Ghostwriter

My specialty is ghostwriting full-length books and novels and I enjoy writing biographies, autobiographies, and personal memoirs.

I'm one of the best in this business and happy to prove it.

The problem with most ghosts is that they cannot show you their work. In addition to my ghostwritten works I’ve authored two 400-page novels and a 400-page autonovel under my own name. You are encouraged to read them to judge the quality of my writing. I've provided excerpts on this website.

Involuntary Separation, Corporate Downsizing Gone Fatally Wrong is a psychological thriller written in the third person.

Cat Fever is mainstream fiction written in the first person.

On the Road Again is an autonovel written in the voice of the late Jack Kerouac.

My education is broad based and includes a graduate degree, but to be a truly exceptional ghost one must have lived. I bring a diverse background and several lifetimes of experiences to my craft. You are welcome to review my Biography tab to determine if my background may include experiences appropriate for your project.

There are a lot of variables in this business so it’s impossible to provide a good cost estimate in advance. A project can take six months to a full year. It can require huge amounts of research or no research whatsoever. It can be written from an outline or an idea or from detailed notes or audio tape. It can require travel and interviews or just an occasional conversation. It may have regular client participation and feedback or be left entirely to the ghost. It can be a subject I'm passionate about or one that holds little interest for me. All these things and many more influence my quote and your cost.

My starting price for a 400-page book or novel is $50,000.

. . . . . . . for a 200-page biography is $25,000.

. . . . . . . for a 200-page autobiography is $15,000

. . . . . . . for a personal memoir is just $5,000.

Process in General:

You contact me and we discuss your project. I prefer email but I will take your call if you're not comfortable.

If I’m interested and you have decided to proceed you will pay a $500 non-refundable deposit and I will provide a copy of one of my novels for you to better assess my skills. I will do the research necessary to produce a fair cost estimate while you read the novel and get comfortable with the fact that I have the talent and ability your project requires.

Once you have made the decision to hire me we will discuss the terms and I will produce a contract or letter of understanding including our respective duties, price, method of payment, and timeline.

We will both sign, and you will make the initial payment.

I will keep you well informed as the work progresses and welcome your input. I will meet all agreed terms and you will make any agreed interim payments.

When the project is complete to my satisfaction you will make the final payment and I will deliver the finished product. Your satisfaction is guaranteed. You are welcome to send the manuscript back with any criticism or suggestions and I will make the edits until you are completely satisfied. Afterall, it is your book.

You will be listed as the author and I will receive no credit. You will not reveal my involvement and I will never admit involvement.

400-PAGE NOVEL:

Writing a novel is the most demanding project a ghost can undertake. It requires an emotional commitment and depends on innate creative ability that cannot be taught or learned. Writing it in your voice adds a degree of difficulty. Turning your idea into a novel will be expensive. For you, being recognized as a published novelist will be worth it. In addition to the writing I will shop the project around and recommend to best means of publication.

400-PAGE BOOK:

Many successful business people can enhance their reputation by writing a business book. Passing out your book instead of a business card can make an enormous difference and add the credibility you need to beat your competition and land the best contracts. A book can make you the recognized expert in your field and be invaluable in many ways. I am an accomplished and creative writer with an MBA and the time to write your book. You are a business person whose time is better spent on your business. This is a win-win.

200-PAGE BIOGRAPHY:

A biography is less expensive due to the reduced page count and because the amount of time I must spend on research and the creative process is reduced since you are closer to the story and can provide much of it. Because the subject of the biography is someone well known to you, we will do about 40 hours of taped interviews together. I will do some additional research and fact checking on my own then proceed as above. Again, your satisfaction is quaranteed.

200-PAGE AUTOBIOGRAPHY:

Your autobiography will require about 40 hours of taped interviews during which you will tell your story and I will interrupt for clarification or to ask you to expand on particular aspects. We will both enjoy the process. Because I will not have to do any fact checking the finished product will arrive quickly and be less expensive. As always, your satisfaction is quaranteed.

MEMOIR:

Depending on the scope of the project a memoir can be written in as little as a few weeks from 20 hours of taped interviews or at the other extreme can require a year of dedicated effort by the ghost and much interaction with you. It relies as much on the creative ability of the ghost as on your life experiences. The popularity of memoirs today owes to the fact that they are being ghostwritten by novelists such as myself. Rather than the sterile accounts of the person who lived it we are seeing life stories interpreted through creative nonfiction. The theme is based on the true story or event but is interpreted and presented in a way that not only informs but entertains and moves the reader. The more successful the memoir the more likely it was ghostwritten. Please follow the link to the IMMORTALITY page for a more detailed explanation.

MANUSCRIPT REVIEW SERVICE:

I really enjoy reading and critiquing manuscripts, so I do it relatively inexpensively. If you are looking for an informed and fair opinion on your manuscript's marketability or publishability, I will review your manuscript and submit a written report for $1,500.

My critique will start with feedback on the mechanical elements of format, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, and grammar. Next will be a discussion of the basic elements of characterization, setting, imagery, word choice, dialogue, setting, tone, and themes. Finally, it will discuss the strength of the plot and the flow of the storyline. If you have an exceptional plot and story, everything else can be fixed and you will be grateful for my positive report. If the plot and story leave me cold, you will get the honest opinion and hard truth you had to hire me to obtain. That is something you can never expect from friends or family.

Once you have read and considered my report you are entitled to call me to discuss it.

Rick Lacey, Author/Ghostwriter
11540 Villa Grand #1209
Fort Myers, FL 33913
(239) 849-1467
rplacey@hotmail.com