Ghostwriting agreement

This agreement is made on [date] between [client's name], of [address] (the “Client”), and [ghostwriter's name], of [address] (the “Ghostwriter”). The Ghostwriter will write a book to be published under the Client's name, on the terms below.

1. The book

2. Schedule and payments

2.1 Milestones. The work and the fee follow these milestones:

2.2 Late materials. If interviews, materials or feedback from the Client arrive late, every later date moves by the same number of days.

2.3 Waiting on the Client. If the project waits on the Client for more than [60] days, the Ghostwriter may invoice the next installment and reschedule the remaining work.

3. Revisions

3.1 Included rounds. The fee includes [2] rounds of revisions on the full draft.

3.2 What a round is. A round is one consolidated set of written notes from the Client.

3.3 Further work. Further rounds, or changes to the agreed concept, structure or length, cost [amount] per [round / hour] and start only after the Client approves the cost in writing.

4. Fee and expenses

4.1 Total fee. [Amount], paid in the installments in 2.1.

4.2 Invoices. The deposit is paid on signing, before the first interview. The Ghostwriter invoices each later installment when its milestone is delivered, and each invoice is due within [15] days.

4.3 Deposit. The deposit is non-refundable once the first interview has taken place.

4.4 Expenses. Expenses the Client approves in advance, such as travel to interviews or transcription, are repaid at cost within [15] days of receipt.

4.5 Not tied to publication. Payments are not conditional on a publisher accepting the book or on publication.

4.6 Royalty share (optional). The Ghostwriter also receives [X]% of the Client's advance and royalties from the book, paid within [30] days of each payment the Client receives, with a copy of the statement.

5. Ownership and rights

5.1 Ownership. Once the Client has paid the full fee, the Client owns the manuscript and all copyright in it, in every format and language.

5.2 Work made for hire. To the extent the law allows, the manuscript is a work made for hire. To the extent it is not, the Ghostwriter assigns all copyright and related rights in it to the Client, effective on final payment, and will sign any document reasonably needed to record that.

5.3 Before full payment. Until full payment, the Client may use drafts only to review them.

5.4 No reuse. The Ghostwriter will not reuse the manuscript's text, or the Client's private stories, in other work.

6. Credit and publicity

6.1 Credit on the book. Keep one option and delete the others.

• No credit. The Ghostwriter is not named in the book.

• Acknowledgments. The Ghostwriter is thanked in the acknowledgments.

• Shared credit. The cover or title page credits the Ghostwriter, as “with [name]” or “as told to [name]”.

6.2 Authorship. If there is no credit, the Client may present the book as the Client's own work, and the Ghostwriter will not claim or dispute authorship in public.

6.3 Portfolio use. Keep one option and delete the other.

• Named. After publication, the Ghostwriter may name the book and the Client.

• Unnamed. The Ghostwriter may describe the project only in general terms, without the Client's name, such as “a memoir for a retired pilot”.

6.4 Press and social media. The Ghostwriter will not discuss the book with the press or on social media without the Client's written approval.

7. Confidentiality

7.1 What stays private. The Ghostwriter will keep private everything the Client shares for this book: interviews, recordings, documents, drafts, and personal details about the Client and the people in the Client's life.

7.2 The collaboration. Unless section 6 allows it, the Ghostwriter will also keep the collaboration itself private. Both parties will keep the fee private.

7.3 Limits. These duties continue after the agreement ends. They do not cover information that is already public, or disclosure required by law.

7.4 Recordings. Within [30] days of final delivery, the Ghostwriter will [return / delete] all recordings and transcripts, keeping only this agreement and a copy of the final manuscript.

8. AI tools

8.1 Use. Keep one option and delete the others.

• None. The Ghostwriter will not use generative AI tools on this project.

• Support only. The Ghostwriter may use AI tools for transcription and research, but will write the manuscript text.

• As agreed. The Ghostwriter may use AI tools as the parties agree in writing.

8.2 The Client's material. In every case, the Ghostwriter will not upload the Client's interviews, recordings or drafts to any service whose terms allow it to train on them or share them, and will tell the Client which tools were used if asked.

9. Accuracy and approval

9.1 The Client's facts. The Client is responsible for the truth of the facts and stories the Client provides, and for having the right to share any letters, photos or documents the Client supplies.

9.2 Original text. The Ghostwriter will write original text and will not copy from other sources, except material the Client supplies or both parties approve.

9.3 Final say. The Client approves the final manuscript and decides what is published.

9.4 Legal review (optional). Before publication, the Client will arrange a legal review of passages about real, living people.

10. Ending early

10.1 Notice. Either party may end this agreement with [14] days' written notice.

10.2 If the Client ends it. The Client pays every installment already due plus a kill fee of [amount], and the Ghostwriter delivers all work completed so far. Once those amounts are paid, that work belongs to the Client as set out in section 5. Instead of a kill fee, you can charge the time spent since the last milestone at an hourly rate.

10.3 If the Ghostwriter ends it. For any reason other than the Client's breach, the Ghostwriter refunds payments for milestones not yet delivered.

10.4 What continues. Sections 5, 6 and 7 continue after the agreement ends.

11. General terms

11.1 Independent contractor. The Ghostwriter is an independent contractor, not an employee, and is responsible for the Ghostwriter's own taxes.

11.2 Changes. Changes count only if made in writing and approved by both parties; email is enough.

11.3 Disputes. If a dispute arises, the parties will first try [direct negotiation / mediation] before going to court. This agreement is governed by the laws of [state or country].

11.4 Whole agreement. This is the whole agreement. It replaces earlier proposals and emails about the same book. If one part turns out to be unenforceable, the rest still applies.

Signatures