publishing - What to include in agreement with a Ghost Writer. .

I am exploring engaging a Ghost writer to partner with me on the development of a non-fiction (well, mostly) business book.

What are the critical elements of the agreement that need to be included?

Answer

There are a lot of factors that come up and should be negotiated at the beginning.

You can structure your agreement for a flat fee (most common) or for a percentage of royalties (less common), or a combination.

Regardless of the payment arrangement, you'll also have to decide on certain legal/copyright and process issues:

• name credit (you'll either have to specify that you be included as co-author, mentioned in the acknowledgments, or are waiving all rights);


• royalties (waive or include);


• who is doing the research (this is a big chunk of the work so be sure to sort that out before you start);


• interview access (how many hours the client will be available for interviews/collaboration);


• payment schedule (many ask for, say, 1/4 of the fee upfront, 1/4 upon completion of research/interviews/outline, 1/4 upon completion of first draft, 1/4 upon completion of final draft).

Hope this helps.