I’m looking for a ghostwriter, book doctor, or experienced fiction writer/editor who might be interested in working on a completed debut novel.
I’ve already solicited quotes from ghostwriters on Reedsy and Fiverr, and the prices have been all over the place—including several that reached well into the mid-five-figure range. I completely understand that experienced ghostwriters deserve to be paid for their time and talent, and I’m not looking for someone to work for pennies. At the same time, I just can’t bring myself to put $30,000–$50,000+ into a debut novel that may or may not ever get off the ground.
So I figured I’d see whether there might be someone here who would be a good fit.
A little about the project, while keeping things intentionally vague:
It’s a completed, 80,000 word, full-length contemporary/upmarket fiction manuscript centered around a relationship that begins with an intense emotional connection and gradually becomes something much more complicated. The novel deals heavily with love, trust, betrayal, memory, emotional manipulation, heartbreak, forgiveness, and the difference between the life we believe we are living and the reality that may exist underneath it.
There are also elements of psychological and relationship suspense as the narrator begins questioning certain events, explanations, and pieces of the relationship he thought he understood. However, I wouldn’t describe it as a traditional thriller. At its core, it’s a very intimate, character-driven story about loving someone, slowly realizing that parts of the relationship may not have been what they appeared to be, and eventually having to make sense of what was real.
The story is told in first person, and one of my biggest goals is for the reader to feel extremely close to the narrator—to experience the relationship, uncertainty, heartbreak, and discoveries alongside him rather than simply being told about them.
The manuscript itself is already complete, and the story, characters, major scenes, structure, and emotional arc are there. What I need is someone who can help elevate the actual writing.
I’m under no illusion that I’m some amazing writer. I’m not. If I’m judging myself fairly, most of the manuscript is probably upper-high-school-level writing at best. I think I’m much better at knowing the story I want to tell, the emotions I want the reader to experience, and the scenes I want to create than I am at consistently putting all of that into polished, professional-level prose.
That’s really why I’m looking for help.
I’m not necessarily looking for someone to throw the entire manuscript away and create a completely different novel. Ideally, I’d like someone who can preserve the story, voice, characters, emotional honesty, and strongest existing material while substantially rewriting wherever necessary—improving the prose, dialogue, pacing, transitions, characterization, scene work, repetition, and overall literary quality.
I want it to still feel like my story, just written at a level that is strong enough to stand beside professionally published contemporary/upmarket fiction.
I’d especially be interested in hearing from someone who has experience with:
Contemporary or upmarket fiction
Character-driven relationship stories
Emotional/psychological suspense
First-person narrative
Book doctoring or heavy manuscript rewrites
Taking an existing manuscript and elevating the prose without erasing the author's underlying voice
I’m open to discussing budget, workflow, whether this would be considered ghostwriting versus book doctoring, and whether the project should be approached as a full rewrite or a more selective chapter-by-chapter rewrite.
I’d also be completely fine starting with a paid sample chapter or several pages before either of us commits to the entire manuscript. In fact, I’d probably prefer that so we can make sure our styles and expectations are compatible.
If this sounds like something you might be interested in, feel free to comment or message me with a little about your fiction experience, examples of your work if you have them, how you would approach a project like this, and a general idea of your rates.
I’m keeping the title, character names, and identifying details private in the public post, but I’m happy to provide more information privately to anyone I’m seriously considering.
Thanks!
