HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

How to hire a ghostwriter in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to ghostwriters. The contract must move the copyright to you and settle credit and confidentiality — here is what to ask and agree.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a ghostwriter in five steps

  1. Read books they have writtenAsk for titles you can buy or samples you can read, in a genre close to yours.
  2. Have a chemistry callYou will spend many hours together. Check you are comfortable telling this person your story.
  3. Put copyright, credit and secrecy in the contractA signed assignment of copyright, a signed waiver or agreement on credit, and a confidentiality clause.
  4. Agree the schedule and stage paymentsInterviews, chapters, drafts and revisions, each with a date and a payment.
  5. Plan what happens if it stopsWho keeps the interviews and drafts, and what is owed, if either side ends the project.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses ghostwriters in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and there is no required qualification. The contract is the protection, so read it as carefully as you would read the book.

Ask for samples, two former clients you can speak to, and the draft contract before paying anything.

Copyright assignment for the book

Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 the person who writes the text owns the copyright, even when it is your life story. Section 90 says the assignment to you only takes effect if it is in writing and signed by the ghostwriter.

Make sure the contract assigns copyright in the manuscript, drafts and related material to you, so royalties and publishing deals are yours. legislation.gov.uk →

The right to be named, and the waiver

Authors have a moral right to be identified, which matters when the book carries only your name. The Act lets the author waive moral rights in a signed written instrument (section 87).

Agree whether the ghostwriter is credited anywhere, and if not, get a signed waiver of the right to be named. legislation.gov.uk →

Personal data in interviews

Interview recordings hold personal information about you and the people in your story. A business or sole trader processing personal data must pay the ICO data protection fee unless exempt.

Ask how recordings and transcripts are stored and deleted, and whether the ghostwriter is on the ICO register. gov.uk →

VAT

Ghostwriting is standard-rated, so a registered ghostwriter adds 20% to each chapter or draft payment and to extra interview hours. Registration becomes compulsory once a ghostwriter has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the ghostwriter for the VAT number when the stage payments are set and for VAT shown on each stage invoice. gov.uk →

“Which ghostwriting projects can you show me?”

A good answer: Published titles or samples, with permission from past clients. Some work is confidential, but a ghostwriter should have something to show.

“Will you assign the copyright in the book to me?”

A good answer: Yes, in a signed clause, so the rights, royalties and any publishing contract are entirely yours.

“Will you want a credit, and will you sign a waiver if not?”

A good answer: A clear position. Some ghostwriters ask for an "as told to" or acknowledgement line; others sign a waiver.

“How will the ghostwriting work: how many interview hours, and how often?”

A good answer: A plan for sessions, recordings and transcripts, and how much of your time the ghostwriter needs each month.

“How does a ghostwriter keep my story confidential?”

A good answer: A confidentiality clause in the contract, secure storage of recordings and drafts, and no mention of the project without your consent.

“What does each ghostwriting stage payment buy?”

A good answer: A schedule: a deposit, payments on chapters or drafts, and a final payment on the manuscript, so you never pay far ahead of the work.

“What happens if the ghostwriter's project stops halfway?”

A good answer: Written terms on what is owed and who keeps the drafts and recordings, with the copyright in delivered material still passing to you.

Getting the quote right

  • The book length, the number of interview hours and the schedule
  • Who actually attends the interviews and writes the book: the ghostwriter you chose, or a subcontracted researcher or writer
  • Stage payments tied to chapters or drafts, with dates
  • Revision rounds on the manuscript
  • Copyright assignment, and the credit or waiver agreed
  • Confidentiality, and how recordings are stored and deleted
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on each chapter or draft payment

Walk away if

  • No samples of book-length writing at all
  • Refusal to assign copyright
  • Most of the fee required before any interview
  • No confidentiality clause in the contract
  • Promises of a publishing deal or bestseller status
  • A schedule with no dates or milestones
LOW
£5,000
TYPICAL
£12,000
HIGH
£35,000

What a ghostwriter costs: £5,000–£35,000 per project

Ghostwriters quote a project fee for the whole book, paid in stages as chapters and drafts are delivered. Ghostwriter price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Ghostwriters near you, with the badges that matter shown

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  1. PlanningPurpose, readers, outline and schedule agreed, with the contract signed.
  2. InterviewsRecorded sessions that capture your story, your voice and the detail behind it.
  3. ChaptersThe ghostwriter drafts chapter by chapter, sending each for your comments.
  4. Full draft and revisionsThe complete manuscript, revised in the agreed rounds.
  5. Final manuscriptThe finished text, the signed assignment and waiver, and the return or deletion of the recordings.

Manuscript
The full text of the book before publication.
Assignment
The signed transfer of copyright from the ghostwriter to you.
Moral rights
The author's personal rights, including being named as author; they can be waived in writing.
Stage payment
A payment released when a set part of the work is delivered.
As told to
A credit line some ghostwritten memoirs carry naming the ghostwriter.
Book proposal
A sample and outline used to pitch a book to agents or publishers.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the assignment and the waiverThey prove the book is yours to publish, license and earn from.
Read the final manuscript slowlyFacts, names, dates and anything about other people. You publish it under your name, so you carry it.
Collect the recordings and draftsAsk for the interviews and transcripts back, or written confirmation they have been deleted as agreed.
Review it on LocufyRate the ghostwriter on the things that mattered to you: the result, the communication, the price. Anything wrong goes through make-it-right before the review is published.

STEP 1Write to the ghostwriter firstExplain to the ghostwriter, in writing, which part of the job fell short and what you want done. If the work lacked reasonable care and skill, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lets you ask for it to be put right at no extra cost, or for money back.
STEP 2Let Locufy follow it upBelow four stars, Locufy asks if the ghostwriter should be told first and given a chance. We follow it up; your review goes live once it has run its course.
STEP 3Get consumer adviceWith no regulator for ghostwriters, the ghostwriter can be referred to Trading Standards by the Citizens Advice consumer helpline (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) or Consumerline (0300 123 6262) in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4The small claims routeIf the ghostwriter still will not refund or fix it, the small claims routes need no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a ghostwriter: questions people ask

The ghostwriter, until they assign it to you. The assignment must be in writing and signed by them under section 90 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

No. No licence, register or qualification applies to ghostwriters in any UK nation.

It depends on the contract. Their right to be named can be waived only in a signed document, and a confidentiality clause can stop them mentioning the project.

The range is £5,000–£35,000 per project, and £12,000 is a typical figure. Length, interview hours, research and the ghostwriter's published record set the fee. The ghostwriter price guide covers what changes it; enter your town above to compare local ghostwriters.

Usually six to twelve months from the first interview to the final draft, longer if interviews are hard to schedule.

The contract should say what is owed for the work done and that the copyright in delivered chapters still passes to you.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in marketing, design & tech

How to hire: CopywriterHow to hire: Blog WriterHow to hire: Content CreatorHow to hire: PR ConsultantHow to hire: IllustratorHow to hire: Podcast EditorHow to hire: Social Media ManagerHow to hire: Brand DesignerAll 701 hiring guides →

Ghostwriters near you

Ghostwriters in LondonGhostwriters in ManchesterGhostwriters in BirminghamGhostwriters in GlasgowGhostwriters in BelfastAll ghostwriters on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 11 — first ownership
  2. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 77 — right to be identified as author
  3. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 87 — consent and waiver
  4. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90 — assignment in writing
  5. gov.uk — pay the data protection fee
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  8. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register