Are there people who you can pay to write your life story?

1. 94

   peeplesposted 13 years ago

   Are there people who you can pay to write your life story?
   
   So I really want my life story written but I am not the one to do it. I suck at writing in that way. I have made the attempt several times but get no where. However I feel my life story could really benefit some. Are there writers who can be paid for this and if so any idea how much something like that would cost?

   replyreport
2. 78

   JamaGeneeposted 13 years ago

   Yes, there are such people, called "ghost writers", but I have no idea how much one would charge.  Good luck!

   replyreport
3. 73

   Author Cherylposted 13 years ago

   Well depending on a company its roughly a couple thousand dollars.  You could probably write it yourself and then get someone to edit it which editors charge about two dollars a page.  You would have to type it on a word document then find an editor to edit it and correct things to make it sound feasable to a reader.  Most companies just do a question and answer kind of page and might leave out some valuable information.  You would be better off doing the writing and having it edited.

   replyreport
4. 83

   Doc Snowposted 13 years ago

   Hey, I'd give it a shot--along with possibly hundreds of other writers on this site and beyond.
   
   As to rates, well, one site I found with a quick Google search had this:
   
   "Ghost writing for books, memoirs and newsletters: From* $50 per double-spaced page."
   
   So, for them a 150-page memoir would run from $7500 upwards.  I'm pretty sure I could do it for that.

   replyreport
5. 73

   jaybird22posted 13 years ago

   You know your life story better than anyone.  Even if you have had several failed attempts, you need to keep focusing on it and at least get all your ideas on paper.  I know people that have spent twenty years writing "their story". 
   
   Once everything is on paper, you could have a company edit it.  Then they would have a better idea of the events that happend and could put them in words that connect with your intended audience. This would be a lot cheaper and would be a better way of getting your message out there than trying to describe it to a ghost writer.

   replyreport
6. 81

   Patty Inglish, MSposted 13 years ago

   In my city that is fairly large (about a million people), a 150 page book at a standard 250 or 300 words per page by a ghost writer would run at least $5,000 and 300 pages might cost double or more, or $10,000 to $12,000.
   
   Editing by a professional editor here after you wrote it would be $10 per page or more and that's for proofreading and minor grammatical/punctuation changes. If a "substantive edit" is needed, which includes changes in sentence structure, paragraph placement, use of language as in appropriate reading grade level, and other items, then edits can cost $50/page or a bit more. It's pretty expensive.
   
   If you have any Literary Agents in your city, call and ask if they can suggest a lower-cost ghost writer and/or editor. Some of these go into semi-retirement and charge a bit lower fees. An agent can help you with suggestions about content and style - tens of thousands of books about child and adult abuse, recovery, and healing (from your profile) suggests that you may need to have some style that will stand out from among the rest. You may already have that style or special story.
   
   Best wishes!

   replyreport
7. 61

   rlahaposted 13 years ago

   I'd love to help!   If you don't feel comfortable asking someone on HubPages to do it for you, there is a company called Odesk.com. All you have to do is go there, register, and post up a job opening and explain what you want done. Then you have a place to put in how much you would like to pay someone to write it.  It's nice because you can meet writers from around the world using Skype or another free application that you can video chat in to help the writer get ideas for your life story.  Good luck!

   replyreport
8. 61

   MickSposted 13 years ago

   The exercise is beset with problems - mainly - finding some one to do it, finding a publisher who thinks your life story is interesting enough for the readership, you stil have to pay the ghost, probably up front, whether or not you can find a publisher willing to take on the project.
   You could give what youve done in the past a good edit and then 'self publish', note that I said 'self publish' not 'vanity publish', which is a rip of from the start.

   replyreport