Ghostwriters

Ghost Writers for Hire: 12 Secret Bestsellers Who Can Work on Your Book

If you have a story to tell, but you can’t find the words or time for it, a ghostwriter may be your best ally. Ghostwriters are professional writers who will take your book idea and, with utmost discretion, deliver a quality manuscript that embodies your voice. But where can you find these mysterious masters of the craft?

You might imagine their identity is hidden under iron-clad NDAs — and sometimes they are! Luckily, we’ve found 12 of the very best ghostwriters for hire in the US from the Reedsy marketplace, ready and willing to share their expertise and help you write your book.

1. Rob MacGregor

Rob MacGregor is a jack of all trades — and, as the numbers prove, a master of many. His writing portfolio includes a New York Times bestseller, and an Edgar Allen Poe Award-winning mystery novel. Film fans will be excited to learn that Rob has authored no fewer than seven official Indiana Jones novels, working with George Lucas himself to bring movie magic onto the page. When he’s not taking readers on a journey to lost cities in search of biblical artifacts, Rob writes on a range of nonfiction topics such as meditation and synchronicity.

Specialty Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Thriller & Suspense, New Age & Health

Fun Fact: Rob is the credited co-writer on the debut novel from Lando Calrissian himself, Billy Dee Williams!

2. Joey Green

If you’re looking for a quality ghostwriter, what better than the man who helped a record-breakingly bestselling author with his own project? Joey Green’s writing credits include an incredible 60 published works, but his collaboration with superstar author James Patterson on the kid’s book Not So Normal Norbert is a definite highlight. And Joey’s achievements don’t end there; one look at his bibliography shows his massive range. From non-fiction volumes about Lenin and Marx to a series about housekeeping hacks, to political parody 一 Joey approaches a huge range of subject matter with humor and flexibility.

Specialty genres: Humor & Comedy, Literary Fiction, Middle Grade, Science Fiction

Fun fact: One of Joey’s best known works is a philosophical take on a kid’s classic. If you’re looking for the deeper side of your favorite musical movie, check out The Zen of Oz: Ten Spiritual Lessons from Over the Rainbow.

3. Alice Sullivan

With over 20 years of experience in publishing, Alice Sullivan’s writing career has been extremely prolific — she’s written over 50 books and edited over a thousand! Specializing in self-help and memoir, often with a spiritual or religious angle, Alice has worked on heavy hitters for bestselling authors like Jen Hatmaker. Alice’s star-studded memoir clientele also include sporting legends Manny Pacquiao and Shaquille O’Neal.

Specialty genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Entertainment, Health & Wellbeing, History, Inspirational, Religion, Self-Help & Self Improvement, Travel

Fun fact: According to Alice, “I’ve been writing (and published) since the second grade but back then I took my payment in the form of chocolate pudding. I do still really like chocolate pudding.”

4. Alex Cody Foster

Having carved out an impressive career as a ghostwriter, Alex Cody Foster recently found himself in the middle of a whirlwind in the pursuit of one of his projects. Alex was hired as a ghostwriter by controversial late tech billionaire John McAfee, only to be swept up into a six-month long saga across America and Europe, evading McAfee’s many “enemies”. His experiences were even featured in a recent Netflix documentary, and his other collaborators have included royalty, billionaires, and true crime suspects.

Specialty genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Business & Management, Entertainment, True Crime, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Thriller & Suspense

Fun fact: Alex was “discovered” by a legendary novelist while working on his own memoir at a coffee shop, at the tender age of 20.

5. Andy Earle

With degrees in both screenwriting and psychology, Andy Earle brings a unique blend of skills and expertise to producing engaging non-fiction that tells a story. Alongside working on his own peer-reviewed scientific publications, Andy has co-authored and researched non-fiction projects for authors who are keen to share their own ideas about communication, psychology, and behavioral science. His biggest hitter is probably Flip the Script, the best-selling book about pitching and the art of persuasion which Andy co-wrote with sales expert Oren Klaff.

Specialty Genres: Business, Memoir, Self-Help, Parenting

Fun Fact: Andy runs a parenting blog and podcast called Talking to Teens.

6. Kate Davis Jones

Fantasy continues to be the most booming genre for sales, and there’s been a particular trend towards “spicier” romance and paranormal romance in recent years. One author who has been able to ride that particular wave is Kate Davis Jones, who has ghostwritten 16 novels, all of which have an over 4-star rating and hundreds or even thousands of Amazon reviews.

Specialty genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQ Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, Mystery & Crime, LGBTQ Non-Fiction

Fun fact: Although most of her work is fantastical fantasy romance, Kate has another, slightly unexpected area of interest — independent sports journalism!

7. Salwa Emerson

Although originally trained in fiction writing, Salwa Emerson jumped the divide into non-fiction and hasn’t looked back. Lending her expertise to CEOs, spiritualists, and thought leaders among others, Salwa has produced writing on a number of non-fiction topics from affair recovery to workforce motivation. Her hybrid background in fiction and non-fiction allows even the most technical topics to be presented with a strong sense of narrative and readability.

Specialty genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Business & Management, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Sex & Relationships

Fun fact: We said Salwa hasn’t returned to her fiction roots, but this isn’t entirely true — she did co-author a kid’s book about soccer, the adorable Chance Striker: One in a Million.

8. Scott Carbonara

Ranked as one of the top ten ghostwriters in the US by Ghostwriters and Co, Scott retired from a high-flying corporate career to begin writing, and has since become a successful ghost with endorsements from the likes of bestselling writers Jack Canfield and Gary Chapman. Scott’s skills as former crisis counselor and manager in a multi-billion dollar business add to his ability to communicate effectively with clients, meeting them where they are and helping share their stories.

Specialty genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Business & Management, Self-Help & Self-Improvement

Fun fact: Scott met his wife during his first writing collaboration! “My editor at the time said I was the best writer she’d ever worked with. I really liked her, but she was fairly expensive for me since I was in business start-up mode. So I married her–which didn’t necessarily save money, but…”

9. Carolyn Murnick

After receiving critical acclaim for her own true-crime tinged memoir, The Hot One, Carolyn Murnick has turned her hand to helping others share their stories just as powerfully. The Hot One was recommended by NPR, Elle, Cosmopolitan, and Entertainment Weekly, and named a best book of the year by Buzzfeed and The New York Post. Over ten years of experience at New York Magazine and a wide variety print journalist credits has allowed Carolyn to also dip her toes into a wide array of non-fiction topics, from cooking to sex and relationships.

Specialty genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Cooking & Food, Home & Garden, Self-Help, Sex & Relationships

Fun fact: Carolyn presented a fascinating TedX talk about true crime and the ethics of treating crime as entertainment.

10. Cyn Balog

Cyn Balog’s bibliography is a tale of two halves; although most of her work is comprised of dark thrillers and paranormal suspense, she’s also a Romance Writers Association RITA nominated author for her YA romance! This diversity of genre means that she’s adaptable to an impressively wide range of styles and, to quote Cyn, “I can write like Nora Roberts or Stephen King” — and pretty much anything in between.

Specialty genres: Cozy Mysteries, Dystopian, Horror, Middle Grade, Psychological Thriller, Romance, Women’s Fiction, Young Adult

Fun fact: Cyn’s writing has made its way onto numerous reading lists, including the Scholastic book club and the ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers List.

11. Amanda Nell Edgar

Multi-award winning academic writer Amanda Nell Edgar has an impressive collection of scholarly accolades, and lends her talent for creating accessible educational material to clients as part of her ghostwriting service. Particularly focusing on work highlighting marginalized experiences, Amanda was awarded the African American Culture and Communication Outstanding Academic Book Award in 2019.

Specialty genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Political Science & Current Affairs, Sociology

Fun fact: When not writing, Amanda can often be found teaching at the Department of Communication and Film at the University of Memphis.

12. Alee Anderson

Non-fiction ghostwriter Alee’s own experiences with bereavement have led her to find a fascinating niche within the publishing industry, working with authors to share difficult but ultimately uplifting stories regarding topics like grief, trauma, and serious illness. Spending three years as the leader of a global support collective for young people dealing with the loss of loved ones, she is able to use her expertise speaking about difficult topics as a means of connecting with clients on a deeper level, and driving down to the heart of a story in a respectful manner to find the narrative beneath.

Specialty genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Inspirational, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Chick Lit, Contemporary Fiction, Mystery & Crime

Fun fact: Alee has a particular gift for helping when creative collaborations have gone awry, and says she has often been able to save the day for authors after an initial ghostwriting attempt has been unsuccessful, giving them a second chance at sharing their story.