ghostwriterI can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked to write a 75-100 page ebook in less than a week. Usually the fee for such a gargantuan task is anywhere from $50-$250. I do suppose it can be done (for $250, NOT $50), but how good is it going to be?

Where are people selling these books, or should I say to whom are they selling these books? Of all the ebooks that I have ghostwritten, I can only find TWO actually being sold on the Internet. And I’ve written upwards of 50 of them. Mind you, I’ve only written one that was over 100 pages, and she paid me well for the book. That book is actually sold on the Internet (I can’t say what it is…confidentiality and all that).

I charge $10-$25 per page for a ghostwritten book. So, if a client wants a 100 page manuscript, I get paid a minimum of $1000. Check out Elance and Guru (where freelancers get jobs), and you won’t find a job going for that price.

So, my question is this – what is wrong with clients out there? Do they honestly expect me to work for $1 an hour?

Sadly, the answer is yes. And sadly, we are all doing it, working for below minimum wage just to pay our bills and stay in business. As long as we continue to work at this pace and wage, clients will continue to take advantage of freelance writers. Shall I call for a strike? Oh, how I wish I could, and how I wish all freelance writers would take up the challenge and refuse to write for such meager wages!

Not going to happen.