Should you hire a ghostwriting company or a freelance ghostwriter?

The short answerIf you have experience vetting and negotiating with ghostwriters, going direct is a good decision. When you hire a freelancer or agency, publishing is a completely separate process and cost to you. Every Scribe package includes professional editing, cover design, interior layout, publishing, and distribution to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major retailers.

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How the two options compare

It's possible to find a great ghostwriter in any of these categories, but depending on your experience with writing and publishing, the best option for you will vary.

A freelance ghostwriter

The advantage of hiring a freelancer is that you can often negotiate a cheaper price than when you go through a service company. The disadvantage of hiring freelancers is the time and effort it takes to find, vet, and hire one that's the right fit. Pure book writing services don't include publishing.

A company like Scribe

We hand-select three writers excited about your project, and you interview all three and pick your match. A dedicated publishing manager runs the whole project from day one to launch, so you can stay focused on your work. Cover design with market testing, interior layout, all four formats including a produced audiobook, ISBNs, copyright, and global distribution.

Questions to ask before you hire anyone

These apply to a freelancer and a company alike.

  • Do they list the books they've done on their site?
  • Do they list their pricing?
  • What if your ghostwriter isn't a great match?
  • Is there a mandatory timeline for publication?
  • Who owns the royalties and rights?

Made for a specific kind of author

Scribe Professional is the done-for-you option. Here is who it fits, as the service page puts it.

This is for you if…

  • You are a founder, executive, or expert with real expertise to share, and no time to write it yourself.
  • You want a complete, done-for-you book that sounds exactly like you.
  • You see the book as a business asset: authority, inbound leads, speaking, and clients.

This is not for you if…

  • You want to write the manuscript yourself.
  • You are looking for the cheapest possible option.
  • You are writing fiction.

Real authors. Real results.

Four authors on trying it alone, hiring help, and what they would do again.

7xWhat going it alone cost him
Erik Huberman
The Hawke Method
Erik is not a Scribe author. About six years into building Hawke Media, Erik met a writer at a friend’s party who asked if he had ever thought about writing a book. Erik went with the writer and set out to build the rest of the strategy himself.
“It wasn’t the writing process that was hard, it was everything else.”
Read his story →
1 paragraphWhat three weeks alone produced
Michael J. Boydell
The Adventure Advantage
When the pandemic grounded his practice in 2020, he sat down to write the book he had been carrying around as scribbles of notes. Three weeks of writing alone produced one beautiful paragraph, and nothing else.
“This is something that had to come from inside of me and I needed help to do that.”
Read his story →
2Books Written With Scribe
Gui Costin
The Dakota Way and Be Kind
Costin is blunt about going it alone: he would not recommend it. What got the book across the finish line was a partner with a system, a professional process, and a ghostwriter who kept him honest and kept him on point.
“I would have never been able to do it on my own.”
Read his story →
20 yearsStuck in his head before Scribe
Dr. Thom LeBeau
The Black Sheep Advantage
The problem was never the ideas. It was that a practicing physician seeing hundreds of patients a week could never get the thing organized and finished alone.
“What I loved about it was, it was not such an insurmountable thing. It was a step-by-step thing [...] it made it doable.”
Read his story →

Every price, out in the open

We publish what every Scribe service costs because we work on behalf of the author, and that starts with transparent pricing.

Scribe Publishing

$4,833 / month

6 monthly payments · $29,000 total

You've written your manuscript. We handle everything else.

See Scribe Publishing →

Guided Author

$2,933 / month

15 monthly payments · $44,000 total

You write your book with expert coaching. We publish it.

See Guided Author →

Scribe Professional

$4,667 / month

12 monthly payments · $56,000 total

We interview you and write your book. You talk, we create.

See Scribe Professional →

Scribe Elite

$9,000 / month

15 monthly payments · $135,000 total

The premier ghostwriting experience. White-glove, start to finish.

See Scribe Elite →

Compare every service and price

Questions authors ask

Is a freelance ghostwriter cheaper?

The advantage of hiring a freelancer is that you can often negotiate a cheaper price than when you go through a service company. When you hire a freelancer or agency, publishing is a completely separate process and cost to you.

What does Scribe cost?

Scribe Professional is $4,667 a month for 12 months ($56,000 total). Scribe Elite is $9,000 a month for 15 months ($135,000 total). If you would rather write it yourself with a coach, Guided Author is $2,933 a month for 15 months ($44,000 total).

Can I choose my writer?

Yes. We hand-select three writers excited about your project, and you interview all three and pick your match.

Will the book sound like me?

You review real preview pages early, and again at the midpoint. We do not move forward until you confirm it sounds like you.

Who owns the book?

You do. The Scribe pricing pages list “100% of All Rights and Royalties” and say: “All book profits and rights are yours. All accounts are yours.”

Scribe Professional Browse All Books Success Stories Pricing

Your book starts with a conversation

A focused conversation about your book idea, the best publishing path for your goals, and a clear next step.

Schedule a Free Consult

Or call (512) 325-0249