words per week is at the upper end of sustainable pace.
What if the writing isn't capturing my voice — when can I push back?
Always, and especially in the first 2-3 chapters. Chapter 1 is the calibration chapter; we expect 2-3 rounds of voice refinement on it before moving on. Use specific feedback: mark the exact lines that don't sound like you, paste examples of how you'd phrase the same idea. Vague feedback ('this doesn't feel right') is hard to act on. If after 3 rounds on the test chapter you're still not feeling the voice, we'll pair you with a different ghostwriter at no charge — voice fit is the foundation of the whole project, and it's better to recast early than push through a mismatch.
What happens if I want to change direction halfway through?
Depends on what changes. Chapter-level direction shifts (the focus of an upcoming chapter, a character arc tweak, a new idea for chapter 7) are absorbed in the included revision rounds — happens on most projects, no problem. Structural changes that require rewriting completed chapters (changing the protagonist's gender after chapter 8, repositioning the central thesis for non-fiction, removing a major plotline) are a partial re-write, quoted at standard per-word rates rather than covered. Adding new content above the tier word count (extra prologue, expanded epilogue) is quoted as extra-words at £1,000 / $1,297 per ~10,000 words. We always quote before doing the work — no surprise invoices.
Ready to start? Head to the Ghostwriting service page to pick a tier — Starter Manuscript (up to 20k words), Full Novel (up to 45k words), or Epic Creation (up to 80k words). Or book a free consultation if you want to talk through whether ghostwriting is right for your project, the ghost-vs-co-writer choice, or how to handle source material before kickoff. Either way, we'd rather hear from you with questions than have you stalled at the order page.
What's your next move?
If you've decided ghostwriter (not co-writer) is the right fit and you have a sense of your premise and audience, pick a tier — your kickoff call is scheduled within a week. Want to talk through the choice, the rate trade-offs, or whether your project is suited to ghostwriting at all? Book a free consultation first.
Or contact support if you have questions before ordering.
Free Tools
Book Outline Generator
Produce a chapter-by-chapter outline (Three-Act, Hero's Journey, Save the Cat, Seven-Point) from your premise. A useful starting structure to bring to intake.
Character Name Generator
Generate genre-appropriate character names. Helpful when you're commissioning a novel and want a starting cast list to refine with the ghostwriter.
Word Count Calculator
Confirm your target word count to pick the right ghostwriting tier (20k / 45k / 80k) and avoid over- or under-scoping.