Table of contents:
- Did you get what you paid for?
- Pay with a credit card or PayPal
- Get it in writing
- Be clear about deliverables
- Turn to the pros for help
Scammers posing as ghostwriting agencies seem to be everywhere.
They promise turnkey solutions that offer all the writing, editing, design, and production support you’d need to publish a book — often for as little as $2,000-5,000. That may sound like a lot of money, but given the months of work involved in producing a quality book, it’s like being offered a brand-new car for $100. If you would be skeptical of that deal, you should be skeptical here too.
Some scam sites are going so far as copying well-known agency websites and presenting themselves as subsidiaries of these respected companies, to borrow their credibility and reputation. Meaning, they look legit.
It’s easy to be taken in by them if you are an author trying to get your book written and published.
Did you get what you paid for?
When you aren’t familiar with the typical process of working with a ghostwriter or securing a publisher, it’s difficult to know if what you’re being told makes sense. It’s also hard to spot when a scammer is outright lying to you.
While many authors do discover too late that their money is gone and they have nothing to show for it, there are some scammers who do deliver something. That makes it hard to judge whether you’ve been given what you were supposed to receive. The big problem in this instance is that you have something in hand, but it may not be anything close to a book, and it’s typically not anything useful.
But you may not immediately realize that what you have is useless.
I’ve heard from several authors who paid thousands of dollars for a manuscript and received formatted transcripts back instead. Not a finished book or even an edited manuscript, just a pretty transcript of their conversations. They then had to pay professional ghostwriters or editors to turn those transcripts into a readable book.
Whether you have publishing experience or you’re starting work on your first book, there are still some things you can do to protect yourself if you fear you may be dealing with a questionable ghostwriting business.
Pay with a credit card or PayPal
Credit cards will help get your money back if you report a fraudulent charge within a certain amount of time. That window may be 30 days, or it may be 90 — check your credit card agreement to be sure how much time you have to report that you didn’t get what you paid for.
The same is true with PayPal, with one caveat — you need to indicate that you are paying for goods or services when you send the money or pay the invoice you received. If someone presses you to send them money using the “friends and family” option, to eliminate the fee the seller pays for the service, refuse. If you claim to be sending money to a friend, you won’t be able to recover it if they do not deliver the services they promised. After all, you were effectively sending a gift to a friend, you said.
Whatever you do, do not write a check, pay with Venmo, or use some other app that will give you no recourse if the “ghostwriter” doesn’t do what they’ve promised.
Get it in writing
Many of these scam websites are vague about what, exactly, you’ll receive from them. They may promise to write, design, and publish your book, but you’ll want to get specifics. This way, you can request your money back if they do not live up to the agreement you both signed.
Sidenote: You do want an agreement that explicitly lays out what you are buying from them.
Close-up of hands holding a contract, symbolizing potential legal issues related to ghostwriting scams.
Be clear about deliverables
When I hear from authors who believe they have been scammed, in many cases, part of the problem is that the ghostwriting agency did not clearly define what they would deliver. That makes it hard for the author to prove that the business didn’t live up to their end of the deal.
To avoid any type of misunderstanding, make sure these and other questions are addressed in your agreement. The major questions you want answered are:
What is the process?
What are the steps involved in having your book written? How long will it take? How will the ghostwriter or firm gather the background information needed to write the book? Will there be phone calls? How many? Or up to how many hours of information gathering? Will they use AI to generate any content?
Who is your ghostwriter?
You’ll want their name and then you’ll want to search for them online and email them to confirm they are working on your behalf. Better yet, call them. Some authors are shocked to discover their ghostwriter is unaware of their project because they don’t work for the agency you just hired.
When will the book be done?
What is the timetable for completion? What does the schedule look like? How much time should you expect to invest each week or each month to review chapter drafts?
How long will the finished book be?
You should have input here regarding how long you want your book to be and your ghostwriting firm should confirm it. What will the manuscript consist of, in terms of pages or word count? Will it be professionally edited?
What kind of design services can you expect?
Will the agency design a cover for you? Do you get to choose from several options? How about interior pages? Will they prepare the manuscript in e-book format to be sold online? And will they be responsible for uploading the files to Amazon, or will you?
How does the money work?
How will you pay for the ghostwriting and publishing services? Ideally, you’ll pay a small downpayment and make progress payments as the book is drafted. You do not want to make large payments up front. Then, once the book is published, will payments be sent directly to you or will they come through the agency? How frequently will you get an accounting of sales?
Who is your point of contact?
You’ll want to know who to call or email when you have questions, so get their contact information. Also ask what the typical response time is when you have a question. Can you expect a reply within 24 hours, or longer?
I’m sure this looks like a long list, but it’s likely only a partial list — there are other issues that will come up that are unique to your situation.
Do not be daunted. Protect yourself.
Turn to the pros for help
Attorneys like Marisa Corvisiero, Esq., Denise Gibbon, Esq., and Eric Rayman, Esq., who have media expertise, may be able to assist you if you decide to pay for guidance before signing an agreement.
If the agreement you’ve received from an agency or publisher is vague and does not lay out the specifics of what you are paying for, do not sign it. You want to be sure you are getting what you are paying for, and if you don’t, you want to have a way to get your money back.