Ghostwriter cost calculator
Ghostwriter.in charges Rs 2 a word. Reedsy’s average memoir writer charges $0.51. Pick a length and see what five kinds of writer charge for your book.
A 50,000-word book with 30 hours of interviews costs Rs 1,45,000 at the low end of the market and $250,000 at the top.
Indian volume shop
Rs 1,45,000 ($2,900)
Ghostwriter.in’s published rate: Rs 500 a page of 250 words, plus 45 interviews of 40 minutes. A writer from a roster.
Packaged memoir service
from $24,000
StoryTerrace PRO: 125 pages and up, 10 hours of interviews and up. Classic stops at 120 pages and 10 hours.
Marketplace freelancer
about $25,500
Reedsy’s 2026 average for memoir is $0.51 a word. Their memoir range is $18,000 to $50,000. You pick from up to five quotes.
New York agency
$57,500 to $250,000
Kevin Anderson & Associates publishes two packages: $57,500 to $95,000, and $115,000 to $250,000. Flat, whatever the length.
Me, one book at a time
US$25,000
The full book at any length: 30 to 60 hours of interviews, six months, every word written by me. The gift book, ten stories in four months, is US$10,000.
Ghostwriter.in, StoryTerrace and Kevin Anderson & Associates publish these prices on their own sites. Reedsy’s figures come from its June 2026 cost guide. Nothing here is my estimate of anyone else’s price.
Why one book costs Rs 1 lakh or $250,000
Same length, same interviews, a price gap of more than a hundred times. The gap is who writes it, and how many other books that writer is writing at the same time.
Ghostwriter.in publishes Rs 500 a page and a writer from its roster. StoryTerrace matches you with a writer from a pool. Reedsy lets you pick one freelancer from up to five quotes. Kevin Anderson & Associates sells you a package, and you meet the writer after you sign.
The full breakdown, band by band, with what each one hides, is in how much a ghostwriter costs.
Where I sit
One price for the full book: US$25,000, six months, written by me, one book at a time. That is a Reedsy writer’s fee, with a named author’s attention.
The gap in my offer is speed. If you need the book in eight weeks for a launch or a birthday, hire a shop with a bench of writers. I would rather say that here than take the deposit.
Questions people ask
How much does a ghostwriter cost for a memoir?
Reedsy’s 2026 range for biographies and memoirs is $18,000 to $50,000, at $0.51 a word on average. StoryTerrace starts at $3,250 for 60 to 120 pages. Ghostwriter.in charges Rs 500 a page. Kevin Anderson & Associates publishes $57,500 to $250,000. The calculator puts all of them against your length.
How does the calculator work it out?
It uses each seller’s own published numbers. Ghostwriter.in: Rs 500 or US$10 a page of 250 words, Rs 10,000 for up to ten 40-minute interviews, then Rs 1,000 each. StoryTerrace: Classic up to 120 pages and 10 hours, PRO above that. Reedsy: your word count times $0.51. Kevin Anderson & Associates: flat packages, whatever the length.
Why are Indian ghostwriters so much cheaper?
Rs 2 a word is a volume price. A writer can only earn a living at that rate by writing several books at once, with fewer interviews and less time per chapter. Some of those books are good. Ask who writes yours, and ask to speak to them before you pay.
How many words is a memoir?
Anything from 20,000 words for a short family book to 100,000 for a full life. At 250 words a page, 50,000 words is about 200 printed pages.
Does the price include printing and publishing?
Most do not. These are prices for the manuscript. Design, print and ISBN are separate. What those cost is in the guide to self-publishing a biography.
Why does your price not change with the length?
Because the cost of a memoir is the listening, and the six months. A long book from a parent who loves to talk can take less time than a short one from a parent who has to be asked the same question three ways.