Fiction

Fiction is the broadest category we write, and the word hides a lot of different jobs. One client wants a 90,000-word family saga. Another wants five connected stories to give away as a reader magnet. A third has written the first half of a book and run out of road.

We take on all of those. The writer may draft from your premise, finish a half-built manuscript or rework pages you have already written into something more consistent. What does not change is the principle: the story belongs to you. Think of it as the creative end of our ghostwriting services, where invention is the product rather than the research. Every project gets a named project manager, so you always know who to call.

It also helps to say what fiction ghostwriting is not. It is not a template swap or a fill-in-the-blanks story. Each book is written from scratch around your premise, and the writer is a person you can talk to, and a person who will tell you when a scene is not working.

Form is a decision, not an accident. A novella of 20,000 to 40,000 words costs less, reads in an evening and suits a sharp single idea. A novel gives subplots and a larger cast room to breathe. A collection of linked stories suits a world you want to revisit, and it can serve as a gift to new readers.

Tell us what the story needs and what your budget allows. We will say honestly if an idea is too big for the form you picked, or too thin to sustain a full novel.

Series are a different decision again. A trilogy planned from the start has a stronger spine than three books bolted together later. If you are weighing it, we can map the larger arc first and write only the first volume, so you commit to one book at a time.

Readers of fiction want to be transported and to trust the person doing the transporting. They tolerate unusual structure and difficult people. They do not tolerate confusion about who is speaking, boredom in the middle or an ending that cheats.

Genre expectations sit on top of that. Cozy readers expect a certain warmth, upmarket readers expect ideas, and book clubs expect something to debate. We ask which readers you are writing for before we plan the first chapter.

That means characters with a want and a flaw, scenes that change something, dialogue that sounds spoken, and a promise made in the first chapter that the last chapter keeps. We read the draft as a reader would before it goes to you, looking for the places where attention drifts, and we fix those first. A beautiful chapter that slows the story is still a problem, and we will cut it, or move it, with your approval.

Finally, readers expect fiction to feel finished. Loose threads are fine when they are chosen, and maddening when they are forgotten. Our continuity pass tracks both.

1. Brief. You describe the idea and we write down what you want, including comparable titles you admire and anything you refuse to include. A written quote with fixed terms follows.
2. Plan. The writer returns a synopsis and character profiles. You push back until it feels right, and nothing is drafted until you approve the plan.
3. Voice test. A sample scene proves the tone before the full draft starts. If the voice is wrong, we adjust before the full draft begins, which is exactly why the step exists.
4. Draft. The manuscript is delivered in stages, and you can request changes at each key stage. You read, annotate and send back, and the writer works your notes into the next batch so the story keeps its direction.
5. Polish. A final continuity pass catches contradictions in names, dates and details. It also checks the ending against the promises the opening made.
6. Handover. The final manuscript arrives with the plan, the character notes and the style sheet, so you can brief an editor, a designer or a marketer without starting from zero.

You receive the complete manuscript in a clean, standard format, the approved story plan, character notes and a style sheet listing spellings, invented names and places, plus a one-page synopsis you can use for query letters, retail descriptions and cover briefs. All rights and files are yours, and you can register the copyright in your own name.

A ghostwritten draft is a strong draft, not a finished book. Editing is available separately through book editing services, from a light proofread to a full line edit, and our free sample edit lets you judge the work before you commit.

Fiction and series projects start from $14,900 for up to 80,000 words. A novella or a shorter project is quoted accordingly, and a series is priced book by book or as a package. Length, number of viewpoint characters, research needs and speed all affect the figure, and we explain each one when we quote. Scope sets the final figure, and nothing is billed that was not agreed in writing. See our pricing overview for how this compares with other services. We would rather give you an honest number on a call than a vague range on a page.

Many fiction clients keep going once the manuscript is done. A professional edit tightens the prose, book cover design services give the book a shelf-ready look, and book publishing services take care of ISBNs registered in your name, distribution and launch. All of it stays under one roof and one project manager.

Prefer to publish elsewhere? You can. The files are yours, and the writer never claims a share. Fiction readers also care about a consistent look across a series, so plan the branding early. The Poets & Writers site is a good place to read about the wider literary community.

For a full-length novel of 60,000 to 90,000 words, plan on 12 to 18 weeks from kickoff to final manuscript. Shorter fiction is scheduled in the quote, and the estimate assumes you give feedback promptly at each milestone. A faster schedule is available for an additional fee, quoted up front. We sign an NDA before work begins, and rights to the finished text transfer to you on delivery, confirmed in writing at the start of the project.

A sentence is enough to begin, and a sketch on a napkin is even better. Get a free consultation or submit your manuscript if you already have chapters, and we will answer within one business day. Tell us the lane you have in mind and the length you are hoping for. Our fiction ghostwriting services start with your idea and end with a book you can be proud to sign.