Generate professional ghostwriting contracts
AI creates customized agreements that protect your payment, limit scope, and transfer rights clearly.
Generate professional ghostwriting contracts
River's Ghostwriting Contract Generator creates complete, professional agreements customized to your project specifications. You provide basic project details like scope, payment terms, timeline, and deliverables. The AI generates a comprehensive contract including payment schedules, revision limits, intellectual property transfer, confidentiality clauses, termination terms, and legal protections. Whether you're ghostwriting a memoir, business book, speech, or article series, you get a contract that protects your time and ensures fair payment.
Unlike generic freelance contract templates that miss ghostwriting-specific needs, this tool includes clauses addressing authorship rights transfer, confidentiality obligations, voice approval processes, and attribution terms. The generated contract specifies exact payment amounts and schedules, defines deliverables precisely to prevent scope creep, limits revision rounds to protect your time, and includes termination and kill fee provisions. Every contract is customized to your project type, length, and client relationship.
This tool is perfect for professional ghostwriters establishing new client relationships, freelance writers transitioning to ghostwriting who need stronger contracts, or experienced ghostwriters updating outdated agreements. If you've experienced payment issues, unlimited revision requests, or scope creep on past projects, a solid contract prevents these problems. Use it before starting any ghostwriting project to set clear expectations and protect your business.
What Makes Ghostwriting Contracts Different
Ghostwriting contracts address unique challenges standard writing agreements do not cover. You transfer complete authorship rights, maintain strict confidentiality, capture someone else's voice, and often work without public credit. Each element requires specific contractual protection that general freelance contracts lack. Standard agreements focus on deliverables and payment. Ghostwriting agreements must also define intellectual property transfer, confidentiality scope, revision processes, voice approval criteria, and attribution terms.
The most critical clauses protect payment structure, scope definition, and rights transfer. Payment terms should specify 50% upfront, 25% at midpoint, 25% at completion for book projects, or 50/50 for shorter work. This ensures you never work more than halfway through without payment. Scope definition must be precise: exact word count, number of chapters, revision rounds included, feedback timelines. Vague descriptions like 'memoir about client's life' invite endless revisions. Rights transfer clauses should state clearly that upon final payment, all copyright transfers to client with no attribution required.
Strong contracts also address what happens when projects go wrong. Termination clauses specify notice periods, kill fees for early cancellation, and what happens to work already completed. Indemnification clauses protect you from legal claims arising from client-provided information. Dispute resolution clauses establish mediation before litigation and specify jurisdiction. Without these protections, a problem project can cost you months of unbillable time and thousands in potential legal fees.
What You Get
Complete contract customized to your project type (book, article, speech) with all essential clauses
Payment terms structured to protect cash flow with upfront deposits and milestone payments
Precise scope definition and revision limits that prevent unlimited client requests
Intellectual property transfer and confidentiality clauses specific to ghostwriting relationships
Termination and kill fee provisions that compensate fairly if projects end early
Legal protections including indemnification, dispute resolution, and independent contractor status
How It Works
- 1Provide project detailsEnter project type, scope, word count, timeline, payment amount, and number of revision rounds
- 2AI generates contractSystem creates complete agreement with all clauses customized to your specifications in 3-5 minutes
- 3Review and customizeGenerated contract includes all essential terms. Edit any sections to match your specific needs
- 4Finalize and useDownload as PDF or Word document. Have attorney review before first use, then reuse for similar projects
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this contract legally binding in my state?
The generated contract includes standard clauses used by professional ghostwriters nationwide. However, contract law varies by state. We recommend having an attorney licensed in your state review the contract before your first use. Once reviewed and approved, you can reuse the template for similar projects. The cost of one legal review (typically $200-500) protects you across all future projects. Most attorneys will approve these contracts with minor modifications for state-specific requirements.
Can I use this for corporate clients or just individuals?
Both. The contract works for individual clients, small businesses, and corporations. For corporate clients, they may require using their own contract template. In those cases, use this generated contract as your negotiation baseline. Extract the key protections (payment schedule, revision limits, termination terms) and request them as addendums to the corporate contract. Professional corporate clients respect contractors who negotiate standard protections.
What if my client wants to negotiate terms?
Negotiation is normal and professional. This contract represents strong but fair terms that protect both parties. Clients may negotiate payment schedules, revision numbers, or timeline. Stay firm on core protections: upfront payment, revision limits, termination compensation. Everything is negotiable, but removing all protections leaves you vulnerable. If clients refuse reasonable standard terms, that is often a red flag indicating future payment or scope issues.
How do I handle confidentiality for high-profile clients?
The generated contract includes standard confidentiality clauses. For high-profile clients (public figures, executives, celebrities), consider requesting they provide their own NDA in addition to contract confidentiality terms. This demonstrates your commitment to discretion and provides stronger legal protections. Most high-profile clients have standard NDAs their attorneys drafted. Review carefully and propose modifications if terms are overly restrictive (like prohibiting you from ever working in the industry).
What payment structure should I choose for different project types?
For books (60,000+ words, 3-6 months), use 50% upfront, 25% at manuscript midpoint, 25% at completion. For shorter projects (articles, speeches under 5,000 words), use 50% upfront, 50% on delivery. For ongoing retainer work, use monthly payments with defined deliverables per month. The key principle: never work more than halfway through without payment. Upfront deposits filter out non-serious clients and protect your cash flow.
How many revision rounds should I include?
Two revision rounds is standard for most ghostwriting projects and adequate for professional clients who provide clear feedback. First round addresses structural and content feedback. Second round handles line-level edits and voice refinement. Some ghostwriters include one round and charge hourly for additional revisions. This works if you are confident in your process and client communication. Whatever you choose, define it explicitly in the contract and enforce it consistently.
What if I want to keep some rights for my portfolio?
Standard ghostwriting contracts transfer all rights to the client. However, you can negotiate portfolio rights: permission to reference the project generically without identifying client or sharing excerpts. Example: 'Memoir for tech executive' or 'Business book for Fortune 500 CEO.' Negotiate this upfront before signing. Some clients accept it, others refuse. High-profile clients typically require complete confidentiality including portfolio references.
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